The Glad News Reached His Home; And Out From His House
Rushed His Daughter, His Only Child, With Timbrels And With
Dances, To Meet Her Hero-Father, Not Knowing The Nature Of His Vow
Made On The Eve Of The Battle.
Her presence caused the brave
warrior to tremble with horror and rend his clothes when he
remembered his vow.
The daughter was dismayed - instead of a smile
of joy from her father she read her doom in his blanched and
contorted face. And somewhere on these hills round about the voice
of wailing arose for two months from many maidens because Jephthah
must fulfill his rash vow by sacrificing his only child. But he
did unto her according to his word; and annually thereafter for a
period of four days these hills resounded with the voice of
weeping - the weeping of the maidens of Mizpah over the sad fate of
Jephthah's daughter. (Judges 11.)
Farther on we ascend a high ridge and then begin our descent into
the southern branch of the wady of Ajlun. After winding about for
some time among the rocks and brush in the dry bed of this wady we
finally halt at Ain Jenneh, a good, strong fountain issuing from
under a great rock. We are yet in the upper reaches of the wady
and near the present village of Ajlun. Here we lunch and rest an
hour.
Some authorities identify this region as the place where was the
"wood of Ephraim." That being true, it is the place where Absalom
lost his life.
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