Shìshījì 11

1 Jīliè rén Yēfútā shì gè dà néng de yǒng shì , shì jìnǚ de érzi . Yēfútā shì Jīliè suǒ shēng de .

2 Jīliè de qī yĕ shēng le jǐ gè érzi , tā qī suǒ shēng de érzi zhǎngdà le , jiù gǎn zhú Yēfútā , shuō , nǐ bùkĕ zaì wǒmen fù jiā chéngshòu chǎnyè , yīnwei nǐ shì jìnǚ de érzi .

3 Yēfútā jiù taóbì tāde dìxiōng , qù zhù zaì tuó bǎi dì , yǒu xiē fĕi tú dào Tānàli jùjí , yǔ tā yītóng chūrù .

4 Guō le xiē rìzi , Yàmén rén gōngdǎ Yǐsèliè .

5 Yàmén rén gōngdǎ Yǐsèliè de shíhou , Jīliè de zhǎnglǎo dào tuó bǎi dì qù , yào jiào Yēfútā huí lái .

6 Duì Yēfútā shuō , qǐng nǐ lái zuò wǒmen de yuán shuaì , wǒmen hǎo yǔ Yàmén rén zhēng zhàn .

7 Yēfútā huídá Jīliè de zhǎnglǎo shuō , cóng qián nǐmen bú shì hèn wǒ , gǎn zhú wǒ chū lí fù jiā ma . xiànzaì nǐmen zāoyù jí nán wèihé dào wǒ zhèlǐ lái ne .

8 Jīliè de zhǎnglǎo huídá Yēfútā shuō , xiànzaì wǒmen dào nǐ zhèlǐ lái , shì yào nǐ tóng wǒmen qù , yǔ Yàmén rén zhēng zhàn . nǐ kĕyǐ zuò Jīliè yīqiè jūmín de lǐng xiù .

9 Yēfútā duì Jīliè de zhǎnglǎo shuō , nǐmen jiào wǒ huí qù , yǔ Yàmén rén zhēng zhàn , Yēhéhuá bǎ tā jiāo gĕi wǒ , wǒ kĕyǐ zuò nǐmen de lǐng xiù ma .

10 Jīliè de zhǎnglǎo huídá Yēfútā shuō , yǒu Yēhéhuá zaì nǐ wǒ zhōngjiān zuò jiànzhèng , wǒmen bìdéng zhào nǐde huà xíng .

11 Yúshì Yēfútā tóng Jīliè de zhǎnglǎo huí qù , bǎixìng jiù lì Yēfútā zuò lǐng xiù , zuò yuán shuaì . Yēfútā zaì Mǐsībā jiāng zìjǐ de yīqiè huà chén míng zaì Yēhéhuá miànqián .

12 Yēfútā dǎfa shǐzhĕ qù jiàn Yàmén rén de wáng , shuō , nǐ yǔ wǒ yǒu shénme xiānggān , jìng lái dào wǒ guó zhōng gōngdǎ wǒ ne .

13 Yàmén rén de wáng huídá Yēfútā de shǐzhĕ shuō , yīnwei Yǐsèliè rén cóng Āijí shàng lái de shíhou zhān jū wǒde dì , cóng Yànèn hé dào Jabbok hé , zhídào Yuēdànhé . xiànzaì nǐ yào hǎo hǎo de jiāng zhè dì guī hái ba .

14 Yēfútā yòu dǎfa shǐzhĕ qù jiàn Yàmén rén de wáng ,

15 Duì tā shuō , Yēfútā rúcǐ shuō , Yǐsèliè rén bìng méiyǒu zhān jū Móyē dì hé Yàmén rén de dì .

16 Yǐsèliè rén cóng Āijí shàng lái nǎi shì jīngguò kuàngyĕ dào Hónghǎi , lái dào Jiādīsī ,

17 Jiù dǎfa shǐzhĕ qù jiàn Yǐdōng wáng , shuō , qiú nǐ róng wǒ cóng nǐde dì jīngguò . Yǐdōng wáng què bù yīngyún . yòu zhàoyàng dǎfa shǐzhĕ qù jiàn Móyē wáng , tā yĕ bú yún zhún . Yǐsèliè rén jiù zhù zaì Jiādīsī .

18 Tāmen yòu jīngguò kuàngyĕ , rǎo zhe Yǐdōng hé Móyē dì , cóng Móyē dì de dōngbiān guō lái , zaì Yànèn hé bian ān yíng , bìng méiyǒu rù Móyē de jìng neì , yīnwei Yànèn hé shì Móyē de biānjiè .

