Abahluleli 11
1 UJeftha umGiliyadi wayelibutho elilamandla. Uyise wayenguGiliyadi; unina wayeyisifebe.
Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of a harlot; and Gilead begot Jephthah.
2 UmkaGiliyadi wamzalela amadodana, okwathi esekhulile asexotsha uJeftha. Athi kuye, “Wena akulalifa ozalithola emulini yakwethu ngoba uyindodana yomunye umfazi.”
And Gilead's wife bore him sons; and when his wife's sons grew up, they drove out Jephthah, and said unto him: 'Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house; for thou art the son of another woman.'
3 Ngakho uJeftha wabaleka kubafowabo wayahlala elizweni laseThobhi, lapho abuthanelwa khona lixuku lezigebenga zamlandela.
Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob; and there were gathered vain fellows to Jephthah, and they went out with him.
4 Emva kwalokho, kwathi ama-Amoni esesilwa labako-Israyeli,
And it came to pass after a while, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel.
5 abadala baseGiliyadi bahamba bayathatha uJeftha elizweni laseThobhi.
And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob.
6 Bathi kuye, “Woza ube ngumlawuli wamabutho ethu ukuze silwe lama-Amoni.”
And they said unto Jephthah: 'Come and be our chief, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.'
7 UJeftha wathi kubo, “Kalingizondanga yini langixotsha endlini kababa na? Kungani lisiza kimi khathesi seliphakathi kohlupho?”
And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead: 'Did not ye hate me, and drive me out of my father's house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?'
8 Abadala baseGiliyadi bathi kuye, “Lanxa kunjalo, khathesi sesiphendukela kuwe; hamba lathi ekulweni lama-Amoni, njalo uzakuba yinduna yabo bonke abahlala eGiliyadi.”
And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah: 'Therefore are we returned to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight with the children of Ammon, and thou shalt be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.'
9 UJeftha waphendula wathi, “Nxa lingabuyela lami ukuyakulwa lama-Amoni uThixo awanikele kimi, ngizakuba yinduna yenu sibili na?”
And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead: 'If ye bring me back home to fight with the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, I will be your head.'
10 Abadala baseGiliyadi baphendula bathi, “UThixo ungufakazi wethu; sizakwenza njengoba usitsho impela.”
And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah: 'The LORD shall be witness between us; surely according to thy word so will we do.'
11 Ngakho uJeftha wahamba labadala baseGiliyadi, abantu bamenza waba yinduna lomlawuli wabo. Wawaphinda wonke amazwi akhe phambi kukaThixo eMizipha.
Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before the LORD in Mizpah.
12 Emva kwalokho uJeftha wathuma izithunywa enkosini yama-Amoni lombuzo othi: “Kuyini osibangisa khona uze uhlasele ilizwe lethu na?”
And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying: 'What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come unto me to fight against my land?'
13 Inkosi yama-Amoni yaphendula izithunywa zikaJeftha yathi, “Abako-Israyeli sebesukile eGibhithe bathatha ilizwe lami kusukela e-Arinoni kusiya eJabhoki, umango wonke kusiya eJodani. Khathesi libuyiseleni ngokuthula.”
And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah: 'Because Israel took away my land, when he came up out of Egypt, from the Arnon even unto the Jabbok, and unto the Jordan; now therefore restore those cities peaceably.'
14 UJeftha wazibuyisela izithunywa enkosini yama-Amoni
And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon;
15 esithi, “Nanku okutshiwo nguJeftha: U-Israyeli kazange athathe ilizwe laseMowabi loba ilizwe lama-Amoni.
and he said unto him: 'Thus saith Jephthah: Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon.
16 Kodwa ekusukeni kwakhe eGibhithe, u-Israyeli wadabula enkangala esiya oLwandle oluBomvu eqonda eKhadeshi.
But when they came up from Egypt, and Israel walked through the wilderness unto the Red Sea, and came to Kadesh;
17 U-Israyeli wathuma izithunywa enkosini yase-Edomi esithi, ‘Ake usinike imvumo yokudabula phakathi kwelizwe lakho,’ kodwa inkosi yase-Edomi kayilalelanga. Bathumela lasenkosini yaseMowabi, layo yala. Ngakho u-Israyeli wahlala eKhadeshi.
then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying: Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land; but the king of Edom hearkened not. And in like manner he sent unto the king of Moab; but he would not; and Israel abode in Kadesh.
18 Emva kwalokho bahamba bedabula phakathi kwenkangala, beceza ilizwe lase-Edomi lelaseMowabi, badlula beseceleni elingasempumalanga kwelizwe laseMowabi, bamisa ngakwelinye icele le-Arinoni. Kabangenanga elizweni laseMowabi, ngoba i-Arinoni yayingumngcele walo.
Then he walked through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and they pitched on the other side of the Arnon; but they came not within the border of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab.
19 U-Israyeli wasethuma izithunywa kuSihoni inkosi yama-Amori, owayebusa eHeshibhoni, wathi kuye, ‘Akusivumele sidlule phakathi kwelizwe lakho sisiya endaweni yethu.’
And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him: Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land unto my place.
20 Kodwa uSihoni kamthembanga u-Israyeli ukuba adlule phakathi kwelizwe lakhe. Wabutha abantu bakhe bonke wamisa eJahazi walwa lo-Israyeli.
