Atemmufo 11
1 Gileadni Yefta yɛ ɔkofo kɛse. Nʼagya din de Gilead. Nanso ne na yɛ ɔbea guamanfo.
There was at that time Jephte the Galaadite, a most valiant man and a warrior, the son of a woman that was a harlot, and his father was Galaad.
2 Gilead yere woo mmabarima bebree, na saa mmabarima no nyinyinii no, wɔpam Yefta fii asase no so. Wɔka kyerɛɛ no se, “Worennya yɛn agya agyapade biara, efisɛ woyɛ ɔbea guamanfo bi ba.”
Now Galaad had a wife of whom he had sons: who after they were grown up, thrust out Jephte, saying: Thou canst not inherit in the house of our father, because thou art born of another mother.
3 Enti Yefta guan fii ne nuanom nkyɛn kɔtenaa Tob asase so. Ankyɛ, onyaa atuatewfo bebree bedii nʼakyi.
Then he fled and avoided them and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered to him needy men, and robbers, and they followed him as their prince.
4 Bere koro yi ara, Amonfo de ɔko bɛkaa Israel.
In those days the children of Ammon made war against Israel.
5 Bere a Amonfo tow hyɛɛ Israelfo so no, Gilead mpanyimfo soma kɔfaa Yefta fii Tob asase so bae. Wɔka kyerɛɛ no se,
And as they pressed hard upon them, the ancients of Galaad went to fetch Jephte out of the land of Tob to help them:
6 “Bra na bɛyɛ yɛn so ɔsahene! Boa yɛn ma yɛne Amonfo nko.”
And they said to him: Come thou and be our prince, and fight against the children of Ammon.
7 Yefta bisaa wɔn se, “Ɛnyɛ mo na motan me, pam me fii mʼagya fi no? Adɛn nti na afei a mowɔ ɔhaw mu no, morebɛfrɛ me?”
And he answered them: Are not you the men that hated me, and cast me out of my father’s house, and now you are come to me constrained by necessity?
8 Gilead mpanyimfo no ka kyerɛɛ Yefta se, “Wo ho hia yɛn. Sɛ wudi yɛn anim ma yɛko tia Amonfo a, yɛbɛyɛ wo Gileadfo nyinaa sodifo.”
And the princes of Galaad said to Jephte: For this cause we are now come to thee, that thou mayst go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be head over all the inhabitants of Galaad.
9 Yefta buae se, “Sɛ me ne mo kɔ na Awurade ma midi Amonfo so nkonim a, ampa ara sɛ mode me bɛyɛ nnipa no nyinaa sodifo ana?”
Jephte also said to them: If you be come to me sincerely, that I should fight for you against the children of Ammon, and the Lord shall deliver them into my band, shall I be your prince?
10 Gilead ntuanofo no buaa no se, “Awurade ne yɛn dansefo. Yɛbɛyɛ sɛnea woka biara.”
They answered him: The Lord who heareth these things, he himself is mediator and witness that we will do as we have promised.
11 Enti Yefta ne ntuanofo no kɔɔ Gilead. Na wɔde no yɛɛ wɔn sodifo ne ɔsahene. Na Yefta tii nsɛm no nyinaa mu wɔ Mispa wɔ Awurade anim.
Jephte therefore went with the princes of Galaad, and all the people made him their prince. And Jephte spoke all his words before the Lord in Maspha.
12 Afei, Yefta somaa abɔfo kɔɔ Amonfo hene nkyɛn se wonkobisa no nea enti a ɔrebɛtow ahyɛ Israel so.
And he sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon, to say in his name, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me, to waste my land?
13 Amonfo hene buaa Yefta abɔfo no se, “Bere a Israel fii Misraim bae no, wɔfaa mʼasase a efi Asubɔnten Arnon de kosi Asubɔnten Yabok, toa so kosi Yordan. Enti san fa mʼade ma me asomdwoe mu.”
And he answered them: I Because Israel took away my land when he came up out of Egypt, from the confines of the Arnon unto the Jaboc and the Jordan: now therefore restore the same peaceably to me.
14 Na Yefta san somaa abɔfo kɔɔ Amonfo hene hɔ se,
And Jephte again sent word by them, and commanded them to say to the king of Ammon:
15 “Sɛnea Yefta se ni: Israel amfa Moab asase anaa Amonfo asase biara.
