rd

Judges 11

2 Iphtáh being chaſed away by his brethren, was after made captaine ouer Iſraél. 30 He maketh a raſhe vowe. 32 He vanquiſheth the Ammonites. 39 And ſacrificeth his daughter according to his vowe.
1.THen Gileád begate Iphtáh, & Iphtáh the Gileádite was " a valiant man, but the ſonne of an " harlot.
2.And Gileads wife bare him ſonnes, and when yͤ womãs childré were come to age, they thruſt out Iphtáh, and ſaid vnto him, Thou ſhalt not inherit in our fathers houſe: for thou art yͤ ſonne of a a ſtrãge womã.
3.Then Iphtáh fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of b Tob: and there gathered ydle fellowes to Iphtáh, and c went out with him.
4.¶ And in proceſſe of time the children of Ammón made warre with Iſraél.
5.And whẽ the children of Ammón fought with Iſraél, d the Elders of Gileád went to fet Iphtáh out of the land of Tob.
6.And they ſaid vnto Iphtáh, e Come and be our captaine, that we may fight with the children of Ammón.
7.Iphtáh then anſwered the Elders of Gileád, Did not ye hate me, and f expel me out of my fathers houſe? how then come you vnto me now in time of your tribulacion?
8.Then the Elders of Gileád ſaid vnto Iphtáh, Therefore we turne againe to thee now, that thou maieſt go with vs, & fight againſt the children of Ammón, & be our head ouer all the inhabitants of Gileád.
9.And Iphtáh ſaid vnto the Elders of Gileád, If ye bring me home againe to fight againſt yͤ children of Ammón, if the Lord giue them before me, ſhal I be your head?
10.And yͤ Elders of Gileád ſaid to Iphtáh, The Lord " be witnes betwene vs, if we do not according to thy wordes.
11.Then Iphtáh went with the Elders of Gileád, and the people made him head and captaine ouer them: and Iphtáh rehearſed all his wordes before the Lord in Mizpéh.
12.¶ Then Iphtáh ſent meſſengers vnto the King of the children of Ammón, ſaying, What haſt thou to do with me, that thou art come againſt me, to fight in my land?
13.And the King of the children of Ammón anſwered vnto the meſſengers of Iphtáh, * Becauſe Iſraél toke my lãd, whẽ they came vp fró Egypt, from Arnón vnto Iabbók, and vnto Iordén: now therefore reſtore thoſe lands " quietly.
14.Yet Iphtáh ſent meſſengers againe vnto the King of the children of Ammón,
15.And ſaid vnto him, Thus ſaith Iphtáh, * Iſraél toke not the land of Moáb, nor the land of the children of Ammón.
16.But when Iſraél came vp from Egypt, and walked through the wildernes vnto the red Sea, then they came to Kadéſh.
17.* And Iſraél ſent meſſengers vnto the King of Edóm, ſaying, Let me, I pray thee, go through thy lãd: but the King of Edóm wold not conſent: and alſo they ſent vnto the King of Moáb, but he wolde not: therefore Iſraél abode in Kadéſh.
18.Then thei went through the wildernes, and compaſſed the land of Edóm, and the land of Moáb, and came by the Eaſtſide of yͤ lãd Moáb, and pitched on the other ſide of Arnón, * and came not within yͤ coaſt of Moáb: for Arnón was yͤ border of Moáb.
19.Alſo Iſraél * ſent meſſengers vnto Sihón, King of the Amorites, the King of Heſhbón, & Iſraél ſaid vnto him, Let vs paſſe, we pray thee, by thy lãd vnto our " place.
20.But Sihón g cõſented not to Iſraél, that he ſhulde go through his coaſt: but Sihón gathered all his people together, and pytched in Iaház, and fought with Iſraél.
21.And the Lord God of Iſraél gaue Sihón and all his folke into the hands of Iſraél, and they ſmote thẽ: ſo Iſraél poſſeſſed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that countrey:
22.And they poſſeſſed * all the coaſt of the Amorites, from Arnón vnto Iabbók, and from the wildernes euen vnto Iordén.
23.Now therefore the Lord God of Iſraél hathe caſt out the Amorites before his people Iſraél, & ſhuldeſt thou poſſeſſe it?
24.Woldeſt not thou poſſeſſe that which Chemóſh thy god giueth thee to poſſeſſe? So whomſoeuer the h Lord our God driueth out before vs, them wil we poſſeſſe.
25.* And art thou now farre better then Balák the ſonne of Zippor King of Moáb? did he not ſtriue with Iſraél and fight againſt them,
26.When Iſraél dwelt in Heſhbón and in her townes, and in Aroér & in her townes, and in all the cities that are by the coaſts of Arnón, thre hundreth yeres? why did ye not then recouer i them in that ſpace?
27.Wherefore, I haue not offẽded thee: but thou doeſt me wróg to warre againſt me. The Lord the Iudge k be iudge this day betwene the children of Iſraél, and the children of Ammón.
28.Howbeit the King of the children of Ammón hearkened not vnto the wordes of Iphtáh, which he had ſent him.
29.¶ Then the l Spirit of the Lord came vpon Iphtáh, & he paſſed ouer to Gileád and to Manaſſéh, and came to Mizpéh in
30.And Iphtáh m vowed a vowe vnto the Lord, and ſaid, If thou ſhalt deliuer the children of Ammón in to mine hands,
31.Thé that thing that commeth out of the dores of mine houſe to mete me, when I come home in peace from the children of Ammón, ſhal be the Lords, and I wil offer it for a burnt offring.
32.And ſo Iphtáh went vnto the children of Ammón to fight againſt them, and the Lord deliuered them into his hands.
33.And he ſmote them from Aroér euē til yu come to Minníth, twentie cities, and fo forthe to " Abél of the vineyardes, with an exceding great ſlaughter. Thus the childrē of Ammón were humbled before the children of Iſraél.
34.¶ Now whē Iphtáh came to Mizpéh vnto his houſe, beholde, his daughter came out to mete him with n timbrels and dances, which was his onely childe: he had none other ſonne, nor daughter.
35.And when he ſawe her, he o rent his clothes, and ſaid, Alas my daughter, thou haſt broght me low, & art of thé that trouble me: for I haue opened my mouthe vnto the Lord, and can not go backe.
36.And ſhe ſaid vnto him, My father, if thou haſte opened thy mouthe vnto the Lord, do with me as thou haſt promiſed, ſeing that the Lord hathe auenged thee of thine enemies the children of Ammón.
37.Alſo ſhe ſaid vnto her father, Do thus muche for me: ſuffre me two monethes, that I may go to the moūtaines, and p bewaile my virginitie, I and my fellowes.
38.And he ſaid, Go: and he ſent her away two monethes: ſo ſhe went with her companions, and lamented her virginitie vpō the mountaines.
39.And after the end of two monethes, ſhe turned againe vnto her father, who did with her according to his vowe which he had vowed, and ſhe had knowen no man, and it was a cuſtome in Iſraél.
40.The daughters of Iſraél went yere by yere to lament the daughter of Iphtáh the Gileadite, foure dayes in a yere.

