< Waamuzi 4 >

1 Baada ya Ehudi kufa, watu wa Israeli walifanya tena yaliyo mabaya machoni pa Bwana.
After Ehud died, the Israelis again started doing things Yahweh said were very evil.
2 Bwana akawatia mkononi mwa Yabini, mfalme wa Kanaani, aliyewala huko Hasori. Kamanda wa jeshi lake aitwaye Sisera, naye aliishi Harosheti ya Mataifa.
So he allowed the army of Jabin, one of the kings of Canaan land, who ruled in Hazor [city], to conquer the Israelis. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-Haggoyim.
3 Wana wa Israeli wakamwomba Bwana awasaidie, kwa sababu Sisera alikuwa na magari ya chuma mia tisa na akawashinda wana wa Israeli kwa nguvu kwa miaka ishirini.
Sisera’s [army] had 900 chariots. For 20 years he oppressed the Israelis. Then they pleaded to Yahweh to help them.
4 Basi Debora, nabii wa kike (mke wa Lapidothi), alikuwa mwamuzi anayeongoza katika Israeli wakati huo.
At that time Deborah, who was the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophetess who had become the leader in Israel.
5 Naye aliketi chini ya mtende wa Debora kati ya Rama na Betheli katika nchi ya mlima wa Efraimu, na watu wa Israeli walimwendea ili kutatua migogoro yao.
She would sit under her palm tree at a place between Ramah and Bethel, in the hilly area where the descendants of Ephraim lived, and people would come to her and ask her to settle disputes between them.
6 Akamtuma Baraka mwana wa Abinoamu kutoka Kedeshi huko Naftali. Akamwambia, Bwana, Mungu wa Israeli, anakuamuru, Nenda katika mlima wa Tabori, uende pamoja nawe watu elfu kumi kutoka Naftali na Zabuloni.
One day she summoned Barak, the son of Abinoam, when he was in Kedesh, in the area where the descendants of Naphtali lived. She said to him, “This is what Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis worship, is commanding you to do: ‘Take with you 1,000 men, some from the descendants of Naphtali and some from the descendants of Zebulun, and lead them to Tabor Mountain.
7 Nitamfukuza Sisera, jemadari wa jeshi la Yabini, akutane nawe karibu na mto Kishoni, pamoja na magari yake na jeshi lake, na nitakupa ushindi juu yake. '
Yahweh will lure Sisera, the commander of King Jabin’s army, to come with his chariots and his army, to the Kishon River, [a few miles away]. I will enable your men to defeat them there.’”
8 Baraka akamwambia, 'Ikiwa utakwenda nami, nitakwenda, lakini ikiwa huendi pamoja nami, sitaenda.'
Barak replied, “I will go only if you go with me.”
9 Alisema, 'Nitakwenda nawe. Hata hivyo, njia unayoienda haitakupa heshima wewe, kwa kuwa Bwana atamuuza Sisera mkononi mwa mwanamke. Ndipo Debora akainuka, akaenda pamoja na Baraka Kedeshi.
She replied, “Okay, I will go with you. But because that is what you have decided to do, Yahweh will enable a woman to defeat Sisera, and the result will be that (you will not be honored/people will not honor you) [for doing that].”
10 Baraki akawaita wana wa Zebuloni na Naftali kusanyika Kedeshi. Watu elfu kumi walimfuata, na Debora akaenda pamoja naye.
So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh. There he summoned men from Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand men came to him, and then they went together with Deborah [to Tabor Mountain].
11 Heberi (Mkeni) alijitenganisha na Wakeni - walikuwa wazao wa Hobabu (mkwe wa Musa) - na akaweka hema yake mwaloni uliopo huko Saanaimu karibu na Kedesh.
At that time Heber, one of the descendants of the Ken people-group, had moved [with his wife Jael] from the area where that group lived, and set up his tent near the big oak tree at Zaanannim, near Kedesh. Heber was a descendant of Moses’ brother-in-law Hobab.
12 Walipomwambia Sisera kwamba Baraka, mwana wa Abinoamu, alikuwa amekwenda mlima wa Tabori,
Someone told Sisera that Barak had gone up on Tabor Mountain [with an army].
13 Sisera akawaita magari yake yote, magari ya farasi mia tisa, na askari wote waliokuwa pamoja naye, kutoka Haroshethi ya Mataifa mpaka Mto Kishoni.
