Ʋɔnudrɔ̃lawo 11
1 Yefta nye aʋawɔla sesẽ aɖe tso Gileadnyigba dzi. Dadaa nye gbolo eye fofoa ŋkɔe nye Gilead.
There was at that time Jephte the Galaadite, a most valiant man and a warrior, the son of a woman that was a harlot, and his father was Galaad.
2 Vi bubuwo nɔ Gilead si siwo srɔ̃a ŋutɔ dzi nɛ. Esi Gilead ƒe vi bubu siawo tsi la, wonya Yefta le anyigba la dzi, gblɔ nɛ be, “Nyɔnu bubu ƒe vi nènye! Màkpɔ domenyinu aɖeke tso mía fofo gbɔ o.”
Now Galaad had a wife of whom he had sons: who after they were grown up, thrust out Jephte, saying: Thou canst not inherit in the house of our father, because thou art born of another mother.
3 Ale Yefta si tso fofoa ƒe aƒe me yi Tobnyigba dzi. Eƒo gbevu aɖewo nu ƒu ɖe eɖokui ŋu eye wokplɔnɛ ɖo ɣe sia ɣi.
Then he fled and avoided them and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered to him needy men, and robbers, and they followed him as their prince.
4 Ɣeyiɣi sia mee Amonitɔwo ho aʋa ɖe Israelviwo ŋu.
In those days the children of Ammon made war against Israel.
5 Gilead ƒe kplɔlawo ɖo du ɖe Yefta
And as they pressed hard upon them, the ancients of Galaad went to fetch Jephte out of the land of Tob to help them:
6 kple kukuɖeɖe be wòava kplɔ yewoƒe aʋakɔ la le aʋawɔwɔ kple Amonitɔwo me.
And they said to him: Come thou and be our prince, and fight against the children of Ammon.
7 Yefta bia wo be, “Nu ka ta mieva yɔm le esime mielé fum eye mienyam le fofonye ƒe aƒe me? Nu ka tae mieɖo du ɖem azɔ esi miele xaxa me?”
And he answered them: Are not you the men that hated me, and cast me out of my father’s house, and now you are come to me constrained by necessity?
8 Woɖo eŋu be, “Míeɖo du ɖe wò elabena míehiã wò kpekpeɖeŋu. Ne ànye míaƒe aʋafia le míaƒe aʋawɔwɔ me kple Amonitɔwo la, ekema miatsɔ wò aɖo fiae le Gilead.”
And the princes of Galaad said to Jephte: For this cause we are now come to thee, that thou mayst go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be head over all the inhabitants of Galaad.
9 Yefta do ɣli be, “Nyateƒea? Ɖe miebu be maxɔ nya sia sea?”
Jephte also said to them: If you be come to me sincerely, that I should fight for you against the children of Ammon, and the Lord shall deliver them into my band, shall I be your prince?
10 Woɖo eŋu be, “Míedo ŋugbe na wò eye míeka atam ɖe ŋugbedodo dzi.”
They answered him: The Lord who heareth these things, he himself is mediator and witness that we will do as we have promised.
11 Ale Yefta lɔ̃ eye wòzu aʋafia kple Gilead fia. Woɖo kpe nya sia dzi le Yehowa kple ameawo katã ŋkume le Mizpa.
Jephte therefore went with the princes of Galaad, and all the people made him their prince. And Jephte spoke all his words before the Lord in Maspha.
12 Yefta ɖo du ɖe Amon fia be yedi be yeanya nu si ta wòle aʋa hom ɖe Israelviwo ŋu.
And he sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon, to say in his name, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me, to waste my land?
13 Amon fia ɖo eŋu be anyigba la nye Amɔnitɔwo tɔ eye Israelviwo va fii esime wotso Egipte va ɖo. Eyi edzi be anyigba blibo la tso Arnon tɔsisi la ŋu yi Yabok tɔsisi la ŋu heyi Yɔdan tɔsisi la ŋu, eye wònye ye tɔ, eya ta Israelviwo naɖe asi le yeƒe anyigba ŋuti na ye tomefafatɔe.
And he answered them: I Because Israel took away my land when he came up out of Egypt, from the confines of the Arnon unto the Jaboc and the Jordan: now therefore restore the same peaceably to me.
14 Yefta gaɖo amewo ɖe Amonitɔwo ƒe fia
And Jephte again sent word by them, and commanded them to say to the king of Ammon:
15 be, “Nya si Yefta gblɔ lae nye esi, ‘Israel mexɔ Moabtɔwo alo Amonitɔwo ƒe anyigba o. Nyateƒe lae nye be,
Thus saith Jephte: Israel did not take away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon:
16 esi Israelviwo tso Egipte, tso Ƒu Dzĩe la eye wova ɖo Kades la,
But when they came up out of Egypt, he walked through the desert to the Red Sea and came into Cades.