Notes

1:".
Ebr. a man of mightie force.
1:".
Or, vittailer.
2:a.
That is, of an harlot, as ver.1
3:b.
Where the gouernour of the countrey was called Tob.
3:c.
Ioyned with him, as ſome thinke, againſt his brethren.
5:d.
Or, ambaſſadours, ſent for that purpoſe.
6:e.
Men oft times are conſtrained to deſire helpe of them, whome before they haue refuſed.
7:f.
Oft tymes thoſe things, w̃ mẽ reiect, God choſeth to do great enterpriſes by.
10:".
Ebr. be the hearer.
13:*.
Nomb.21,13.
13:".
Ebr. in peace.
15:*.
Deut.2.9.
17:*.
Nom.20,14.
18:*.
Nomb.21,13. & 22.36.
19:*.
Deut.2.26.
19:".
Or, countrey,
20:g.
He truſted thẽ not to go through his countrey.
22:*.
Deut.2.36.
24:h.
For we oght more to beleue and obey God, then thou thine idoles.
25:*.
Nom.22.2. deut. 23.4. ioſh. 24.9.
26:i.
Meaning their townes.
27:k.
To puniſhe the offender.
29:l.
That is, the spirit of strength and zeale.
30:m.
As the Apoſtle commēdeth Iphtáh for his worthy entrepriſe in deliuering the people, Ebr. 11, 32: ſo by his raſhe vowe & wicked performance of the same, his victorie was defaced: and here we ſe that the ſinnes of the godly do not vtterly extinguiſh their faith.
33:".
Or, the plaines
34:n.
According to the maner after the victorie.
35:o.
Being ouercome w blinde zeale, and not considering whether the vowe was lawful or no.
37:p.
For it was counted as a shame in Iſraél, to dye without children, and therefore they reioyced to be maryed.