Mpitsara 3
1 Ary ny firenena navelan’ i Jehovah ho entiny mizaha toetra ny Isiraely dia izay rehetra tsy mba nahita ny ady rehetra tany Kanana,
At that time there were still many people-groups in Canaan. Yahweh left them there to test the Israeli people. But many of the Israelis in Canaan were ones who had not fought in any of the wars in Canaan. So Yahweh also left those people-groups in Canaan so that the descendants of those who had not fought in any of the wars might learn how to fight.
2 mba ho fantatry ny taranaky ny Zanak’ Isiraely izany amin’ ny hampianarany azy hiady, indrindra fa izay tsy mbola nahalala izany akory teo aloha;
3 dia ireo andriana dimy tamin’ ny Filistina sy ny Kananita rehetra sy ny Sidoniana ary ny Hivita, izay nonina tany an-tendrombohitra Libanona, hatrao akaikin’ i Bala-hermona ka hatramin’ ny lalana mankany Hamata.
[This is a list of] the people-groups that Yahweh left there: The Philistines and their five leaders, the people living in the area near Sidon [city], the descendants of Canaan, and the descendants of Hiv who were living in the mountains of Lebanon between Baal-Hermon Mountain and Lebo-Hamath.
4 Ary nentina hizaha toetra ny Isiraely ireo mba hahalalana na hihaino ny didin’ i Jehovah, izay nasainy nandidian’ i Mosesy ny razany, izy, na tsia.
Yahweh left these people-groups there to test the Israelis, to see if they would obey his commands which he had told Moses to give them.
5 Ary ny Zanak’ Isiraely nonina teo amin’ ny Kananita sy ny Hetita sy ny Amorita sy ny Perizita sy ny Hivita ary ny Jebosita.
The Israelis lived among the Canaan people-group, the Hiv people-group, the Amor people-group, the Periz people-group, the Hiv people-group, and the Jebus people-group.
6 Ary naka ny zanakavavin’ ireny ho vadiny izy sady nanome ny zananivavy ho vadin’ ny zanakalahin’ ireny ka nanompo ny andriamaniny.
[Moses had told the people not to associate with any of those people]. But the Israelis took daughters of people from those people-groups [to be their own wives], and gave their own daughters to men of those groups, to marry them. And [as a result] they started to worship the gods of those people-groups.
7 Ary nanao izay ratsy eo imason’ i Jehovah ny Zanak’ Isiraely ka nanadino an’ i Jehovah Andriamaniny ary nanompo ireo Bala sy Aseraha.
The Israelis did things that Yahweh said were very evil. They forgot about Yahweh, their God, and they started to worship [the idols that represented] the god Baal and the goddess Asherah.
8 Dia nirehitra tamin’ ny Isiraely ny fahatezeran’ i Jehovah, ka nivarotra azy ho eo an-tànan’ i Kosan-risataima, mpanjakan’ i Mesopotamia, Izy; dia nanompo an’ i Kosan-risataima valo taona ny Zanak’ Isiraely.
Yahweh became very angry with the Israelis. So he allowed king Cushan from Mesopotamia to conquer them and rule them for eight years.
9 Dia nitaraina tamin’ i Jehovah ny Zanak’ Isiraely, ary Jehovah nanangana mpamonjy ho an’ ny Zanak’ Isiraely, izay namonjy azy, dia Otniela, zanakalahin’ i Kenaza, zandrin’ i Kaleba.
But when they pleaded to Yahweh [to help them], he gave them a leader to rescue them. He was Othniel, the son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz.
10 Ary ny Fanahin’ i Jehovah no tao aminy, dia nitsara ny Isiraely izy sady nivoaka hiady; ary Kosan-risataima, mpanjakan’ i Mesopotamia, dia natolotr’ i Jehovah teo an-tànany; ary nahery ny tànany ka namely an’ i Kosan-risataima.
Yahweh’s Spirit came upon him, and he became their leader. He [led an army that] fought against [the army of] Cushan, and defeated them.
11 Dia nandry ny tany efa-polo taona. Ary maty Otniela, zanak’ i Kenaza.
After that, there was peace in the land for 40 years, until Othniel died.
12 Fa nanao izay ratsy eo imason’ i Jehovah indray ny zanak’ Isiraely ary i Jehovah nampahery an’ i Eglona, mpanjakan’ i Moaba, hiady amin’ ny Isiraely, satria nanao izay ratsy eo imason’ i Jehovah izy.
After that, the Israelis again did things that Yahweh said were very evil. As a result, he allowed the army of King Eglon, who ruled [the] Moab [area], to defeat the Israelis.
13 Dia nampiangona ny taranak’ i Amona sy Amaleka ho any aminy izy, ary nandeha izy ireo ka namely ny Isiraely, dia nahafaka ny tanàna be rofia.
Eglon persuaded the leaders of the Ammon and Amalek people-groups to join their armies with his army to attack Israel. They captured [Jericho, which was called] ‘The City of Palm Trees’.
14 Dia nanompo an’ i Eglona, mpanjakan’ i Moaba, valo ambin’ ny folo taona ny Zanak’ Isiraely.
Then King Eglon ruled the Israelis for eighteen years.
15 Ary nitaraina tamin’ i Jehovah izy, dia nanangana mpamonjy ho azy Jehovah, dia Ehoda, zanak’ i Gera, avy amin’ ny taranak’ i Benjamina, lehilahy kavia; dia nampitondra azy fanomezana ho an’ i Eglona, mpanjakan’ i Moaba, ny Zanak’ Isiraely.
But then the Israelis again pleaded to Yahweh [to help them]. So he gave them another leader to rescue them. He was Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera, from the descendants of Benjamin. The Israelis sent him to King Eglon to give him their yearly protection money.
