Jephthah‘s daughter

by

Giuliana Fedeli

2002-05-20



Chorus (nurse and maidservants): (jg 11, 1 – 39)
Jephthah the Gileadite was a valiant warrior. He was the son of a harlot. Gilead was Jephthah’s father, but Gilead’s wife also bore him sons, and the sons of this wife, when they grew up, drove Jephthah out, saying " You are to have no share in our father inheritance, because you are the son of an alien woman" .Jephthah fled from his brother and made his home in the land of Tob. Worthless followers gathered round him and used to go raiding with him.
Some times after this, the Ammonites took up arms against Israel. And when the Ammonites had attacked Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah from the land of Tob. "Come" they said " and be our commander, and we can fight the Ammonites" But Jephthah answered the elders of Gilead, "Was it not you who hated me and drove me out of my father’s house? Why come to me when you are in trouble?" The elder of Gilead answered Jephthah " that is exactly why we have come back to you. Come with us; fight the Ammonites and be your leader, leader of all the inhabitants of Gilead" Jephthah answered the elders of Gilead ‘If you take me home to fight the Ammonites and Yahveh put them at my mercy, I am to be your leader?" The elders of Gilead answered Jephthah " Yahveh be witness between us. May we be accursed if we do not do as you have said!" So Jephthah set off with the elders of Gilead. The people set him at their head as leader and commander; and Jephthah repeated all his condition at Mizpah in Yahweh’s presence.
Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites to say to him, " What is the trouble between us, for you to come and make war on my country?" The King of the Ammonites answered Jephthah’s messengers, "The reason is that when Israel came up from Egypt, they seized my land from the Arnon to the Jabbok and the Jordan. Give it back peaceably now" Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites with this answer,Jephtah says this: "Israel seized neither the land of Moab nor the land of Ammonites. When Israel came out of Egypt, they passed through the wilderness to the Sea of Reeds and reached Kadesh. Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom to say to him: Please let us pass through your country, but the King of Edom would not listen.They sent similarly to the king of Moab, but he refused, and Israel remained at Kadesh; later they made their way through the wilderness,going round the countries of Edom and Moab until were to the Eastb of Moab territory.The people encamped beyond the Arnon but did not cross the border of Moab,for the Arnon itself is the boundary there..Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon the king of the Amorites who ruled at Hesbon. Israel’s message was: Please let us pass through your country to our destination. But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory; he mustered; he mustered his whole army ; they encamped at Jahaz ,and he then joined battle with Israel. Jahveh the God of Israel delivered Sihon and his whole army into the power of Israel;Israel defeated them and took possession of the whole country of the Amorites who lived in that region.. Thus they came to occupy the whole country of the Amorites from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan. And now that Yahweh the God of Israel have driven the Amorites out before his people Israel,will one such as you disposses us?Do you not possess all that Chemosh your god took from its owners?In the same fashion,whatever Yahweh our God took from its owners, that we possess too.Are you better man than Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab?Did he challenge Israel? Did he make war against them? When Israel settled in Heshbon and its outlying villages, or in any of the towns on the banks of the Jordan (three hundred years),why did you not recover those places then? I for my part have committed no sin against you, rather ,you for your part are wronging me by making war on me. Let Yahweh the Judge give judgement today between the son of Israel and the king of Ammonites" But the King of Ammonites took no notice of the message Jephthah had sent him.
The spirit of Yahweh come on Jephthah, who crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through to Mizpah in Gilead and from Mizpah in Gilead made his way to the rear of Ammonites.. And Jephtah made a vow to Yahweh, " if you deliver the Ammonites into my hands, then the first person to meet me from the door of my house when I return in triumph from fighting the Ammonites shall belong to Yahweh, and I will offer him up as a holocaust" Jephthah marched against the Ammonites to attack them, and Yahweh delivered them into his power. He harassed them from Aroer almost to Minnith (twenty towns) and to Abel – keramim. It was a very severe defeat, and the Ammonites were humbled before the Israelites.
As Jephthah returned his house at Mizpah, his daughter came out from it to meet him; she was dancing to the sound of timbrels. This was the only child; apart from her he had neither son nor daughter. When he saw her, he tore his clothes and exclaimed, "oh my daughter, what sorrow you are bringing me!Must it be you, the cause of my ill-fortune!I have given a promise to Yawheh, and I cannot unsay what I have said." She answered him, "My father, you have given a promise to Yahweh; treat me as the vow you took binds you to, since Yahweh has given you vengeance on your enemies the Ammonites" Then she said to her father,"Grant me one request.Let me be free for two months, I shall go and wander in the mountain,and with my companions bewail my virginity" He answered,"Go", and let her depart for two months. So she went away with her companions and bewailed her virginity in the mountains. When the two months were over, she returned to her father, and he treated her as the vow that he had uttered bound him.She had never known a man.

