1Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a great man of war; he was the son of a loose woman, and Gilead was his father.
2And Gilead's wife gave birth to sons, and when her sons became men, they sent Jephthah away, saying, You have no part in the heritage of our father's house, for you are the son of another woman.
3So Jephthah went in flight from his brothers and was living in the land of Tob, where a number of good-for-nothing men, joining Jephthah, went out with him on his undertakings.
4Now after a time the children of Ammon made war against Israel.
5And when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the responsible men of Gilead went to get Jephthah back from the land of Tob;
6And they said to Jephthah, Come and be our chief so that we may make war against the children of Ammon.
7But Jephthah said to the responsible men of Gilead, Did you not, in your hate for me, send me away from my father's house? Why do you come to me now when you are in trouble?