Thus saith Jephte: Israel did not take away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon:
16 Bere a Israelfo tuu kwan fii Misraim, twaa Po Kɔkɔɔ na woduu Kades no,
But when they came up out of Egypt, he walked through the desert to the Red Sea and came into Cades.
17 wɔsomaa abɔfo kɔɔ Edomhene hɔ sɛ ɔmma wɔn kwan na wɔmfa nʼasase no so. Nanso Edomhene ampene. Wɔsoma ma wɔkɔɔ Moabhene hɔ, nanso ɔno nso ampene. Enti, Israelfo tenaa Kades.
And he sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying: Suffer me to pass through thy land. But he would not condescend to his request. He sent also to the king of Moab, who likewise refused to give him passage. He abode therefore in Cades,
18 “Ne korakora ne sɛ, wɔnam sare so twa faa Edom ne Moab ho hyiae. Wɔfaa Edom apuei fam hye so kyeree nsraban wɔ Asubɔnten Arnon fa hɔ. Nanso wɔantwa Asubɔnten Arnon ankɔ Moab asase so.
And went round the land of Edom at the side, and the land of Moab: and came over against the east coast of the land of Moab, and camped on the other side of the Arnon: and he would not enter the bounds of Moab.
19 “Afei, Israelfo somaa abɔfo kɔɔ Amorihene Sihon a odii ade fi Hesbon na wɔsrɛɛ kwan sɛ wɔpɛ sɛ wɔfa nʼasase so kɔ baabi a wɔrekɔ no.
So Israel sent messengers to Sehon king of the Amorrhites, who dwelt in Hesebon, and they said to him: Suffer me to pass through thy land to the river.
20 Nanso esiane sɛ na ɔhene Sihon nni Israelfo mu gyidi nti ɔboaboaa ne dɔm ano wɔ Yahas ma wɔtow hyɛɛ wɔn so.
But he also despising the words of Israel, suffered him not to pass through his borders: but gathering an infinite multitude, went out against him to Jasa, and made strong opposition.
21 “Na Awurade, Israel Nyankopɔn, maa ne nkurɔfo dii ɔhene Sihon so. Enti Israelfo faa Amorifo asase a na wɔte so wɔ ɔmantam no mu,
And the Lord delivered him with all his army into the hands of Israel, and he slew him, and possessed all the land of the Amorrhite the inhabitant of that country,
22 fi Asubɔnten Arnon de kosi Asubɔnten Yabok, fi sare no so de kosi Yordan nyinaa dii so.
And all the coasts thereof from the Arnon to the Jaboc, and from the wilderness to the Jordan.
23 “Enti moahu, ɛyɛ Awurade, Israel Nyankopɔn na ogyee asase no fii Amorifo nsam na ɔde maa Israel. Adɛn na ɛsɛ sɛ yɛde ma mo?
So the Lord the God of Israel destroyed the Amorrhite, his people of Israel fighting against him, and wilt thou now possess this land?
24 Nea mo nyame Kemos de maa mo no momfa, na yɛn nso, nea Awurade, yɛn Nyankopɔn de maa yɛn biara no yɛafa.
Are not those things which thy god Chamos possesseth, due to thee by right? But what the Lord our God hath obtained by conquest, shall be our possession:
25 So wosen Mosen, Sipor babarima Balak a na ɔyɛ Moabhene no? Ɔne Israel hamee anaa koe ana?
Unless perhaps thou art better than Balac the son of Sephor king of Moab: or canst shew that he strove against Israel and fought against him,
26 Na afei, mfe ahaasa akyi na woama saa asɛm yi so? Israel atena ha saa bere tenten yi, wɔatrɛw afi Hesbon asase so, akosi Aroer ne nkurow no nyinaa so, akɔfa Asubɔnten Arnon ano. Adɛn nti na mmere sann yi moanyɛ mo adwene sɛ mubegye asase yi?
Whereas he hath dwelt in Hesebon, and the villages thereof, and in Aroer, and its villages, and in all the cities near the Jordan, for three hundred years. Why have you for so long a time attempted nothing about this claim?
27 Menyɛɛ mo bɔne. Mmom, mo na moayɛ me bɔne sɛ motow hyɛɛ me so. Momma Awurade a ɔyɛ otemmufo no mmua nnɛ, sɛ yɛn mu hena na nʼasɛm yɛ dɛ? Israel anaa Amon.”
