Ʋɔnudrɔ̃lawo 11
1 Yefta nye aʋawɔla sesẽ aɖe tso Gileadnyigba dzi. Dadaa nye gbolo eye fofoa ŋkɔe nye Gilead.
Jephthah of Gilead was a strong fighter. He was the son of a prostitute, and his father was Gilead.
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.”
Gilead's wife gave him sons, who when they grew up, drove Jephthah away, telling him, “You won't inherit anything from our father because you are another woman's son.”
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.
Jephthah ran away from his brothers and went to live in the land of Tob. A gang of trouble-makers joined him and he led them out on raids.
4 Ɣeyiɣi sia mee Amonitɔwo ho aʋa ɖe Israelviwo ŋu.
Later on, the Ammonites were at war with Israel.
5 Gilead ƒe kplɔlawo ɖo du ɖe Yefta
As the Ammonites were attacking Israel, the elders of Gilead came to get Jephthah from the land of Tob.
6 kple kukuɖeɖe be wòava kplɔ yewoƒe aʋakɔ la le aʋawɔwɔ kple Amonitɔwo me.
“Come and be our army commander,” they asked Jepthah, “so we can fight the Ammonites.”
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?”
“Weren't you the ones who hated me and drove me from my father's house?” Jephthah asked them, “Why are you coming to me now you're in trouble?”
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.”
“Yes, that's why we've turned to you now,” the elders of Gilead replied. “Come with us and fight the Ammonites, and you will be the leader of all the people of Gilead.”
9 Yefta do ɣli be, “Nyateƒea? Ɖe miebu be maxɔ nya sia sea?”
“So if I go back with you and fight the Ammonites, and the Lord makes me victorious, then I'll be your leader?” Jephthah asked the elders of Gilead.
10 Woɖo eŋu be, “Míedo ŋugbe na wò eye míeka atam ɖe ŋugbedodo dzi.”
“The Lord will be a witness between us,” they replied. “We'll do whatever you say.”
11 Ale Yefta lɔ̃ eye wòzu aʋafia kple Gilead fia. Woɖo kpe nya sia dzi le Yehowa kple ameawo katã ŋkume le Mizpa.
So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him their leader and army commander. And Jephthah repeated all his conditions before the Lord at Mizpah.
12 Yefta ɖo du ɖe Amon fia be yedi be yeanya nu si ta wòle aʋa hom ɖe Israelviwo ŋu.
Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites to ask him, “What have you got against me that you want to attack 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.
The king of the Ammonites replied to Jephthah's messengers, “Israel seized my land when they came from Egypt. It extended from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River, and across to the Jordan River. So give it back and there'll be no fighting.”
14 Yefta gaɖo amewo ɖe Amonitɔwo ƒe fia
Jephthah sent messengers back to the king of the Ammonites
15 be, “Nya si Yefta gblɔ lae nye esi, ‘Israel mexɔ Moabtɔwo alo Amonitɔwo ƒe anyigba o. Nyateƒe lae nye be,
to tell him, “This is Jephthah's reply: The Israelites did not take any land from Moab or from the Ammonites.
16 esi Israelviwo tso Egipte, tso Ƒu Dzĩe la eye wova ɖo Kades la,
When they left Egypt, the Israelites went through the desert to the Red Sea and arrived at Kadesh.
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.
They sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Please let us pass through your country,’ but the king of Edom refused to listen. They also sent the same request to the king of Moab, and he refused too. So they remained at Kadesh.
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.
Eventually the Israelites traveled through the desert, avoiding the lands of Edom and Moab. They arrived on the east side of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon River. But they did not enter Moab territory, for the Arnon River was its border.
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.
Then the Israelites sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who ruled from Heshbon, and asked him, ‘Please let us pass through your land to our own country.’