19 Yǐsèliè rén dǎfa shǐzhĕ qù jiàn yà Mólì wáng Xīhóng , jiù shì Xīshíbĕn de wáng , duì tā shuō , qiú nǐ róng wǒmen cóng nǐde dì jīngguò , wǎng wǒmen zìjǐ de dìfang qù .

20 Xī hóng què bù xìnfú Yǐsèliè rén , bùróng tāmen jīngguò tāde jìngjiè , nǎi zhāo jù tāde zhòng mín zaì yǎ zá ān yíng , yǔ Yǐsèliè rén zhēng zhàn .

21 Yēhéhuá Yǐsèliè de shén jiāng Xīhóng hé tāde zhòng mín dōu jiāo zaì Yǐsèliè rén shǒu zhōng , Yǐsèliè rén jiù jī shā tāmen , dé le Yàmólìrén de quán dì ,

22 Cóng Yànèn hé dào Jabbok hé , cóng kuàngyĕ zhídào Yuēdànhé .

23 Yēhéhuá Yǐsèliè de shén zaì tā bǎixìng Yǐsèliè miànqián gǎn chū Yàmólìrén , nǐ jìng yào dé tāmende dì ma .

24 Nǐde shén jī mò suǒ cì nǐde dì nǐ bú shì dé wèi yè ma . Yēhéhuá wǒmen de shén zaì wǒmen miànqián suǒ gǎn chū de rén , wǒmen jiù dé tāde dì .

25 Nándào nǐ bǐ Móyē wáng xī bō de érzi bā lè hái qiáng ma . tā céng yǔ Yǐsèliè rén zhēngjing , huò shì yǔ tāmen zhēng zhàn ma .

26 Yǐsèliè rén zhù Xīshíbĕn hé shǔ Xīshíbĕn de xiāngcūn , yà luó Ěr hé shǔ yà luó Ěr de xiāngcūn , bìng yán Yànèn hé de yīqiè chéngyì , yǐjing yǒu sān bǎi nián le . zaì zhè sān bǎi nián zhī neì , nǐmen wèishénme méiyǒu qǔhuí zhèxie dìfang ne .

27 Yuánlái wǒ méiyǒu dé zuì nǐ , nǐ què gōngdǎ wǒ , è dāi wǒ . yuàn shĕnpàn rén de Yēhéhuá jīnrì zaì Yǐsèliè rén hé Yàmén rén zhōngjiān pànduàn shìfēi .

28 Dàn Yàmén rén de wáng bù kĕn tīng Yēfútā dǎfa rén shuō de huà .

29 Yēhéhuá de líng jiàng zaì Yēfútā shēnshang , tā jiù jīngguò Jīliè hé Mǎnáxī , lái dào Jīliè de Mǐsībā , yòu cóng Mǐsībā lái dào Yàmén rén nàli .

30 Yēfútā jiù xiàng Yēhéhuá xǔyuàn , shuō , nǐ ruò jiāng Yàmén rén jiāo zaì wǒ shǒu zhōng ,

31 Wǒ cóng Yàmén rén nàli píng píngān ān huí lái de shíhou , wúlùn shénme rén , xiān cóng wǒ jiā mén chūlai yíngjiē wǒ , jiù bì guī nǐ , wǒ yĕ bìjiāng tā xiànshang wèi Fánjì .

32 Yúshì Yēfútā wǎng Yàmén rén nàli qù , yǔ tāmen zhēng zhàn . Yēhéhuá jiāng tāmen jiāo zaì tā shǒu zhōng ,

33 Tā jiù dàdà shā baì tāmen , cóng yà luó Ěr dào mǐ nì , zhídào yà beì lè/lēi Jīlā míng , gōng qǔ le èr shí zuò chéng . zhèyàng Yàmén rén jiù beì Yǐsèliè rén zhìfú le .

34 Yēfútā huí Mǐsībā dào le zìjǐ de jiā , búliào , tā nǚér ná zhe gǔ tiàowǔ chūlai yíngjiē tā , shì tā dú shēng de , cǐ waì wú ér wú nǚ .

35 Yēfútā kànjian tā , jiù sī liè yīfu , shuō , āi zāi . wǒde nǚér a , nǐ shǐ wǒ shén shì chóukǔ , jiào wǒ zuò nán le . yīnwei wǒ yǐjing xiàng Yēhéhuá kāikǒu xǔyuàn , bùnéng wǎnhuí .

36 Tā nǚér huídá shuō , fù a , nǐ jì xiàng Yēhéhuá kāikǒu , jiù dāng zhào nǐ kǒu zhōng suǒ shuō de xiàng wǒ xíng , yīn Yēhéhuá yǐjing zaì chóudí Yàmén rén shēnshang wèi nǐ bàochóu .

