Waamuzi 11
1 Yeftha Mgileadi alikuwa shujaa mwenye nguvu, lakini alikuwa mwana wa kahaba. Gileadi alikuwa baba yake.
Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, and he [was] the son of a harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.
2 Mke wa Gileadi pia alizaa wanawe wengine. Wana wa mkewe walipokua, walimlazimisha Yeftha aondoke nyumbani na kumwambia, “Huwezi kurithi chochote kutoka katika familia yetu. Wewe ni mwana wa mwanamke mwingine.”
And Gilead's wife bore him sons; and his wife's sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said to him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house; for thou [art] the son of a strange woman.
3 Basi Yeftha akaondoka toka kwa ndugu zake, akaishi katika nchi ya Tobu. Watu wasiokuwa na sheria waliungana na Yeftha na wakaja na kwenda pamoja naye.
Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and [they] went out with him.
4 Siku kadhaa baadaye, wana wa Amoni walipigana na Israeli.
And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel.
5 Wana wa Amoni walipopigana na Israeli, wazee wa Gileadi wakaenda kumleta Yeftha kutoka nchi ya Tobu.
And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah out of the land of Tob:
6 Wakamwambia Yeftha, “Njoo uwe kiongozi wetu ili tupigane na wana wa Amoni.”
And they said to Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.
7 YEphtha akawaambia viongozi wa Gileadi, “mlinichukia na kunilazimisha kuondoka nyumbani kwa baba yangu. Kwa nini mnakuja kwangu sasa munapokuwa na shida?”
And Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, Did ye not hate me, and expel me from my father's house; and why have ye come to me now when ye are in distress?
8 Wazee wa Gileadi wakamwambia Yeftha, “Ndiyo sababu tunakugeukia sasa; njoo pamoja nasi pigana na watu wa Amoni, na wewe utakuwa kiongozi juu ya wote wanaoishi Gileadi.
And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.
9 Yeftha akawaambia wazee wa Gileadi, “Ikiwa mnanirejesha nyumbani tena ili kupigana na wana wa Amoni, na kama Bwana atatupa ushindi juu yao, nitakuwa kiongozi wenu.”
And Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head?
10 wazee wa Gileadi wakamwambia Yeftha, “Bwana awe shahidi kati yetu ikiwa hatutafanya kama tunavyosema!”
And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, The LORD be a witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.
11 Yeftha akaenda pamoja na wazee wa Gileadi, nao watu wakamfanya awe msimamizi na mkuu juu yao. Alipokuwa mbele ya Bwana huko Mizpa, Yeftha akarudia ahadi zote alizozifanya.
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 Ndipo Yeftha akatuma wajumbe kwa mfalme wa wana wa Amoni, akisema, “Ni nini mgogoro huu kati yetu? Kwa nini umekuja kwa nguvu kuchukua ardhi yetu?”
And Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou hast come against me to fight in my land?
13 Mfalme wa wana wa Amoni akawajibu wajumbe wa Yeftha, “Kwa sababu Israeli walipopanda kutoka Misri, walichukua nchi yangu toka Arnoni hata Yaboki, mpaka Yordani. Sasa rudisha ardhi hizo kwa amani.”
And the king of the children of Ammon answered to the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came out of Egypt, from Arnon even to Jabbok, and to Jordan: now therefore restore those [lands] again peaceably.
14 Yefta akatuma tena wajumbe kwa mfalme wa wana wa Amoni,
And Jephthah sent messengers again to the king of the children of Ammon:
15 akasema, “Yefita asema hivi, Israeli hawakuchukua nchi ya Moabu na nchi ya wana wa Amoni;
And said to him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon:
16 lakini walitoka Misri, na Israeli wakaenda kupitia jangwa hadi Bahari ya Shamu na Kadeshi.
But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness to the Red sea, and came to Kadesh;
17 Israeli walipomtuma wajumbe kwa mfalme wa Edomu, wakisema, 'Tafadhali tunaomba ruhusa tupite katika nchi yako,' mfalme wa Edomu hakuwasikiliza. Wakawatuma wajumbe kwa mfalme wa Moabu, lakini akakataa. Basi Israeli wakakaa Kadeshi.
Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken [to it]. And in like manner they sent to the king of Moab; but he would not [consent]. And Israel abode in Kadesh.
18 Kisha wakapitia jangwani, wakaondoka katika nchi ya Edomu, na nchi ya Moabu; wakavuka upande wa mashariki wa nchi ya Moabu, wakapanga ng'ambo ya Arnoni. Lakini hawakuingia mpaka wa Moabu, maana Arnoni ilikuwa mpaka wa Moabu.
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 Israeli wakatuma wajumbe kwa Sihoni, mfalme wa Waamori, ambaye alitawala huko Heshboni; Israeli akamwambia, 'Tafadhali, tunaomba tupite katika nchi yako hata mahali petu.'
And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said to him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land to my place.
