Judges 11
1 [There was a man] from [the] Gilead [region] named Jephthah. He was a great warrior. His father was also named Gilead. But his mother was a prostitute.
Njalo uJefitha umGileyadi wayeliqhawe elilamandla, wayeyindodana yewule; uGileyadi wasezala uJefitha.
2 Gilead’s wife gave birth to several sons. When they grew up, they forced Jephthah to leave home, saying to him, “You are the son of a prostitute, [not the son of our mother]. So [when] our father [dies], you will not receive any of his property.”
UmkaGileyadi wasemzalela amadodana; kwathi amadodana omkakhe esekhulile amxotsha uJefitha, athi kuye: Kawuyikudla ilifa endlini kababa, ngoba uyindodana yomunye umfazi.
3 So Jephthah ran away from his brothers, and he went to the Tob region. While he was there, some worthless men started to spend a lot of time with him.
UJefitha wasebalekela abafowabo, wahlala elizweni leTobi. Amadoda ayize asebuthana kuJefitha, aphuma laye.
4 Some time later, the Ammon people-group started to fight against the Israelis.
Kwasekusithi emva kwezinsuku abantwana bakoAmoni balwa loIsrayeli.
5 When that happened [DOU], the leaders of [the] Gilead [region] went to Jephthah to bring him back from the Tob region [to their area].
Kwasekusithi lapho abantwana bakoAmoni besilwa loIsrayeli, abadala beGileyadi bahamba ukuyathatha uJefitha elizweni leTobi,
6 They said to him, “Come [with us] and lead our army, and [help us to] fight against the men from the Ammon people-group!”
bathi kuJefitha: Woza ube ngumkhokheli wethu ukuze silwe labantwana bakoAmoni.
7 But Jephthah replied, “You hated me [RHQ] previously! You forced me to leave my father’s house! So why are you coming to me now, [asking me to help you] when you are experiencing trouble?”
Kodwa uJefitha wathi kubadala beGileyadi: Lina kalingizondanga yini, langixotsha endlini kababa? Pho, lizelani kimi khathesi nxa selisenhluphekweni?
8 The leaders from Gilead replied, “[Yes, we are having trouble, and] that is the reason that we have come to you now. If you come with us and [help us to] fight against the Ammon people-group, [after we defeat them, we will appoint] you to be the leader of all us people in [the] Gilead [region].”
Abadala beGileyadi basebesithi kuJefitha: Ngakho khathesi siyabuyela kuwe ukuze uhambe lathi uyekulwa umelene labantwana bakoAmoni, ube yinhloko yethu phezu kwabo bonke abakhi beGileyadi.
9 Jephthah replied, “If I go back to Gilead with you to fight against the Ammon people-group, and if Yahweh helps us to defeat them, will you truly appoint me to be your leader?”
UJefitha wasesithi kubadala beGileyadi: Uba lingibuyisa ukulwa ngimelene labantwana bakoAmoni, iNkosi ibanikele phambi kwami, mina ngizakuba yinhloko yenu yini?
10 They replied, “Yahweh is listening to everything that we say. [So he will punish us] if we do not do everything that you tell us to do.”
Abadala beGileyadi basebesithi kuJefitha: INkosi iyezwa phakathi kwethu, uba singenzi njalo njengokwamazwi akho.
11 So Jephthah went with them back to [the] Gilead [region], and the people appointed him to be their leader and the commander of their army. And Jephthah solemnly promised to Yahweh there at Mizpah [to serve him well].
UJefitha wasehamba labadala beGileyadi, abantu basebemenza waba yinhloko lomkhokheli phezu kwabo. UJefitha wasekhuluma wonke amazwi akhe phambi kweNkosi eMizipa.
12 Jephthah sent some messengers to the king of the Ammon people-group. They asked the king, “What have we [done to make you angry, with the result] that your army is coming to fight [against the people] in our land?”
UJefitha wasethuma izithunywa enkosini yabantwana bakoAmoni esithi: Ngilani lawe ukuthi uze kimi ukulwa elizweni lami?
13 The king replied, “[We have come to fight against you Israelis because] you took our land when you came here from Egypt. You took all our land east of the Jordan [River], from the Arnon [River in the south] to the Jabbok [River in the north]. So if you now give it back to us, there (will be peace between us/we will not fight against you).”
Inkosi yabantwana bakoAmoni yasisithi kuzithunywa zikaJefitha: Ngoba uIsrayeli wathatha ilizwe lami ekwenyukeni kwakhe eGibhithe kusukela eArinoni kuze kube seJaboki kuze kube seJordani; ngakho-ke libuyiseni ngokuthula.
14 [The messengers returned to Jephthah and told him what the king had said]. So Jephthah sent the messengers to the king again.