37 Yòu duì fùqin shuō , yǒu yī jiàn shì qiú nǐ yún zhún , róng wǒ qù liǎng gè yuè , yǔ tóngbàn zaì shān shàng , hǎo āikū wǒ zhōng wèi chǔnǚ .

38 Yēfútā shuō , nǐ qù ba . jiù róng tā qù liǎng gè yuè . tā biàn hé tóngbàn qù le , zaì shān shàng wèi tā zhōng wèi chǔnǚ āikū .

39 Liǎng yuè yǐ mǎn , tā huí dào fùqin nàli , fùqin jiù zhào suǒ xǔ de yuàn xiàng tā xíng le . nǚér zhōng shēn méiyǒu qīnjìn nánzǐ .

40 Cǐ hòu Yǐsèliè zhōng yǒu gè guīju , mĕi nián Yǐsèliè de nǚzi qù wèi Jīliè rén Yēfútā de nǚér āikū sì tiān .

Shìshījì 11 Commentary

Chapter 11

Jephtah and the Gileadites. (1-11) He attempts to make peace. (12-28) Jephthah's vow. He vanquishes the Ammonites. (29-40)

Verses 1-11 Men ought not to be blamed for their parentage, so long as they by their personal merits roll away any reproach. God had forgiven Israel, therefore Jephthah will forgive. He speaks not with confidence of his success, knowing how justly God might suffer the Ammonites to prevail for the further punishment of Israel. Nor does he speak with any confidence at all in himself. If he succeed, it is the Lord delivers them into his hand; he thereby reminds his countrymen to look up to God as the Giver of victory. The same question as here, in fact, is put to those who desire salvation by Christ. If he save you, will ye be willing that he shall rule you? On no other terms will he save you. If he make you happy, shall he make you holy? If he be your helper, shall he be your Head? Jephthah, to obtain a little worldly honour, was willing to expose his life: shall we be discouraged in our Christian warfare by the difficulties we may meet with, when Christ has promised a crown of life to him that overcometh?

Verses 12-28 One instance of the honour and respect we owe to God, as our God, is, rightly to employ what he gives us to possess. Receive it from him, use it for him, and part with it when he calls for it. The whole of this message shows that Jephthah was well acquainted with the books of Moses. His argument was clear, and his demand reasonable. Those who possess the most courageous faith, will be the most disposed for peace, and the readiest to make advances to obtain; but rapacity and ambition often cloak their designs under a plea of equity, and render peaceful endeavours of no avail.

Verses 29-40 Several important lessons are to be learned from Jephthah's vow. 1. There may be remainders of distrust and doubting, even in the hearts of true and great believers. 2. Our vows to God should not be as a purchase of the favour we desire, but to express gratitude to him. 3. We need to be very well-advised in making vows, lest we entangle ourselves. 4. What we have solemnly vowed to God, we must perform, if it be possible and lawful, though it be difficult and grievous to us. 5. It well becomes children, obediently and cheerfully to submit to their parents in the Lord. It is hard to say what Jephthah did in performance of his vow; but it is thought that he did not offer his daughter as a burnt-offering. Such a sacrifice would have been an abomination to the Lord; it is supposed she was obliged to remain unmarried, and apart from her family. Concerning this and some other such passages in the sacred history, about which learned men are divided and in doubt, we need not perplex ourselves; what is necessary to our salvation, thanks be to God, is plain enough. If the reader recollects the promise of Christ concerning the teaching of the Holy Spirit, and places himself under this heavenly Teacher, the Holy Ghost will guide to all truth in every passage, so far as it is needful to be understood.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO JUDGES 11

This chapter gives an account of another judge of Israel, Jephthah, of his descent and character, Jud 11:1-3 of the call the elders of Gilead gave him to be their captain general, and lead out their forces against the Ammonites, and the agreement he made with them, Jud 11:4-11 of the message he sent to the children of Ammon, which brought on a dispute between him and them about the land Israel possessed on that side Jordan the Ammonites claimed; Israel's right to which Jephthah defended, and made it clearly to appear, hoping thereby to put an end to the quarrel without shedding of blood, Jud 11:12-27 but the children of Ammon not attending to what he said, he prepared to give them battle, and previous to it he made a vow, and then set forward and fought them, and got the victory over them, Jud 11:28-33 and the chapter concludes with the difficulties Jephthah was embarrassed with upon his return home, on account of his vow, and the performance of it, Jud 11:34-40.