1. Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. Gilead was his father, but he was a prostitute’s son.
2. Gilead’s wife gave birth to other sons for him, and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah away. They told him, "You won’t get an inheritance in our father’s household because you’re a different woman’s son."
3. So Jephthah ran away from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. Worthless men gathered around Jephthah and became his posse.
4. Sometime afterward, the Ammonites made war against Israel.
5. And when the Ammonites attacked Israel, Gilead’s elders went to bring Jephthah back from the land of Tob.
6. They said to him, "Come be our commander so we can fight against the Ammonites."