Abahluleli 3
1 Lalezi yizizwe iNkosi eyazitshiyayo ukuze ihlole uIsrayeli ngazo, bonke abangazazanga zonke izimpi zeKhanani;
These are the nations which the Lord left, so that by them he might instruct Israel and all who had not known the wars of the Canaanites,
2 kuphela ukuze izizukulwana zabantwana bakoIsrayeli zazi, ukuzifundisa impi, kuphela abangazazanga phambili:
so that afterward their sons might learn to contend with their enemies, and to have a willingness to do battle:
3 Amakhosi amahlanu amaFilisti, lawo wonke amaKhanani, lamaSidoni, lamaHivi ayehlala entabeni yeLebhanoni, kusukela entabeni yeBhali-Hermoni kuze kube sekungeneni kweHamathi.
the five princes of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites who were living on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-Hermon as far as the entrance to Hamath.
4 Zazingezokuhlola uIsrayeli ngazo ukwazi ukuthi bazayilalela yini imilayo yeNkosi eyabalaya yona oyise ngesandla sikaMozisi.
And he left them, so that by them he might test Israel, as to whether or not they would listen to the commandments of the Lord, which he instructed to their fathers by the hand of Moses.
5 Abantwana bakoIsrayeli bahlala-ke phakathi kwamaKhanani, amaHethi, lamaAmori, lamaPerizi, lamaHivi, lamaJebusi.
And so, the sons of Israel lived in the midst of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
6 Basebethatha amadodakazi awo ukuba ngomkabo, lamadodakazi abo bawanika amadodana awo, bakhonza onkulunkulu bawo.
And they took their daughters as wives, and they gave their own daughters to their sons, and they served their gods.
7 Abantwana bakoIsrayeli basebesenza okubi emehlweni eNkosi, bayikhohlwa iNkosi uNkulunkulu wabo, bakhonza oBhali lezixuku.
And they did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they forgot their God, while serving the Baals and Ashtaroth.
8 Ngakho ulaka lweNkosi lwavutha kuIsrayeli, yabathengisa esandleni sikaKushani-Rishathayimi inkosi yeMesopotamiya. Abantwana bakoIsrayeli basebeyisebenzela inkosi uKushani-Rishathayimi iminyaka eyisificaminwembili.
And the Lord, having become angry with Israel, delivered them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim, the king of Mesopotamia, and they served him for eight years.
9 Kwathi abantwana bakoIsrayeli bekhala eNkosini, iNkosi yabavusela abantwana bakoIsrayeli umkhululi owabakhululayo, uOthiniyeli indodana kaKenazi umfowabo kaKalebi ongumnawakhe.
And they cried out to the Lord, who raised up for them a savior, and he freed them, namely, Othniel, the son of Kenaz, a younger brother of Caleb.
10 Njalo uMoya weNkosi wayephezu kwakhe, wahlulela uIsrayeli, waphuma impi, iNkosi yanikela esandleni sakhe uKushani-Rishathayimi inkosi yeSiriya, lesandla sakhe saba lamandla phezu kukaKushani-Rishathayimi.
And the Spirit of the Lord was in him, and he judged Israel. And he went out to fight, and the Lord delivered Cushan-Rishathaim, the king of Syria, and he overwhelmed him.
11 Lelizwe laba lokuthula iminyaka engamatshumi amane. UOthiniyeli indodana kaKenazi wasesifa.
And the land was quiet for forty years. And Othniel, the son of Kenaz, died.
12 Abantwana bakoIsrayeli basebebuya besenza okubi emehlweni eNkosi. INkosi yasimqinisa uEgiloni inkosi yakoMowabi ukumelana loIsrayeli, ngenxa yokuthi babenzile okubi emehlweni eNkosi.
Then the sons of Israel resumed doing evil in the sight of the Lord, who strengthened Eglon, the king of Moab, against them because they did evil in his sight.
13 Wasezibuthela abantwana bakoAmoni loAmaleki, waya wamtshaya uIsrayeli, badla ilifa lomuzi wamalala.
And he joined to him the sons of Ammon and the sons of Amalek. And he went forth and struck Israel, and he possessed the City of Palms.
14 Abantwana bakoIsrayeli basebesebenzela uEgiloni inkosi yakoMowabi iminyaka elitshumi leyisificaminwembili.
And the sons of Israel served Eglon, the king of Moab, for eighteen years.
15 Kwathi abantwana bakoIsrayeli bekhala eNkosini, iNkosi yabavusela umkhululi, uEhudi indodana kaGera, umBhenjamini owayelinxele. Abantwana bakoIsrayeli basebethumela ngesandla sakhe isipho kuEgiloni inkosi yakoMowabi.
And afterward, they cried out to the Lord, who raised up for them a savior, called Ehud, the son of Gera, the son of Benjamin, who used either hand as well as the right hand. And the sons of Israel sent gifts to Eglon, the king of Moab, by him.
16 UEhudi wasezenzela inkemba ebukhali inhlangothi ezimbili, ubude bayo buyingalo, wayibophela ngaphansi kwezigqoko zakhe ethangazini lakhe lokunene.