But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his border; but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.
21 Ngakho uThixo, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, wanikela uSihoni labantu bakhe bonke ezandleni zika-Israyeli, wabehlula. U-Israyeli walithatha lonke ilizwe lama-Amori ayehlala kulelolizwe,
And the LORD, the God of Israel, delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them; so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.
22 walithumba lonke elama-Amori kusukela e-Arinoni kusiya eJabhoki lokusuka enkangala kusiya eJodani.
And they possessed all the border of the Amorites, from the Arnon even unto the Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto the Jordan.
23 Njengoba uThixo, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, ewaxotshile ama-Amori phambi kwabantu bakhe u-Israyeli, wena ulelungelo bani lokulithatha na?
So now the LORD, the God of Israel, hath dispossessed the Amorites from before His people Israel, and shouldest thou possess them?
24 Kawuyikuthatha lokho okuphiwa ngunkulunkulu wakho uKhemoshi na? Ngokunjalo, yiloba yikuphi uThixo uNkulunkulu wethu asiphe khona, sizakuthatha.
Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God hath dispossessed from before us, them will we possess.
25 Wena ungcono yini kuloBhalaki indodana kaZiphori, inkosi yaseMowabi? Wake waxabana lo-Israyeli loba walwa laye na?
And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them?
26 U-Israyeli wahlala eHeshibhoni iminyaka engamakhulu amathathu, e-Aroweri, lasemizaneni eseduzane kanye lakuyo yonke imizi elinganisane le-Arinoni. Kungani ungazihlangulanga lezondawo ngalesosikhathi?
While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and its towns, and in Aroer and its towns, and in all the cities that are along by the side of the Arnon, three hundred years; wherefore did ye not recover them within that time?
27 Kangikonelanga, kodwa wena wenza okubi kimi ngokungihlasela ngempi. Akuthi uThixo, uMahluleli, ahlulele umbango ngalolosuku phakathi kwabako-Israyeli lama-Amoni.”
I therefore have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me; the LORD, the Judge, be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.'
28 Kodwa inkosi yama-Amoni kayilinakanga ilizwi eyayilithunyelwe nguJeftha.
Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him.
29 Lapho-ke uMoya kaThixo wehlela kuJeftha. Wadabula eGiliyadi kanye lakoManase, wedlula eMizipha yaseGiliyadi, kuthe esuka lapho waqhubekela kuma-Amoni.
Then the spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon.
30 Njalo uJeftha wafunga isifungo kuThixo wathi, “Unganikela ama-Amoni ezandleni zami,
And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said: 'If Thou wilt indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand,
31 loba kuyini okuphuma emnyango wendlu yami ukuba kungihlangabeze lapho ngibuya nginqobile ngivela kuma-Amoni kuzakuba ngokukaThixo, njalo ngizakunikela njengomnikelo wokutshiswa.”
then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, it shall be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up for a burnt-offering.'
32 UJeftha waya ngaphetsheya ukuyakulwa lama-Amoni, njalo uThixo wawanikela ezandleni zakhe.
So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hand.
33 Watshabalalisa imizi engamatshumi amabili kusukela e-Aroweri kusiya eduze leMinithi, kusiyafika e-Abheli-Kheramimi. U-Israyeli wayinqoba kanjalo i-Amoni.
And he smote them from Aroer until thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto Abel-cheramim, with a very great slaughter. So the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.
34 UJeftha esebuyele emzini wakhe eMizipha, ngubani owaphuma wamhlangabeza ngaphandle kwendodakazi yakhe, igida kukhala amagedla! Yayiyiyo yodwa umntanakhe. Ngaphandle kwakhe wayengelandodana loba indodakazi.
And Jephthah came to Mizpah unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances; and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.
35 Kwathi eyibona wadabula izigqoko zakhe wakhala esithi, “Oh! Ndodakazi yami! Usungidabule wangenza ngaba lusizi, ngoba ngifunge isifungo kuThixo engingeke ngisephule.”
And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said: 'Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art become my troubler; for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.'
36 Yona yaphendula yathi, “Baba, wethule ilizwi lakho kuThixo. Kimi yenza njengoba uthembisile, njengoba uThixo esephindisele ezitheni zakho, ama-Amoni.”
And she said unto him: 'My father, thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD; do unto me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon.'
37 Wasesithi, “Kodwa ngicela ungivumele kulokhu okukodwa nje. Nginika izinyanga ezimbili ukuba ngizulazule ezintabeni ngilile labangane bami, ngoba angiyikwenda.”
And she said unto her father: 'Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may depart and go down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my companions.'
38 Yena wathi, “Ungahamba.” Wayivumela ukuba ihambe okwezinyanga ezimbili. Yona lamantombazana lawo baya ezintabeni balila ngoba yayingasoze yende.
And he said: 'Go.' And he sent her away for two months; and she departed, she and her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.
39 Emva kwezinyanga ezimbili yabuyela kuyise wasesenza lokho ayekufungile ngayo. Yayiyintombi egcweleyo. Kulokhu yikho okuvela khona umkhuba wama-Israyeli
And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed; and she had not known man. And it was a custom in Israel,
40 wokuthi minyaka yonke izintombi zako-Israyeli ziyaphuma okwensuku ezine ukuba zikhumbule indodakazi kaJeftha umGiliyadi.
that the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.