20 Lakini Sihoni hakumwamini Israeli apite katika eneo lake. Basi Sihoni akakusanya jeshi lake lote, akalipeleka Yahasa, na huko akapigana na Israeli
But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his border: but Sihon collected all his people, and encamped in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.
21 Bwana, Mungu wa Israeli, akamtia Sihoni na watu wake wote mkononi mwa Israeli, nao wakawashinda. Basi Israeli wakachukua nchi yote ya Waamori waliokaa katika nchi hiyo.
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 Wachukua kila kitu ndani ya wilaya ya Waamori, kutoka Arnoni hadi Yaboki, na kutoka jangwani hadi Yordani.
And they possessed all the borders of the Amorites, from Arnon even to Jabbok, and from the wilderness even to Jordan.
23 Basi, Bwana, Mungu wa Israeli, amewafukuza Waamori mbele ya watu wake Israeli, na sasa mnataka kuimiliki nchi yao?
So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldst thou possess it?
24 Je, huwezi kuchukua nchi ambayo Kemoshi, mungu wako, anakupa? Kwa hiyo nchi yoyote Bwana, Mungu wetu, ametupa, tutachukua.
Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess.
25 Sasa wewe ni bora zaidi kuliko Balaki, mwana wa Sipori, mfalme wa Moabu? Je, alidai kuwa na hoja na Israeli? Je, yeye amewahi kupigana vita dhidi yao?
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 Wakati Israeli walipoishia miaka mia tatu huko Heshboni na vijiji vyake, na Aroeri na vijiji vyake, na katika miji yote iliyo karibu na Arnoni, kwa nini hamkuwachukua tena wakati huo?
While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that [are] along by the borders of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover [them] within that time?
27 Sijawafanyia vibaya, lakini mnanifanyia vibaya kwa kunishambulia. Bwana, mwamuzi, ataamua leo kati ya wana wa Israeli na wana wa Amoni.
Wherefore I 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 Lakini mfalme wa wana wa Amoni akakataa onyo alilotumiwa na Yeftha.
But, the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not to the words of Jephthah which he sent him.
29 Basi, Roho wa Bwana akamjia Yeftha, akapita Gileadi na Manase, akapitia Mizpa ya Gileadi, na kutoka Mispa ya Gileadi akapita kwa wana wa 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 [to] the children of Ammon.
30 Yeftha akaahidi kwa Bwana, akasema, “Ikiwa utanipa ushindi juu ya wana wa Amoni,
And Jephthah vowed a vow to the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into my hands,
31 chochote kinachotoka mlangoni mwa nyumba yangu kunijia mimi nitakaporudi kwa amani kutoka kwa wana wa Amoni kitakuwa cha Bwana; Nami nitatoa hiyo sadaka ya kuteketezwa.”
Then it shall be, that whatever cometh out 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 for a burnt-offering.
32 Basi Yeftha akapita kwa wana wa Amoni ili kupigana nao, naye Bwana akampa ushindi.
So Jephthah passed over to the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.
33 Akawashinda na kusababisha mauaji makubwa kutoka Aroeri hadi miji ishirini na miwili-na Abeli Keramimu. Basi wana wa Amoni waliwekwa chini ya uangalizi wa watu wa Israeli.
And he smote them from Aroer even till thou comest 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 Yeftha alifika nyumbani kwake huko Mizpa, na binti yake akatoka kumlaki na ngoma na kucheza. Alikuwa mtoto wake pekee, na badala yake hakuwa na mwana wa kiume wala binti.
And Jephthah came to Mizpeh to 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 Mara tu alipopomwona, alirarua nguo zake akasema, 'Loo! Binti yangu! Umenivunja kwa huzuni, na umekuwa mtu anayenisababishia maumivu yangu! Kwa maana nimeapa kwa Bwana, wala siwezi kurudisha ahadi yangu.
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 one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth to the LORD, and I cannot go back.
36 Akamwambia, “Baba yangu, umeweka ahadi kwa Bwana, unifanyie kila kitu ulichoahidi; kwa kuwa Bwana amekulipia kisasi juu ya adui zako, wana wa Amoni.”
And she said to him, My father, [if] thou hast opened thy mouth to the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thy enemies, [even] of the children of Ammon.
37 Akamwambia baba yake, “Hebu ahadi hii ihifadhiwe kwa ajili yangu. Niache kwa miezi miwili, nipate kuondoka na kwenda kwenye vilima na kuomboleza juu ya ubikira wangu, mimi na wenzangu.”
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 upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows.
38 Akasema, “Nenda.” Alimtuma kwa muda wa miezi miwili. Akamwondoa, yeye na wenzake, nao wakauomboleza ubikira wake katika milimani.
And he said, Go. And he sent her away [for] two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.
39 Mwishoni mwa miezi miwili alirudi kwa baba yake, ambaye alifanya kulingana na ahadi ya aliyoifanya. Sasa alikuwa hajalala na mwanaume, na ikawa desturi katika Israeli
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 kwamba binti za Israeli kila mwaka, kwa siku nne, waweze kurejea hadithi ya binti ya Yeftha Mgileadi.
[That] the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.
