So here's the story: The good judge Jephthah was facing down a huge battle, and he was freaking out. He turned to Jehovah, and made this promise at Judges 11:30,31:
30 Then Jeph′thah made a vow to Jehovah and said: “If you give the Am′mon·ites into my hand, 31 then whoever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Am′mon·ites will become Jehovah’s, and I will offer that one up as a burnt offering.”
We know how the story ended. The battle was won by Jephthah's men, and on the way out, who would come to meet them but Jephthah's daughter. We continue:
35 When he saw her, he ripped his garments and said: “Oh no, my daughter! You have broken my heart, for you have become the one I have banished. Now I have opened my mouth to Jehovah, and I am unable to turn back.”
[...]
39 At the end of two months, she returned to her father, after which he carried out the vow he had made regarding her. She never had relations with a man. And it became a custom in Israel: 40 From year to year, the young women of Israel would go to give commendation to the daughter of Jeph′thah the Gil′e·ad·ite four days in the year.
This is a story that's used to show how important paying your vows to Jehovah is. Do what he says, even when it hurts you to do it. We remember Jephthah's daughter to this day, so everything worked out!
Except for one little detail: They've changed one tiny word in the account which changes the entire tenor of the account. Why would they do that? Because it completely contradicts what the rest of the Bible supposedly teaches.
Notice that last verse and the specific wording used in the New World Translation:
the young women of Israel would go to give commendation to the daughter of Jeph′thah
However, other translations don't put it the same way. What do they say exactly?
English Standard:
that the daughters of Israel went year by year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year.
New International Version:
that each year the young women of Israel go out for four days to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.
The Message:
the young women of Israel went out to mourn for the daughter of Jephthah
Wycliffe:
that after the end of the year the daughters of Israel come together, and bewail the daughter of Jephthah of Gilead (for) four days.
Notice a lot of mourning? That seems awful strange if Jephthah's daughter was just sent for service at the tabernacle, right?
Except for one thing: Read Jephthah's promise again: "I will offer that one up as a burnt offering."
Jephthah sent his daughter to be sacrificed.
Now, some commentators believe that Jepthah's daughter... GAH. I'm tired of calling her "Jephthah's daughter." I'm calling her "Kitty."
So anyway, some commentators believe that Kitty was sent for tabernacle service instead or sent into solitude, but that's not what the Bible says. There's a great translation called the NET Bible that I call the "show your work" Bible. You can find it here. Here's what they say about this verse:
Heb “go to commemorate.” The rare Hebrew verb תָּנָה (tanah, “to tell; to repeat; to recount”)
So no one is going to go to the tabernacle to shake Kitty's hand. They're going because it sucks that she died.
Of course, though, we can't have a story where Jehovah praises someone who sacrifices his kids. Therefore, we have to justify, and cajole, and massage the truth so that Jehovah doesn't look like a raging dick.
Also, this type of sacrifice is a bit of a motif in ancient literature. I present to you the story of Idomeneus. Apparently, Jehovah and Poseidon have the same likes and dislikes. Who knew?
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