Judges 11

¹ Jephthah, wey be brave soldier from Gilead, na son of a prostitute. Him papa Gilead

² get other sons by him wife, and when dem grow up, dem force Jephthah to leave home. Dem tell him say, “You no go inherit anything from our papa; you be son of another woman.”

³ Jephthah commot from him brothers and live for land of Tob. Na for there he attract a group of useless men, and dem go around with him.

⁴ Na some times later the Ammonites go to war against Israel.

⁵ When this dey happen, the leaders of Gilead go bring Jephthah back from the land of Tob.

⁶ Dem talk say, “Come lead us, so that we fit fight the Ammonites.”

⁷ But Jephthah answer say, “Una too hate me so tey una force me commot from my papa house. Why una come to me now when una dey for trouble?”

⁸ Dem tell Jephthah say, “We dey turn to you now because we wan make you go with us and fight with the Ammonites and make you lead all the people of Gilead.”

⁹ Jephthah tell them say, “If una take me back home to fight Ammonites and God con give me victory, I go be una ruler.”

¹⁰ Dem reply say, “We agree. God na our witness.”

¹¹ Naso Jephthah go with the leaders of Gilead, and people con make him their ruler and leader. Jephthah tell them him terms at Mizpah for the presence of God.

¹² Then Jephthah send a messenger to king of Ammon make he talk say, “Wetin be your quarrel with us? Why you attack our country?”

¹³ The king of Ammon answer Jephthah messenger say, “When Israelite commot from Egypt, dem take my land away from River Arnon take reach River Jabbok and River Jordan. Now una must give am back in peace.”

¹⁴ Jephthah send messenger go back to the king of Ammon

¹⁵ with this answer: “No be true say Israel take away the land of Moab or the land of Ammon.

¹⁶ Na wetin happen be this: when the Israelites commot from Egypt, dem go through the desert to the Gulf of Aqaba and dem come back to Kadesh.

¹⁷ Dem con send messenger to the king of Edom to ask for him permission to go through him land. But the king of Edom no gree allow them go. Dem also ask the king of Moab, but him too no gree allow them pass through him land. Naso the Israelites stay for Kadesh.

¹⁸ Dem go through the desert, dem go round the land of Edom and land of Moab until dem come to the east side of Moab, for the other side of River Arnon. Dem make camp for there, but dem no cross Arnon because na the boundary of Moab.

¹⁹ Then the Israelites con send messenger to Sihon, wey be the Amorite king of Heshbon, and ask him for permission to go through him country to their own land.

²⁰ But Sihon no gree allow Israel do am. He bring all him army together, make camp for Jahaz, and attack Israel.

²¹ But the LORD, God of Israel, give the Israelites victory over Sihon and him army. Naso the Israelites take all the territory of the Amorites wey dey live for that country.

²² Dem occupy all the Amorite territory from Arnon for south take reach Jabbok for north and from the desert for east take reach Jordan for west.

²³ So na the LORD, God of Israel, wey drive the Amorites from him people, the Israelites.

²⁴ Shey you go try take am back? You fit keep anything wey your god Chemosh don give you. But we go keep everything wey the LORD, our God don give us.

²⁵ Shey you think say you better pass Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? He no challenge Israel, shey he try am? Shey he don ever go to war against us?

²⁶ Israel don occupy Heshbon and Aroer for 300 years, and the town wey dey around them, and all the cities wey dey the back of River Arnon. Why you never take them back since all this time?

²⁷ No, I never do you any wrong. Na wrong you dey do as you dey make war against me. Na God be the judge. Na today he go decide between Israelites and Ammonites.”

²⁸ But king of Ammon no pay attention to this message from Jephthah.

²⁹ The spirit of God con take control of Jephthah. He con go through Gilead and Manasseh and he return go Mizpah for Gilead and go to Ammon.

³⁰ Jephthah promise God say: “If you fit give me victory over the Ammonites,

³¹ I go burn the first person wey come out of my house to meet me as offering, when I don come back from the victory. I go offer that person to you as sacrifice.”

³² Naso Jephthah cross the river to fight the Ammonites, and God give him victory.

³³ He strike them from Aroer reach the area wey round Minnith, wey be twenty cities together, and go far reach Abel Keramim. Na serious killing dey and Israel defeat the Ammonites.

³⁴ When Jephath go back home to Mizpah, na him daughter dey come meet him, she dey dance and dey play the tambourine. She be my only pikin.

³⁵ When he con see her, he tear him clothes in sorrow and talk say, “Oh, my daughter! You dey break my heart! Why e suppose be you wey go cause me pain? I don make a promise to God, and I no fit take am back!”

³⁶ She tell him say, “If you don promise God, make you do wetin you don promise say you go do to me, since God don give you revenge on top your enemies, the Ammonites.”

³⁷ But she ask her papa say, “Make you do this one thing for me. Make you leave me alone for two months, so that I fit go with my friends to waka on top the mountains and cry say I must die as virgin.”

³⁸ He tell her say make she go and he send her away for two months. She and her friends con go up into the mountains and dem cry because she go die when she no marry and no pikin.

³⁹ She come back to her papa after two months. He do wetin he don promise God, and she con die still a virgin. Na the origin of the tradition of Israel be this

⁴⁰ say young women go dey go away for four days every year to dey cry for the daughter of Jephthah of Gilead.