1 Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior; he was the son of a prostitute, and Gilead was his father.
2 Gilead’s wife also bore for him sons; and the sons of his wife grew up and drove Jephthah away, and they said to him, “You will not inherit the house of our father because you are the son of another woman.”
3 So Jephthah fled from the presence of his brothers, and he lived in the land of Tob. And outlaws gathered around Jephthah and went with him.
4 After a time the Ammonites made war with Israel.
5 When the Ammonites made war with Israel, the elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah from the land of Tob.
6 And they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our commander, so that we may make war against the Ammonites.”