Legacy Standard Bible

Judges 11:12-28

12And Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon, saying, “What is between you and me, that you have come to me to fight against my land?” 13Then the king of the sons of Ammon said to the messengers of Jephthah, “Because Israel atook away my land when they came up from Egypt, from the Arnon as far as the bJabbok and the Jordan; so now, return them peaceably.” 14But Jephthah sent messengers again to the king of the sons of Ammon, 15and they said to him, “Thus says Jephthah, ‘Israel did not take away the land of Moab nor the land of the sons of Ammon. 16For when they came up from Egypt, and Israel awent through the wilderness to the 1Red Sea and bcame to Kadesh, 17then Israel asent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, “Please let us pass through your land,” but the king of Edom would not listen. bAnd they also sent to the king of Moab, but he was not willing. So Israel remained at Kadesh. 18Then they went through the wilderness and aaround the land of Edom and the land of Moab and came to the east toward the sunrise of the land of Moab, and they camped beyond the Arnon; but they bdid not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab. 19And Israel sent amessengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon, and Israel said to him, “Please let us pass through your land to our place.” 20But Sihon did not believe Israel to allow them to pass through his territory; so Sihon gathered all his people and camped in Jahaz and fought with Israel. 21Then Yahweh, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they astruck them down; so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country. 22aSo they possessed all the territory of the Amorites, from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok, and from the wilderness as far as the Jordan. 23So now Yahweh, the God of Israel, dispossessed the Amorites from before His people Israel. Are you then to possess it? 24Do you not possess what aChemosh your god gives you to possess? So whatever Yahweh our God has taken possession of before us, we will possess it. 25So now are you any better than aBalak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever strive with Israel, or did he ever fight against them? 26aWhile Israel lived in Heshbon and its towns and in Aroer and its towns and in all the cities that are on the banks of the Arnon, 300 years, why did you not deliver them for yourself within that time? 27I therefore have not sinned against you, but you are doing me evil by making war against me; amay Yahweh, the Judge, judge today between the sons of Israel and the sons of Ammon.’” 28But the king of the sons of Ammon did not listen to the words which Jephthah sent him.