20 Fia Sixɔn mexɔ Israelviwo dzi se o eya ta wòna eƒe aʋakɔ wɔ aʋa kple Israelviwo le Yaza.
But Sihon didn't trust the Israelites to pass through his territory. So he assembled his army, set up camp at Jahaz, and attacked the Israelites.
21 Yehowa, míaƒe Mawu la kpe ɖe Israelviwo ŋu woɖu Fia Sixɔn dzi. Ale Israelviwo xɔ anyigba si dzi Amoritɔwo nɔ la katã.
However, the Lord, the God of Israel, handed over Sihon and all his people to the Israelites, who defeated them. So the Israelites took over all the land inhabited by the Amorites.
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.
They occupied all the territory of the Amorites from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River, and from the desert to the Jordan River.
23 “‘Ale Yehowa, Israel ƒe Mawu lae xɔ anyigba la le Amoritɔwo si na Israelviwo. Ekema nu ka ta míagbugbɔe na wò?
It was the Lord, the God of Israel, who drove out the Amorites before his people Israel, so why should you take it over?
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!
Why don't you keep whatever your god Chemosh gave you, and we'll keep whatever the Lord our God has given us?
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!
Do you think you're so much better than Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever quarrel with Israel or attack them?
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?
Israelites have been living in Heshbon, Aroer, their villages, and in all the towns along the banks of the Arnon River for three hundred years. Why didn't you take them back during that time?
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.’”
I have not sinned against you, but you have done me wrong by going to war against me. Let the Lord, the Judge, decide today between the Israelites and the Ammonites.”
28 Amon fia meɖo to Yefta ƒe nya la o.
But the king of Ammon didn't pay any attention to what Jephthah had to say.
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.
Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah. He passed through Gilead and Manasseh, then on through Mizpah of Gilead. From there he advanced to attack the Ammonites.
30 Yefta ɖe adzɔgbe na Yehowa be, “Ne ètsɔ Amonitɔwo de asi nam la,
Jephthah made a solemn promise to the Lord, saying, “If you make me victorious over the Ammonites,
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.”
I will dedicate to the Lord whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me on my safe return from the battle. I will present it as a burnt offering.”
32 Yefta kplɔ eƒe aʋakɔ wowɔ aʋa kple Amonitɔwo. Yehowa na Israel ɖu dzi
Jephthah advanced to attack the Ammonites, and the Lord gave him the victory over them.
33 eye wowu Amonitɔwo tso keke Aroer va se ɖe Minit. Woxɔ du blaeve va keke Abel Keramin. Ale Israel ɖu Amonitɔwo dzi.
He soundly defeated them, capturing twenty cities from Aroer to the area around Minnith, up as far as Abel-keramim. This is how the Ammonites were conquered by the Israelites.
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.
When Jephthah arrived home in Mizpah, there came his daughter out to meet him, with tambourines and dancing! She was his only child—he had no son or daughter apart from her.
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.”
The moment he saw her, he ripped his clothes in agony and cried out, “Oh no, my daughter! You have crushed me completely! You have destroyed me, for I made a solemn promise to the Lord and I can't go back on it.”
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.
She replied, “Father, you have made a solemn promise to the Lord. Do to me what you promised, for the Lord brought vengeance your enemies, the Ammonites.”
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.”
Then she went on to say to him, “Just let me do this: let me walk through the hills for two months with my friends and grieve the fact that I'll never marry.”
38 Yefta ɖe mɔ nɛ eye wòyi toawo dzi; eya kple xɔlɔ̃awo nɔ afi ma kple konyifafa ɣleti eve.
“You can go,” he told her. He sent her away for two months, and she and her friends went into the hills and cried because she would never marry.
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
When the two months were over, she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had promised, and she was a virgin. This is the origin of the custom in Israel
40 be ɖetugbiwo nayi aɖanɔ toawo dzi ŋkeke ene ƒe sia ƒe afa konyi le Yefta, Gileadtɔ la ƒe vinyɔnuvi ta.
that every year the young women of Israel leave for four days to weep in commemoration of the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.