So he gathered his troops with their 900 chariots, and they marched from Harosheth-Haggoyim to the Kishon River.
14 Debora akamwambia Baraka, Nenda! Kwa maana hii ndiyo siku ambayo Bwana amekupa ushindi juu ya Sisera. Je! si Bwana anayekuongoza? Basi Baraka akashuka kutoka mlima wa Tabori na watu kumi elfu wakamfuata.
Then Deborah said to Barak, “Get ready! This is the day that Yahweh will enable your [army] to defeat the army of Sisera. Yahweh is going ahead of you!” So Barak led his men as they descended from Tabor Mountain.
15 Bwana alifanya jeshi la Sisera kuchanganyikiwa, magari yake yote, na jeshi lake lote. Watu wa Baraka waliwashinda na Sisera akaanguka kutoka kwenye gari lake na kukimbia kwa miguu.
As they advanced, Yahweh caused Sisera and all his chariots and his army to have great difficulty maneuvering/moving around. So Sisera jumped down from his chariot and ran away.
16 Lakini Baraka akayafuata magari na jeshi mpaka Haroshethi ya Mataifa, na jeshi lote la Sisera likauawa kwa upanga, wala hakuna mtu aliyeokoka.
But Barak and his men pursued the other chariots and the enemy soldiers as far as Harosheth-Haggoyim. They killed all of the men in Sisera’s army. Not one man survived.
17 Lakini Sisera akakimbia kwa miguu mpaka hema ya Yaeli, mkewe Heberi Mkeni; kwa sababu kulikuwa na amani kati ya Yabini mfalme wa Hazori, na nyumba ya Heberi Mkeni.
But Sisera ran to Jael’s tent. He did that because [his boss], King Jabin of Hazor [city], was a good friend of [Jael’s husband] Heber.
18 Jaeli akatoka kumlaki Sisera, akamwambia, karibu, bwana wangu; karibu kwangu, wala usiogope. Basi akakaribia kwake, akaingia hemani kwake, naye akamvika bushuti.
Jael went out to greet Sisera. She said to him, “Sir, come into my tent! Do not be afraid!” So he went into the tent [and lay down], and she covered him with a blanket.
19 Akamwambia, Tafadhali nipe maji kidogo ninywe, kwa maana nina kiu. Alifungua mfuko wa ngozi ya maziwa akampa anywe, kisha akamfunika tena.
He said to her, “I’m thirsty; can you give me some water?” So she opened a leather container of milk, and gave him a drink. Then she covered him with the blanket again.
20 Akamwambia, “Simama mlangoni pa hema. Ikiwa mtu atakuja na kukuuliza, 'Je, kuna mtu hapa?', Sema 'Hapana'.”
He said to her, “Stand in the entrance of the tent. If someone comes and asks ‘Is anyone else here?’, say ‘No.’”
21 Kisha Jaeli (mke wa Heberi) akachukua kigingi cha hema na nyundo mkononi mwake akamwendea kwa siri, kwa sababu alikuwa amelala usingizi mzito, naye akakitia kigingi cha hema upande wa kichwa chake akamchoma na kikapenya kushuka chini. Hivyo akafa.
Sisera was very exhausted, so he soon was asleep. While he was sleeping, Jael crept quietly to him, holding a hammer and a tent peg. She pounded the peg into his skull, and all the way through his head into the ground, and he died.
22 Baraka alipokuwa akimfuata Sisera, Jaeli alitoka kukutana naye akamwambia, “Njoo, nitakuonyesha mtu unayemtafuta.” Basi akaingia pamoja naye, tazama Sisera amekufa, na kigingi cha hema kando ya kichwa chake.
When Barak passed by Jael’s tent to look for Sisera, she went out to greet him. She said, “Come in, and I will show you the man you are searching for!” So he followed her into the tent, and he saw Sisera lying there, dead, with the tent peg through his head.
23 Basi siku hiyo Mungu alimshinda Jabin, mfalme wa Kanaani, mbele ya watu wa Israeli.
On that day God enabled the Israelis to defeat [the army of] Jabin, the king of the people of Canaan.
24 Uwezo wa watu wa Israeli ulikua na nguvu zaidi dhidi ya Jabin mfalme wa Kanaani, hata walipomwangamiza.
From that time, the Israeli people continued to become stronger, and [the army of] King Jabin continued to become weaker. Finally the Israelis were able to completely subdue the people ruled by the king of Canaan.

< Waamuzi 4 >