Jephthah came home to Mizpah. His daughter ran from the house to welcome him home—dancing to tambourines! She was his only child. He had no son or daughter except her. When he realized who it was, he ripped his clothes, saying, “Ah, dearest daughter—I’m dirt. I’m despicable. My heart is torn to shreds. I made a vow to GOD and I can’t take it back!” She said, “Dear father, if you made a vow to GOD, do to me what you vowed; GOD did his part and saved you from your Ammonite enemies.” And then she said to her father, “But let this one thing be done for me. Give me two months to wander through the hills and lament my virginity since I will never marry, I and my dear friends.” “Oh yes, go,” he said. He sent her off for two months. She and her dear girlfriends went among the hills, lamenting that she would never marry. At the end of the two months, she came back to her father. He fulfilled the vow with her that he had made. She had never slept with a man. It became a custom in Israel that for four days every year the young women of Israel went out to mourn for the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite. * * *
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Compare All Versions: Judges 11:34-40
4 Days
How can the heroes of the Bible inspire us to greatness? Join us in this four-day reading plan as Kristi Krauss motivates us with Ehud's cleverness, Deborah's leadership, Gideon's bravery, and Jephthah's self-esteem. Don't be surprised if these testimonies transform your life.
7 Days
168 is the number of hours that each human being has for a week. No more, no less. The Psalmist cried out, "Lord, teach us to count our days well!" In our fast-paced society, counting our HOURS has become vital. I invite you to reflect over the next few days on how to invest and allocate your time ACCORDING to GOD.
9 Days
No one is perfect! How can we manage our mistakes, failures and breakdowns? The bible is full of people who failed, yet most of them are used by God. From their failures we can learn that God will lead us into a life of victory.
22 Days
For all the victory and triumph in the book of Joshua, Judges paints a far more somber picture. The repetition, "Everyone did what was right in their own eyes" (Judges 17:6, 21:25) describes this dark period of Israel's history succinctly. Yet even in the midst of their rebellion, God was faithful to fulfill his covenantal promises to his people.
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