17 woɖo du ɖe Edom fia nɔ mɔ biam be, yewoato eƒe anyigba dzi gake Edom fia meɖe mɔ na wo o. Wobia mɔ ma ke Moab fia hã eye eya hã gbe eya ta Israelviwo nɔ Kades.
And he sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying: Suffer me to pass through thy land. But he would not condescend to his request. He sent also to the king of Moab, who likewise refused to give him passage. He abode therefore in Cades,
18 “‘Mlɔeba la, woƒo xlã Edom kple Moab to gbedadaƒo, woto woƒe ɣedzeƒeliƒowo dzi va se ɖe esime woɖo Moab ƒe liƒo la godo le Arnon tɔsisi la ŋu.
And went round the land of Edom at the side, and the land of Moab: and came over against the east coast of the land of Moab, and camped on the other side of the Arnon: and he would not enter the bounds of Moab.
19 Israel ɖo du ɖe Fia Sixɔn, Amoritɔwo ƒe fia, le Hesbon eye wòbia be wòaɖe mɔ yewoato eƒe anyigba dzi ayi afi si yewoyina.
So Israel sent messengers to Sehon king of the Amorrhites, who dwelt in Hesebon, and they said to him: Suffer me to pass through thy land to the river.
20 Fia Sixɔn mexɔ Israelviwo dzi se o eya ta wòna eƒe aʋakɔ wɔ aʋa kple Israelviwo le Yaza.
But he also despising the words of Israel, suffered him not to pass through his borders: but gathering an infinite multitude, went out against him to Jasa, and made strong opposition.
21 Yehowa, míaƒe Mawu la kpe ɖe Israelviwo ŋu woɖu Fia Sixɔn dzi. Ale Israelviwo xɔ anyigba si dzi Amoritɔwo nɔ la katã.
And the Lord delivered him with all his army into the hands of Israel, and he slew him, and possessed all the land of the Amorrhite the inhabitant of that country,
22 Israelviwo nɔ anyigba la katã dzi tso Arnon tɔsisi la ŋu le anyigbeme yi Yabok tɔsisi la ŋu le dzigbeme kple tso gbegbe la ŋu le ɣedzeƒe yi Yɔdan tɔsisi la ŋu le ɣetoɖoƒe.
And all the coasts thereof from the Arnon to the Jaboc, and from the wilderness to the Jordan.
23 “‘Ale Yehowa, Israel ƒe Mawu lae xɔ anyigba la le Amoritɔwo si na Israelviwo. Ekema nu ka ta míagbugbɔe na wò?
So the Lord the God of Israel destroyed the Amorrhite, his people of Israel fighting against him, and wilt thou now possess this land?
24 Na nu sia nu si wò mawu Kemos na wò la nanye tɔwò eye nu sia nu si Yehowa, míaƒe Mawu la na míawo hã la, nanye mía tɔ!
Are not those things which thy god Chamos possesseth, due to thee by right? But what the Lord our God hath obtained by conquest, shall be our possession:
25 Ke wò ɖe, ame ka gɔ̃e nèbu be yenye? Ɖe nènyo wu Fia Balak, Moab fia? Ɖe wòdi be yeagbugbɔ yeƒe anyigba axɔ le Israelviwo si, esime Israel ɖu edzia? Kpao!
Unless perhaps thou art better than Balac the son of Sephor king of Moab: or canst shew that he strove against Israel and fought against him,
26 Ke wò ya nèle didim be yeaho nya sia ɖe dzi azɔ le ƒe alafa etɔ̃ megbe! Israel nɔ anyigba sia dzi ɣeyiɣi sia katã tso Hesbon va yi Aroer, yi ɖatɔ keke Arnon tɔsisi la. Nu ka ta mèdze agbagba aɖeke kpɔ do ŋgɔ na fifia be yeagbugbɔ anyigba la axɔ o?
Whereas he hath dwelt in Hesebon, and the villages thereof, and in Aroer, and its villages, and in all the cities near the Jordan, for three hundred years. Why have you for so long a time attempted nothing about this claim?
27 Kpɔ ɖa, nyemewɔ nu vɔ̃ aɖeke ɖe ŋuwò o: wò boŋue wɔ nu vɔ̃ ɖe ŋunye be nèho aʋa ɖe ŋunye. Ke eteƒe madidi o, Yehowa, Ʋɔnudrɔ̃la la, adrɔ̃ ʋɔnu le mí Israelviwo kple mi Amonitɔwo dome.’”
