1. Jephthah was from the people of Gilead. He was a strong soldier. His father was named Gilead, and his mother was a prostitute.
2. Gilead’s wife had several sons. When they grew up, they forced Jephthah to leave his home. They said to him, “You will not get any of our father’s property. You are the son of another woman.”
3. So Jephthah ran away from his brothers. He lived in the land of Tob. There some worthless men began to follow Jephthah.
4. After a time the Ammonite people fought against Israel.
5. The Ammonites made war against Israel. At that time the elders of Gilead came to Jephthah. They wanted him to come back to Gilead.