And he made for himself a two-edged sword, having a handle, reaching to the middle, the length of the palm of a hand. And he was girded with it under his cloak, on the right thigh.
17 Wasondeza isipho kuEgiloni inkosi yakoMowabi. Njalo uEgiloni wayengumuntu okhulupheleyo kakhulu.
And he offered the gifts to Eglon, the king of Moab. Now Eglon was exceedingly fat.
18 Kwasekusithi eseqedile ukusondeza isipho, wasephelekezela abantu ababethwele isipho.
And when he had presented the gifts to him, he followed out his companions, who had arrived with him.
19 Kodwa yena wabuyela emuva ezithombeni ezibaziweyo ezaziseGiligali, wathi: Nkosi, ngilendaba eyimfihlo kuwe. Yasisithi: Thula. Bonke ababemi laye basebephuma.
And then, returning from Gilgal where the idols were, he said to the king, “I have a secret word for you, O king.” And he ordered silence. And when all those who were around him had departed,
20 UEhudi wasesiza kuye ehlezi endlini ephezulu epholileyo eyayingeyakhe yedwa. UEhudi wathi: Ngilendaba kaNkulunkulu kuwe. Wasesukuma esihlalweni.
Ehud entered to him. Now he was sitting alone in a summer upper room. And he said, “I have a word from God to you.” And immediately he rose up from his throne.
21 UEhudi waseselula isandla sakhe sokhohlo, wathatha inkemba ethangazini lakhe lokunene, wayithela esiswini sakhe,
And Ehud extended his left hand, and he took the dagger from his right thigh. And he thrust it into his abdomen
22 kwaze kwangena lesilanda emva kobukhali, amahwahwa agubuzela ubukhali, ngoba kayingcothulanga inkemba esiswini sakhe, kwasekuphuma umswane.
so strongly that the handle followed the blade into the wound, and was enclosed by the great amount of fat. Neither did he withdraw the sword. Instead, he left it in the body just as he had struck with it. And immediately, by the private parts of nature, the filth of the bowels went out.
23 UEhudi wasephuma ekhulusini, wavala iminyango yendlu ephezulu emva kwakhe, wayikhiya.
Then Ehud carefully closed the doors of the upper room. And securing the bars,
24 Yena esephumile, kwafika izinceku zakhe; kwathi zibona, khangela-ke, iminyango yendlu ephezulu yayikhiyiwe, zathi: Sibili wembese inyawo zakhe endlini epholileyo.
he departed by a back exit. And the servants of the king, entering, saw that the doors of the upper room were closed, and they said, “Perhaps he is emptying his bowels in the summer room.”
25 Njalo zalinda zaze zaba lenhloni; khangela-ke kavulanga iminyango yendlu ephezulu; ngakho zathatha isihluthulelo zavula, khangela-ke, inkosi yazo yayiwele phansi ifile.
And after waiting a long time, until they were embarrassed, and seeing that no one opened the door, they took the key, and opening it, they found their lord lying dead on the ground.
26 UEhudi wasephunyuka zisalibele, yena wedlula ezithombeni ezibaziweyo, waphunyuka waya eSeyira.
But Ehud, while they were in confusion, escaped and passed by the place of the idols, from which he had returned. And he arrived at Seirath.
27 Kwasekusithi ekufikeni kwakhe wavuthela uphondo entabeni yakoEfrayimi. Abantwana bakoIsrayeli basebesehla laye ezintabeni, yena ephambi kwabo.
And immediately he sounded the trumpet on Mount Ephraim. And the sons of Israel descended with him, he himself advancing at the front.
28 Wasesithi kibo: Landelani emva kwami, ngoba iNkosi inikele izitha zenu amaMowabi esandleni senu. Ngakho behla bamlandela, bathumba amazibuko eJordani aye koMowabi, kabavumelanga muntu ukuchapha.
And he said to them: “Follow me. For the Lord has delivered our enemies, the Moabites, into our hands.” And they descended after him, and they occupied the fords of the Jordan, which cross over to Moab. And they did not permit anyone to cross.
29 Basebebulala amaMowabi ngalesosikhathi angaba zinkulungwane ezilitshumi, amadoda wonke aqatha lawo wonke amadoda alamandla, njalo kakuphunyukanga muntu.
And so, they struck down the Moabites at that time, about ten thousand, all strong and robust men. None of them were able to escape.
30 Ngalokho uMowabi wehliselwa phansi mhlalokho ngaphansi kwesandla sikaIsrayeli. Lelizwe laba lokuthula iminyaka engamatshumi ayisificaminwembili.
And Moab was humbled in that day under the hand of Israel. And the land was quiet for eighty years.
31 Lemva kwakhe kwaba loShamigari indodana kaAnathi, owatshaya amaFilisti amadoda angamakhulu ayisithupha ngocijo lwenkabi; laye wasemkhulula uIsrayeli.
After him, there was Shamgar, the son of Anath, who struck down six hundred men of the Philistines with a plowshare. And he also defended Israel.