Therefore I do not trespass against thee, but thou wrongest me by declaring an unjust war against me. The Lord be judge and decide this day between Israel and the children of Ammon.
28 Amon fia meɖo to Yefta ƒe nya la o.
And the king of the children of Ammon would not hearken to the words of Jephte, which he sent him by the messengers.
29 Le ɣeyiɣi ma me la, Yehowa ƒe Gbɔgbɔ va Yefta dzi eye wòkplɔ eƒe aʋakɔ to Gileadnyigba kple Manase ƒe anyigba dzi, dze le Mizpa le Gilead ŋu eye wòkpe aʋa kple Amonitɔwo ƒe aʋakɔ.
Therefore the spirit of the Lord came upon Jephte, and going round Galaad, and Manasses, and Maspha of Galaad, and passing over from thence to the children of Ammon,
30 Yefta ɖe adzɔgbe na Yehowa be, “Ne ètsɔ Amonitɔwo de asi nam la,
He made a vow to the Lord, saying: If thou wilt deliver the children of Ammon into my hands,
31 nu sia nu si ado to nye aƒe ƒe agbo me ava kpem ne meɖu Amonitɔwo dzi hetrɔ gbɔ la, anye Yehowa tɔ eye matsɔe asa numevɔe nɛ.”
Whosoever shall first come forth out of the doors of my house, and shall meet me when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, the same will I offer a holocaust to the Lord.
32 Yefta kplɔ eƒe aʋakɔ wowɔ aʋa kple Amonitɔwo. Yehowa na Israel ɖu dzi
And Jephte passed over to the children of Ammon, to fight against them: and the Lord delivered them into his hands.
33 eye wowu Amonitɔwo tso keke Aroer va se ɖe Minit. Woxɔ du blaeve va keke Abel Keramin. Ale Israel ɖu Amonitɔwo dzi.
And he smote them from Aroer till you come to Mennith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel, which is set with vineyards, with a very great slaughter: and the children of Ammon were humbled by the children of Israel.
34 Esi Yefta trɔ va eƒe aƒe me le Mizpa la, ame aɖeke medo va kpee o, negbe via nyɔnu si nɔ ɣe ɖum ɖe asiʋui ŋu! Eya koe nye vi ɖeka si nɔ esi. Viŋutsu loo alo vinyɔnu aɖeke meganɔ esi wu eya o.
And when Jephte returned into Maspha to his house, his only daughter met him with timbrels and with dances: for he had no other children.
35 Esi wòkpɔe la, edze eƒe awuwo henɔ ɣli dom be, “O, vinyenyɔnu! Ètsɔm do nublanuitɔ kple ame ɖigbɔ̃e elabena meɖe adzɔgbe na Yehowa esi dzi nyemate ŋu ada le o.”
And when he saw her, he rent his garments, and said: Alas! my daughter, thou hast deceived me, and thou thyself art deceived: for I have opened my mouth to the Lord, and I can do no other thing.
36 Eɖo eŋu nɛ be “Fofonye, èɖe adzɔgbe na Yehowa; wɔm abe ale si nèdo ŋugbee ene elabena Yehowa bia hlɔ̃ wò futɔ siwo nye Amonitɔwo.
And she answered him: My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth to the Lord, do unto me whatsoever thou hast promised, since the victory hath been granted to thee, and revenge of thy enemies.
37 Gake wɔ nye didi sia ko dzi nam. Na ɣleti evem matsa le togbɛawo dzi afa konyi kple xɔ̃nyewo elabena nyemaɖe srɔ̃ akpɔakpɔ o.”
And she said to her father: Grant me only this which I desire: Let me go, that I may go about the mountains for two months, and may bewail my virginity with my companions.
38 Yefta ɖe mɔ nɛ eye wòyi toawo dzi; eya kple xɔlɔ̃awo nɔ afi ma kple konyifafa ɣleti eve.
And he answered her: Go. And he sent her away for two months. And when she was gone with her comrades and companions, she mourned her virginity in the mountains.
39 Le esia megbe la, etrɔ va aƒe eye Yefta wɔ eƒe adzɔgbeɖeɖe dzi, ale ɖetugbi la meɖe srɔ̃ o. Tso gbe ma gbe dzi la, ezu kɔnu le Israelviwo dome
And the two months being expired, she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed, and she knew no man. From thence came a fashion in Israel, and a custom has been kept:
40 be ɖetugbiwo nayi aɖanɔ toawo dzi ŋkeke ene ƒe sia ƒe afa konyi le Yefta, Gileadtɔ la ƒe vinyɔnuvi ta.
That from year to year the daughters of Israel assemble together, and lament the daughter of Jephte the Galaadite for four days.