Therefore I do not trespass against thee, but thou wrongest me by declaring an unjust war against me. The Lord be judge and decide this day between Israel and the children of Ammon.
28 Nanso Amonhene amfa Yefta asɛm no asɛnhia.
And the king of the children of Ammon would not hearken to the words of Jephte, which he sent him by the messengers.
29 Saa bere no, Awurade Honhom baa Yefta so maa ɔkɔɔ Gilead ne Manase nsase nyinaa so a, Mispa a ɛwɔ Gilead ka ho. Na odii asraafo anim tow hyɛɛ Amonfo so.
Therefore the spirit of the Lord came upon Jephte, and going round Galaad, and Manasses, and Maspha of Galaad, and passing over from thence to the children of Ammon,
30 Na Yefta hyɛɛ Awurade bɔ. Ɔkae se, “Sɛ woma midi Amonfo so a,
He made a vow to the Lord, saying: If thou wilt deliver the children of Ammon into my hands,
31 mede ade a ebedi kan afi me fi abehyia me bere a mede nkonimdi reba no, bɛma Awurade. Mede bɛma no sɛ ɔhyew afɔre.”
Whosoever shall first come forth out of the doors of my house, and shall meet me when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, the same will I offer a holocaust to the Lord.
32 Ɛnna Yefta dii nʼakofo anim tiaa Amonfo, na Awurade ma odii nkonim.
And Jephte passed over to the children of Ammon, to fight against them: and the Lord delivered them into his hands.
33 Odii Amonfo so pasaa, sɛee nkurow bɛyɛ aduonu, fii Aroer de kosii baabi a ɛbɛn Minit, kɔe ara kosii Abel-Keramim. Saa kwan yi so na Israelfo fa kaa Amonfo hyɛe.
And he smote them from Aroer till you come to Mennith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel, which is set with vineyards, with a very great slaughter: and the children of Ammon were humbled by the children of Israel.
34 Bere a Yefta fi akono kɔɔ ne fi wɔ Mispa no, ne babea, a ɔyɛ ne ba koro no, tuu mmirika behyiaa no a ɔrebɔ akasae, na anigye nti, ɔresaw.
And when Jephte returned into Maspha to his house, his only daughter met him with timbrels and with dances: for he had no other children.
35 Yefta huu no no, ɔde awerɛhow sunsuan ne ntade mu, teɛɛ mu se, “Ao, me ba! Woabrɛ me ase na matetew apansam. Na maka Awurade ntam na merentumi mmu so.”
And when he saw her, he rent his garments, and said: Alas! my daughter, thou hast deceived me, and thou thyself art deceived: for I have opened my mouth to the Lord, and I can do no other thing.
36 Ne babea no buae se, “Mʼagya, woahyɛ Awurade bɔ. Yɛ me sɛnea woahyɛ bɔ no, efisɛ Awurade ama woadi wʼatamfo a wɔyɛ Amonfo no so nkonim.
And she answered him: My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth to the Lord, do unto me whatsoever thou hast promised, since the victory hath been granted to thee, and revenge of thy enemies.
37 Nanso nea edi kan no, ma memforo mmepɔw nkokyinkyin so na me ne me nnamfonom nsu asram abien, efisɛ mewu sɛ ababaa a minhuu ɔbarima da.”
And she said to her father: Grant me only this which I desire: Let me go, that I may go about the mountains for two months, and may bewail my virginity with my companions.
38 Yefta ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Wutumi kɔ.” Enti ɔmaa no kɔ kodii asram abien. Ɔne ne nnamfonom kɔɔ mmepɔw no so kosui, efisɛ ɔrennya mma.
And he answered her: Go. And he sent her away for two months. And when she was gone with her comrades and companions, she mourned her virginity in the mountains.
39 Bere a ɔsan baa fie no, nʼagya dii ne bɔhyɛ so. Enti owui sɛ ababaa a onhuu ɔbarima da. Eyi abɛyɛ amanne wɔ Israel
And the two months being expired, she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed, and she knew no man. From thence came a fashion in Israel, and a custom has been kept:
40 ama Israel mmabun sɛ afe biara wɔbɛkɔ baabi akodi nnaanan na wɔakosu Yefta babea no nkrabea.
That from year to year the daughters of Israel assemble together, and lament the daughter of Jephte the Galaadite for four days.