16 Ary nanao sabatra roa lela Ehoda, hakiho ny halavany; dia nataony tao amin’ ny fehin-kibony ambanin’ ny akanjo fiadiany izany, teny am-balahany ankavanana.
Ehud had with him a double-edged dagger, about a foot and a half long. He strapped it to his right thigh, under his clothes.
17 Dia nitondra ny fanomezana ho an’ i Eglona, mpanjakan’ i Moaba, izy; ary lehilahy matavibe Eglona.
He gave the money to King Eglon, who was a very fat man.
18 Ary rehefa vitany ny nanolorana ny fanomezana, dia nampodiny ny olona izay nitondra izany.
Then Ehud started to go back home with the men who had carried the money.
19 Fa nony tonga teo amin’ ny fihadiam-bato izay any Gilgala kosa izy, dia niverina ka nanao hoe: Misy teny holazaiko mangingina aminao, ry mpanjaka ô. Dia hoy kosa izy: Mialà kely ianareo, rizareo. Ary izay rehetra nitsangana teo anoloany dia niala teo aminy.
When they arrived at the stone carvings near Gilgal, [he told the other men to go on, but] he himself turned around and went back [to the king of Moab. When he arrived at the palace], he said to the king, “Your majesty, I have a secret message for you.” So the king told all his servants to be quiet, and sent them out of the room.
20 Ary Ehoda nanatona azy, raha nipetraka irery tao an-tilikambony fihatsiatsiahana izy. Dia hoy Ehoda: Misy teny avy amin’ Andriamanitra holazaiko aminao. Dia nitsangana niala tamin’ ny seza fiandrianana Eglona.
Then, as Eglon was sitting alone in the upstairs room of his summer palace, Ehud came close to him and said, “I have a message for you from God.” As the king got up from his chair,
21 Ary naninjitra ny tànany ankavia Ehoda ka nandray ny sabatra teny am-balahany ankavanana, dia natsatony tamin’ ny kibon’ i Eglona izany;
Ehud reached with his left hand and pulled the dagger from his right thigh, and plunged it into the king’s belly.
22 ary difotra mbamin’ ny zarany, ka voasaron’ ny taviny ny lelan-tsabatra, ka dia tsy nanatsoaka ny sabatra tamin’ ny kibony izy; ary niboroaka teo amin’ ny vodiny izany.
He thrust it in so far that the handle went into the king’s belly, and the blade came out the king’s back. Ehud did not pull the dagger out. [He left it there, with] the handle buried in the king’s fat.
23 Dia nivoaka teo amin’ ny lavarangana Ehoda ka nandrindrina ny varavaran’ ny trano ka nanidy azy tao.
Then Ehud left the room. He went out to the porch. He shut the doors to the room and locked them.
24 Ary rehefa nivoaka izy, dia tonga teo kosa ny mpanompon’ i Eglona; ary raha hitany fa, indro, voahidy ny varavaran’ ny tilikambo, dia hoy izy: Miavela ato an-tilikambo fihatsiahana izy aloha.
After he had gone, King Eglon’s servants came back, but they saw that the doors of the room were locked. They said, “The king must be defecating in the inner room.”
25 Dia niandry mandra-pahaveri-heviny izy ireo, kanjo tsy namoha ny varavaran’ ny trano izy; ka dia naka ny fanalahidy izy ireo ka namoha azy; ary, indro, maty niampatra tamin’ ny rihana ny tompony
So they waited, but when the king did not open the doors of the room, after a while they were worried. They got a key and unlocked the doors. And they saw that their king was lying on the floor, dead.
26 Fa Ehoda efa nandositra, raha mbola nitaredretra izy ireo, ka efa nihoatra ny fihadiam-bato, dia nandositra ho any Seïrata.
Meanwhile, Ehud escaped. He passed by the stone carvings and arrived at Seirah, in the hilly area where the descendants of Ephraim lived.
27 Ary rehefa tonga teo izy, dia nitsoka ny anjomara tany amin’ ny tany havoan’ i Efraima, dia nidina nanaraka azy avy tany amin’ ny tany havoana ny Zanak’ Isiraely, ary izy no nitarika azy.
There he blew a trumpet [to signal that the people should join him to fight the people of Moab]. So the Israelis went with him from the hills. They went down [toward the Jordan river], with Ehud leading them.
28 Ary hoy izy taminy: Manaraha ahy, fa efa natolotr’ i Jehovah eo an-tananareo ny Moabita fahavalonareo. Dia nidina nanaraka azy ny olona, ka azony ny fitàna any Jordana hankany Moaba, ary tsy nisy navelany hita na dia iray akory aza.
He said to the men, “Yahweh is going to allow us to defeat your enemies, the people of Moab. So follow me!” So they followed him down to the river, and they stationed some of their men at the place where people can walk across the river, in order that they could [kill any people from Moab who tried to] cross the river [to escape].
29 Dia namono ny Moabita tokony ho iray alin-dahy tamin’ izany andro izany izy, samy olona vaventy sady mahery izy rehetra; ary tsy nisy afaka nandositra na dia iray akory aza.
At that time, the Israelis killed about 10,000 people from Moab. They were all strong and capable men, but not one of them escaped.
30 Dia resin’ ny tanan’ ny Isiraely ny Moabita tamin’ izany andro izany. Ary nandry valo-polo taona ny tany.
On that day, the Israelis conquered the people of Moab. Then there was peace in their land for 80 years.
31 Ary nanarakaraka azy Samgara, zanak’ i Anata, izay namely ny Filistina enin-jato lahy tamin’ ny fanindronan-omby; dia namonjy ny Isiraely koa izy.
After Ehud [died], Shamgar became their leader. He rescued the Israelis [from the Philistines. In one battle] he killed 600 Philistines with an (ox goad/sharp wooden pole).
