Judges 11:4-33
Now it came about, after a while, that the sons of Ammon fought against Israel.When the sons of Ammon fought against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob;and they said to Jephthah,“ Come and be our leader, that we may fight against the sons of Ammon.”But Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead,“ Did you not hate me and drive me from my father’s house? So why have you come to me now when you are in trouble?”The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah,“ For this reason we have now returned to you, that you may go with us and fight the sons of Ammon, and become our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead,“ If you bring me back to fight against the sons of Ammon and the Lord gives them up to me, will I become your head?”And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah,“ The Lord is witness between us; be assured we will do as you have said.”Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and leader over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord at Mizpah.So Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon, saying,“ What conflict do you and I have, that you have come to me to fight against my land?”And the king of the sons of Ammon said to the messengers of Jephthah,“ It is because Israel took my land when they came up from Egypt, from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok and the Jordan; so return them peaceably now.”But Jephthah sent messengers once again to the king of the sons of Ammon,and they said to him,“ This is what Jephthah says:‘ Israel did not take the land of Moab nor the land of the sons of Ammon.For when they came up from Egypt, and Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea, and came to Kadesh,then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying,“ Please let us pass through your land”; but the king of Edom would not listen. And they also sent messengers to the king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel remained at Kadesh.Then they went through the wilderness and around the land of Edom and the land of Moab, and came to the east side of the land of Moab, and they camped beyond the Arnon; but they did not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab.And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said to him,“ Please let us pass through your land to our place.”But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory; so Sihon gathered all his people and camped in Jahaz, and fought with Israel.And the Lord, the God of Israel, handed Sihon and all his people over to Israel, and they defeated them; so Israel took possession of all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.So they possessed all the territory of the Amorites, from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok, and from the wilderness as far as the Jordan.And now the Lord, the God of Israel, has driven out the Amorites from His people Israel; so should you possess it?Do you not possess what Chemosh your god gives you to possess? So whatever the Lord our God has dispossessed before us, we will possess it.Now then, are you any better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend with Israel, or did he ever fight against them?While Israel was living in Heshbon and its villages, and in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities that are on the banks of the Arnon, three hundred years, why did you not recover them within that time?So I have not sinned against you, but you are doing me wrong by making war against me. May the Lord, the Judge, judge today between the sons of Israel and the sons of Ammon.’ ”But the king of the sons of Ammon disregarded the message which Jephthah sent him.Now the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh; then he passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he went on to the sons of Ammon.And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said,“ If You will indeed hand over to me the sons of Ammon,then whatever comes out the doors of my house to meet me when I return safely from the sons of Ammon, it shall be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.”So Jephthah crossed over to the sons of Ammon to fight against them; and the Lord handed them over to him.He inflicted a very great defeat on them from Aroer to the entrance of Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel keramim. So the sons of Ammon were subdued before the sons of Israel.
2 Samuel 10 1-2 Samuel 10 14
Now it happened afterward that the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun became king in his place.Then David said,“ I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent some of his servants to console him about his father. But when David’s servants came to the land of the Ammonites,the commanders of the Ammonites said to their lord Hanun,“ Do you think that David is simply honoring your father since he has sent you servants to console you? Has David not sent his servants to you in order to explore the city, to spy it out and overthrow it?”So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved off half of their beards, and cut off their robes in the middle as far as their buttocks, and sent them away.When messengers informed David, he sent servants to meet them, because the men were extremely humiliated. And the king said,“ Stay in Jericho until your beards grow back, and then you shall return.”Now when the sons of Ammon saw that they had become repulsive to David, the sons of Ammon sent messengers and hired the Arameans of Beth rehob and the Arameans of Zobah, twenty thousand foot soldiers, and the king of Maacah with a thousand men, and the men of Tob with twelve thousand men.When David heard about this, he sent Joab and all the army, the warriors.And the sons of Ammon came out and lined up for battle at the entrance of the city, while the Arameans of Zobah and of Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were stationed by themselves in the field.Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him at the front and at the rear, he selected warriors from all the choice men in Israel, and lined them up against the Arameans.But the remainder of the people he placed under the command of his brother Abishai, and he lined them up against the sons of Ammon.And he said,“ If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come to help you.Be strong, and let’s show ourselves courageous for the sake of our people and the cities of our God; and may the Lord do what is good in His sight.”So Joab and the people who were with him advanced to the battle against the Arameans, and they fled from him.When the sons of Ammon saw that the Arameans had fled, they also fled from Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab returned from fighting against the sons of Ammon and came to Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 49:1-6
Concerning the sons of Ammon. This is what the Lord says:“ Does Israel have no sons? Or has he no heirs? Why then has Malcam taken possession of Gad, And his people settled in its cities?Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord,“ When I will cause an alarm of war to be heard Against Rabbah of the sons of Ammon; And it will become a desolate heap, And her towns will be set on fire. Then Israel will take possession of his possessors,” Says the Lord.“ Wail, Heshbon, for Ai has been destroyed! Cry out, daughters of Rabbah, Put on sackcloth and mourn, And move about inside the walls; For Malcam will go into exile Together with his priests and his leaders.How you boast about the valleys! Your valley is flowing away, You backsliding daughter Who trusts in her treasures, saying,‘ Who can come against me?’Behold, I am going to bring terror upon you,” Declares the Lord God of armies,“ From all directions around you; And you will be driven away one after another, With no one to gather the fugitives together.But afterward I will restore The fortunes of the sons of Ammon,” Declares the Lord.