Abahluleli 11
1 UJeftha umGiliyadi wayelibutho elilamandla. Uyise wayenguGiliyadi; unina wayeyisifebe.
Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat 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 his wife’s sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said to him, You shall not inherit in our father’s house; for you are the son of a strange woman.
3 Ngakho uJeftha wabaleka kubafowabo wayahlala elizweni laseThobhi, lapho abuthanelwa khona lixuku lezigebenga zamlandela.
Then Jephthah fled from his brothers, and dwelled in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him.
4 Emva kwalokho, kwathi ama-Amoni esesilwa labako-Israyeli,
And it came to pass in process of time, 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 to Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, 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 to the elders of Gilead, Did not you hate me, and expel me out of my father’s house? and why are you come to me now when you 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 to Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to you now, that you may go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and 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 to the elders of Gilead, If you bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head?
10 Abadala baseGiliyadi baphendula bathi, “UThixo ungufakazi wethu; sizakwenza njengoba usitsho impela.”
And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to your words.
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 captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh.
12 Emva kwalokho uJeftha wathuma izithunywa enkosini yama-Amoni lombuzo othi: “Kuyini osibangisa khona uze uhlasele ilizwe lethu na?”
And Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What have you to do with me, that you are come against me to fight in 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 to the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even to Jabbok, and to Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably.
14 UJeftha wazibuyisela izithunywa enkosini yama-Amoni
And Jephthah sent messengers again to the king of the children of Ammon:
15 esithi, “Nanku okutshiwo nguJeftha: U-Israyeli kazange athathe ilizwe laseMowabi loba ilizwe lama-Amoni.
And said to him, Thus says 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 Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness to 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 to the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray you, pass through your land: but the king of Edom would not listen thereto. And in like manner they sent to the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel stayed 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 they went along 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 pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for 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 to Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said to him, Let us pass, we pray you, through your land into 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 coast: 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 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 coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even to Jabbok, and from the wilderness even to Jordan.
23 Njengoba uThixo, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, ewaxotshile ama-Amori phambi kwabantu bakhe u-Israyeli, wena ulelungelo bani lokulithatha na?
So now the LORD God of Israel has dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and should you possess it?
24 Kawuyikuthatha lokho okuphiwa ngunkulunkulu wakho uKhemoshi na? Ngokunjalo, yiloba yikuphi uThixo uNkulunkulu wethu asiphe khona, sizakuthatha.
Will not you possess that which Chemosh your god gives you to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God shall drive out 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 are you 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 dwelled in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did you 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.”
Why I have not sinned against you, but you do 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.
However, the king of the children of Ammon listened not to 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 on Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over to the children of Ammon.
30 Njalo uJeftha wafunga isifungo kuThixo wathi, “Unganikela ama-Amoni ezandleni zami,
And Jephthah vowed a vow to the LORD, and said, If you shall without fail deliver the children of Ammon into my hands,
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 whatever comes forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely 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 to the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.
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, even till you come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and to the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus 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 Mizpeh to his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines 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! you have brought me very low, and you are one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth to 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 to him, My father, if you have opened your mouth to the LORD, do to me according to that which has proceeded out of your mouth; for as much as the LORD has taken vengeance for you of your 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 to her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down on the mountains, and mourn my virginity, I and my fellows.
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 went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity on 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 to her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no 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.