UJefitha wasephinda ethuma izithunywa futhi enkosini yabantwana bakoAmoni,
15 They said to him, “This is what Jephthah says: ‘It is not [true] that we Israelis took the land from the Moab people-group and the Ammon people-group.
wathi kuye: Utsho njalo uJefitha: UIsrayeli kalithathanga ilizwe lakoMowabi lelizwe labantwana bakoAmoni,
16 When the Israeli people came out of Egypt, they walked through the desert to the Red Sea, and then [walked across it and traveled to Kadesh town at the border of the Edom region].
kodwa ekwenyukeni kwabo besuka eGibhithe uIsrayeli wahamba edabula enkangala waya eLwandle oluBomvu, wafika eKadeshi.
17 They sent messengers to the king of the Edom people-group, to say to him, “Please allow us Israelis to walk across your land.” But the king of the Edom people-group refused. Later we sent the same message to the king of the Moab people-group, but he also refused to allow the Israelis to go through his land. So the Israelis stayed at Kadesh [for a long time].
UIsrayeli wasethuma izithunywa enkosini yeEdoma esithi: Ake sedlule sidabule elizweni lakho; kodwa inkosi yeEdoma kayilalelanga. Wathumela njalo enkosini yakoMowabi, kodwa kayivumanga. Ngakho uIsrayeli wahlala eKadeshi.
18 Then the Israelis went into the desert and walked outside the borders of the Edom and Moab regions. They walked east of the Moab region, east of the Arnon [River, which is the eastern border of the Moab region]. They did not cross that river to enter [the] Moab [region].
Basebedabula enkangala, balibhoda ilizwe leEdoma lelizwe lakoMowabi, bafika lapho eliphuma khona ilanga kwelizwe lakoMowabi. Bamisa inkamba ngaphetsheya kweArinoni, kodwa kabangenanga emngceleni wakoMowabi, ngoba iArinoni yayingumngcele wakoMowabi.
19 ‘Then the Israelis sent a message to Sihon, the king of the Amor people-group, who lived in Heshbon [city]. They asked him, “Will you please allow us Israeli people to cross through your land to arrive at the land to which we [are going].”
UIsrayeli wasethuma izithunywa kuSihoni inkosi yamaAmori, inkosi yeHeshiboni; uIsrayeli wathi kuye: Ake sedlule elizweni lakho siye endaweni yami.
20 But Sihon did not trust the Israelis; [he thought that they would steal some of the things in his land]. So he gathered all his troops and they set up their tents at Jahaz [village] and then they attacked the Israelis.
Kodwa uSihoni kamthembanga uIsrayeli ukuthi adlule emngceleni wakhe; kodwa uSihoni wabutha bonke abantu bakhe, wamisa inkamba eJahazi, walwa loIsrayeli.
21 But Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [worship], enabled the Israeli army to defeat [IDM] Sihon and his army. Then they (took possession of/started to live in) all the land where the Amor people-group had lived.
Kodwa iNkosi, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, yanikela uSihoni labo bonke abantu bakhe esandleni sikaIsrayeli, babatshaya. Ngakho uIsrayeli wadla ilifa lelizwe lonke lamaAmori, abahlali balelolizwe.
22 The Israelis took all the land that belonged to the Amor people-group, from the Arnon [River in the south] to the Jabbok [River in the north], and from the desert [in the east] to the Jordan [River in the west].
Badla ilifa layo yonke imingcele yamaAmori kusukela eArinoni kuze kube seJaboki, njalo kusukela enkangala kuze kube seJordani.
23 ‘It was Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [worship], who forced the Amor people-group to leave as the Israelis advanced. So do you now think that you can force the Israelis to leave [RHQ]?
Khathesi-ke iNkosi, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, yawaxotsha elifeni amaAmori phambi kwabantu bayo uIsrayeli; kanti wena uzakudla ilifa lalo yini?
24 You take the land that your god Chemosh has given to you. And we will live in the land that Yahweh our God has given to us!
Kawuyikudla yini ilifa lalokhu uKemoshi unkulunkulu wakho akunika ukudla ilifa lakho? Ngakho loba ngubani iNkosi uNkulunkulu wethu ezamxotsha elifeni phambi kwethu, lokhu sizakudla ilifa lakho.
25 (You are no/Are you) better than Zippor’s son Balak, who was the king of the Moab people-group? He never [RHQ] quarreled with the Israeli people, and he never started to fight against us [RHQ]!
Pho-ke wena ungcono yini okwedlula uBalaki indodana kaZipori inkosi yakoMowabi? Wake waxabana loIsrayeli; kumbe wake walwa labo yini;
26 For 300 years the Israeli people have lived in Heshbon and Aroer [cities in your region], and in the surrounding towns, and in all the cities along the Arnon [River]. Why have you people of the Ammon people-group not taken back those cities during all those years [RHQ]?
lapho uIsrayeli esehlala eHeshiboni lemizaneni yayo, leAroweri lemizaneni yayo, lakuyo yonke imizi esekhunjini lweArinoni, iminyaka engamakhulu amathathu? Kungani-ke ungayophulanga ngalesosikhathi?
27 We have not sinned against you, but you are sinning against me by attacking me [and my army]. I trust that Yahweh, the great judge, will decide whether we Israelis are right, or whether you people of the Ammon people-group are right.’”
