1 Jephthah was a mighty warrior. He was from the land of Gilead. His father's name was Gilead. Jephthah's mother was a prostitute.
2 Gilead 's wife also had sons by him. When they had grown up, they drove Jephthah away. "You aren't going to get any share of our family's property," they said. "You are the son of another woman."
3 So Jephthah ran away from his brothers. He settled in the land of Tob. A group of men who weren't good for anything gathered around him there. And they followed him.
4 Some time later, the Ammonites went to war against Israel.
5 So the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob.
6 "Come with us," they said. "Be our commander. Then we can fight against the Ammonites."