Inside a tent, a bedouin woman is whispering to a twelve years old asleep girl
Mother : " Don’t. Don’t accept. Don’t let they kill you. Save your smile. Save your body, …your precious body,… my masterpiece. A pretty child’s body…. a charming woman’s body. Save it. Don’t. Don’t sacrifice yourself"
The girl stops sleeping
Girl : " mother… you….here"
She awakes to grief
Girl: " Not…Not…I will not…I am frightened…Not me.. not sacrificed… sacred"
Mother " Calm… calm down, my ruffled baby. You aren’t going to be sacrificed. You’ll live.You shan’t die."
The girls looks like she would faint
Mother: " Listen. Awake. Listen at your mother. Short is time for talks. Be careful. When caravan will leave for Mizpah, let the soldiers ride in front, the slaves second, your companions third. Have you fully understood? Let your friends go before you, stay behind, with me. After us, your father and few other soldiers will guard the group.The road for Mizpah narrows in many points. Count four of them. On the fifth, I will be behindhand with my dress. Rush into the cave you’ll see on the right. The cave has many chambers: there is a hole in second chamber’s left wall. Pass through.You’ll find a man who’ll hide you and guide to Sheba. Keep out of sight and you will stay alive."
Girl: " And you?"
Mother: "I’ll stay. I ‘ll remain with your father. I’ll stop him"
Girl: " He’ll beat you!"
Mother: " Maybe, but then he’ll mend. He won’t kill you."
Girl: " No…God will punish him. God will rout our people. Father must fulfil his oath to the Lord"
Mother " Silly!.Haven’t you yet understood? Your father shouldn’t have offered you up as a holocaust. God would have come to the help of Israel, mindful of His mercy to Abraham and to his descendant for ever. To the help of a harlot’s son, God would have come too. Blessing and hymns , not wage for Lord’s mercy.No, the Almighty won’t you sacrificed. He will favour you,.Stay alive .Go to Sheba with the man you’ll find."
Girl: " How can this come, since I am a virgin.? I am not betrothed to this man, if I go, I’ll become a harlot. I’ll suffer. I’ll ruin my sons and they ‘ll hate me…Like granny…. No, I choose to die."
Mother: " No, sweetheart,no: life is ..life. It doesn’t matter which work you’ll do, which ideology’ll be leader in your mind, whose images you’ll keep in your soul, neither vivid by connections nor peaky by severance. No matter if your dream will be broken: you aren’t your dreams.You’ll cry their dissolution, but you’ll stay alive. Life is your. It is faithful, it will remain with you. And it is so equable…Feel your life. Air always is vitalizing, food always is nourishing, motion energizing, sleep recovering….near and far you, my young woman, will have fantasy to make splendid living rituals"
Girl" No, without you, dad, my companions, my things, my people …life is not life.I choose to die. "
Mother " Listen…"
Father, nurse and ancillary staff enter
Girl: "Father! Is it the time?Are we coming back to Mizpah?
Father: "Hush, darling, don’t fear.We haven’t to come back in Mizpah. Sacrifice will be over there, out of tent, ahead of your beloved mountain.
Nurse, the cup!"
Nurse brings a sedative
Father : " Take, baby, drink.It will quieten your fear"
Girl drinks
Father : "My sweet daughter, I love you so much! God loves you, too. He wanted you to belong to Him. He made you the first person coming out from the door to meet me. He will care for you.Come, my beloved, come to the place of your bloody wedding" 
To maidservants
Father: "Get her ready"
Father grabs mother’s arm, driving her to the back of the tent. They quarrel.Ancillary staff get Jephthah’s daughter ready.After a while mother and father come back
maidservant: "Farewell, my dear friend"
maidservant: "cub of the mountain"
maidservant: "oasis’ wellspring"
maidservant: " goodbye" "
maidservant: "vale"
maidservant: "farewell"
maidservant: "Felicific is your sacrifice"
maidservant: "you belong to God"
maidservant: "He will bless you"
maidservant: "all generations will remember you"
maidservant: "for Almighty has done great things for your father"
maidservant; "Almighty will do great things for you, too"
maidservant: "In heaven He will be your mate"
maidservant "He will give you a son"
maidservant: "a virgin’s son"
nurse: " No, an angel will stop sacrifice. Isaac’s angel will come"
father " let’s go. Come, darling, Isaac’s angel will arrive"
Father, daughter, ancillary staff leave the tent
mother shouting " no!don’t go! Stop!"
Nurse clutches at her. Mother fights to break free from nurse Outside, chorus cry.Mother drops.
Ancillary staff come back
Father passing through the tent in a kind of trance:" no angel for Iaphthah’s daughter…All is over…"
Mother mournfully: " She is over.. My daughter is over"
Maidservant : "Almighty will do great things with her"
Maidservant : "in heaven He will be her mate"
Maidservant : "he will give her a son"
Maidservant: "a virgin’s son"
Mother madly " God., I pray You, look upon Your lowly handmaids. Don’t hold my daughter’s son up in heaven. Don’t Keep him from us. Give us the virgin’s son"