Ngakho mina kangonanga kuwe, kodwa wena wenza okubi kimi ngokulwa lami; iNkosi uMahluleli kahlulele lamuhla phakathi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli labantwana bakoAmoni.
28 But the king of the Ammon people-group did not pay attention to that message from Jephthah.
Kodwa inkosi yabantwana bakoAmoni kayilalelanga amazwi kaJefitha awathumela kuyo.
29 Then the Spirit of Yahweh took control of Jephthah. Jephthah went through [the] Gilead [region] and through the area where the tribe of Manasseh lived, [to enlist/gather men for his army]. [He finally gathered them together] in Mizpah [city] in [the] Gilead [region] to fight against the Ammon people-group.
UMoya weNkosi wasesiza phezu kukaJefitha, wedlula eGileyadi leManase, wedlula eMizipa yeGileyadi; esuka eMizipa wedlulela kubantwana bakoAmoni.
30 There Jephthah made a solemn promise to Yahweh. He said, “If you will enable my army to defeat [IDM] the Ammon people-group,
UJefitha wafunga isifungo eNkosini wathi: Uba uzanikela lokunikela abantwana bakoAmoni esandleni sami,
31 when I return from the battle, I will sacrifice to you the first person who comes out of my house [to greet me]. It will be a sacrifice that will be completely burned [on the altar].”
kuzakuthi loba yikuphi okuphuma eminyango yendlu yami ukungihlangabeza ekubuyeni kwami ngokuthula ngivela kubantwana bakoAmoni, kuzakuba ngokweNkosi, ngizakunikela kube ngumnikelo wokutshiswa.
32 Then Jephthah [and his men] went from Mizpah to attack the Ammon people-group, and Yahweh enabled his army to defeat them.
Ngakho uJefitha wasesedlulela ebantwaneni bakoAmoni ukulwa emelene labo; iNkosi yasibanikela esandleni sakhe.
33 Jephthah and his men killed them, from Aroer [city] all the way to the area around the city of Minnith. They destroyed 20 cities, as far as [the city of] Abel Keramim. So the Israelis [completely] defeated the Ammon people-group.
Wasebatshaya kusukela eAroweri uze ufike eMinithi, imizi engamatshumi amabili, kuze kube seAbeli-Keramimi, ukutshaya okukhulukazi. Ngokunjalo abantwana bakoAmoni behliselwa phansi phambi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli.
34 When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, his daughter was the first one to come out of the house to meet him. She was [joyfully] playing a tambourine and dancing. She was his only child; he had no sons and no other daughters.
UJefitha wasefika eMizipa endlini yakhe. Khangela-ke, indodakazi yakhe yaphuma ukumhlangabeza, ilezigujana, lemigido; yayiyiyo yodwa eyakhe; ngaphandle kwayo wayengelandodana lendodakazi.
35 When Jephthah saw his daughter, he tore his clothes [to show that he was very sad about what he was going to do]. He said to her, “My daughter, you have caused me to become very sad [DOU] because I made a solemn promise to Yahweh [to sacrifice the first one who came out of my house], and I must do what I promised.”
Kwasekusithi lapho eyibona wadabula izigqoko zakhe wathi: Maye ndodakazi yami! Ungithobisile kakhulu, njalo wena uphakathi kwabangihluphayo, ngoba mina ngivule umlomo wami eNkosini, ngingeke ngibuyele emuva.
36 His daughter said, “My father, you made a solemn promise to Yahweh. So you must do to me what you promised, because [you said that you would do that if] Yahweh helped you to defeat our enemies, the Ammon people-group.”
Yasisithi kuye: Baba, uvulile umlomo wakho eNkosini, yenza kimi njengalokho okuphume emlonyeni wakho, lokhu iNkosi ikuphindisele ezitheni zakho, ebantwaneni bakoAmoni.
37 Then she also said, “But allow me to do one thing. (First/before you do what you promised), allow me to go up into the hilly area and wander around for two months. Since I will never be married [and have children], allow me and my friends to go and cry together.”
Yasisithi kuyise: Akungenzele linto: Ngiyekela inyanga ezimbili, ngiye ngehle ezintabeni, ngililele ubuntombi bami, mina labangane bami.
38 Jephthah replied, “All right, you may go.” So she left for two months. She and her friends stayed in the hills and they cried for her because she would never be married.
Wasesithi: Hamba. Waseyiyekela ihamba inyanga ezimbili. Yasihamba, yona labangane bayo, yalilela ubuntombi bayo ezintabeni.
39 After two months, she returned to her father Jephthah, and he did to her what he had vowed. So his daughter never was married. Because of that, the Israelis now have a custom.
Kwasekusithi ekupheleni kwenyanga ezimbili yabuyela kuyise, owenza kuyo isifungo sakhe asifungayo; yona kayiyazanga indoda. Kwasekusiba ngumkhuba koIsrayeli:
40 Every year the young Israeli women go [into the hills] for four days to remember [and cry about what happened to] the daughter of Jephthah.
Iminyaka ngeminyaka amadodakazi akoIsrayeli ayehamba ukuyakhumbula indodakazi kaJefitha umGileyadi insuku ezine ngomnyaka.
