Judges 11

UJefitha ukhulula abantwana bakoIsrayeli kumaAmoni

1Njalo uJefitha umGileyadi wayeliqhawe elilamandla ^a, wayeyindodana yewule; uGileyadi wasezala uJefitha. 2UmkaGileyadi wasemzalela amadodana; kwathi amadodana omkakhe esekhulile amxotsha uJefitha, athi kuye: Kawuyikudla ilifa endlini kababa, ngoba uyindodana yomunye umfazi. 3UJefitha wasebalekela abafowabo, wahlala elizweni leTobi ^b. Amadoda ayize asebuthana kuJefitha, aphuma laye ^c.

4Kwasekusithi emva kwezinsuku abantwana bakoAmoni balwa loIsrayeli. 5Kwasekusithi lapho abantwana bakoAmoni besilwa loIsrayeli, abadala beGileyadi bahamba ukuyathatha uJefitha elizweni leTobi, 6bathi kuJefitha: Woza ube ngumkhokheli wethu ukuze silwe labantwana bakoAmoni. 7Kodwa uJefitha wathi kubadala beGileyadi: Lina kalingizondanga yini, langixotsha endlini kababa? Pho, lizelani kimi khathesi nxa selisenhluphekweni ^d? 8Abadala beGileyadi basebesithi kuJefitha: Ngakho khathesi siyabuyela kuwe ukuze uhambe lathi uyekulwa umelene labantwana bakoAmoni, ube yinhloko yethu phezu kwabo bonke abakhi beGileyadi ^e. 9UJefitha wasesithi kubadala beGileyadi: Uba lingibuyisa ukulwa ngimelene labantwana bakoAmoni, iNkosi ibanikele phambi kwami, mina ngizakuba yinhloko yenu yini? 10Abadala beGileyadi basebesithi kuJefitha: INkosi iyezwa phakathi kwethu, uba singenzi njalo njengokwamazwi akho ^f. 11UJefitha wasehamba labadala beGileyadi, abantu basebemenza waba yinhloko lomkhokheli phezu kwabo ^g. UJefitha wasekhuluma wonke amazwi akhe phambi kweNkosi ^h eMizipa ⁱ.

12UJefitha wasethuma izithunywa enkosini yabantwana bakoAmoni esithi: Ngilani lawe ukuthi uze kimi ukulwa elizweni lami? 13Inkosi yabantwana bakoAmoni yasisithi kuzithunywa zikaJefitha: Ngoba uIsrayeli wathatha ilizwe lami ekwenyukeni kwakhe eGibhithe ^j kusukela eArinoni ^k kuze kube seJaboki kuze kube seJordani ^l; ngakho-ke libuyiseni ngokuthula. 14UJefitha wasephinda ethuma izithunywa futhi enkosini yabantwana bakoAmoni, 15wathi kuye: Utsho njalo uJefitha: UIsrayeli kalithathanga ilizwe lakoMowabi lelizwe labantwana bakoAmoni ^m, 16kodwa ekwenyukeni kwabo besuka eGibhithe uIsrayeli wahamba edabula enkangala waya eLwandle oluBomvu ⁿ, wafika eKadeshi ^o. 17UIsrayeli wasethuma izithunywa enkosini yeEdoma esithi: Ake sedlule sidabule elizweni lakho ^p; kodwa inkosi yeEdoma kayilalelanga. Wathumela njalo enkosini yakoMowabi, kodwa kayivumanga ^q. Ngakho uIsrayeli wahlala eKadeshi ^r. 18Basebedabula enkangala, balibhoda ilizwe leEdoma lelizwe lakoMowabi ^s, bafika lapho eliphuma khona ilanga kwelizwe lakoMowabi ^t. Bamisa inkamba ngaphetsheya kweArinoni, kodwa kabangenanga emngceleni wakoMowabi, ngoba iArinoni yayingumngcele wakoMowabi ^u. 19UIsrayeli wasethuma izithunywa kuSihoni inkosi yamaAmori, inkosi yeHeshiboni ^v; uIsrayeli wathi kuye: Ake sedlule elizweni lakho siye endaweni yami ^w. 20Kodwa uSihoni kamthembanga uIsrayeli ukuthi adlule emngceleni wakhe; kodwa uSihoni wabutha bonke abantu bakhe ^x, wamisa inkamba eJahazi, walwa loIsrayeli ^y. 21Kodwa iNkosi, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, yanikela uSihoni labo bonke abantu bakhe esandleni sikaIsrayeli, babatshaya. Ngakho uIsrayeli wadla ilifa lelizwe lonke lamaAmori, abahlali balelolizwe ^z. 22Badla ilifa layo yonke imingcele yamaAmori kusukela eArinoni kuze kube seJaboki, njalo kusukela enkangala kuze kube seJordani ^aa. 23Khathesi-ke iNkosi, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, yawaxotsha elifeni amaAmori phambi kwabantu bayo uIsrayeli; kanti wena uzakudla ilifa lalo yini? 24Kawuyikudla yini ilifa lalokhu uKemoshi unkulunkulu wakho akunika ukudla ilifa lakho ^ab? Ngakho loba ngubani iNkosi uNkulunkulu wethu ezamxotsha elifeni phambi kwethu, lokhu sizakudla ilifa lakho ^ac. 25Pho-ke wena ungcono yini okwedlula uBalaki indodana kaZipori inkosi yakoMowabi? Wake waxabana loIsrayeli; kumbe wake walwa labo yini ^ad; 26lapho uIsrayeli esehlala eHeshiboni lemizaneni yayo ^ae, leAroweri lemizaneni yayo, lakuyo yonke imizi esekhunjini lweArinoni ^af, iminyaka engamakhulu amathathu? Kungani-ke ungayophulanga ngalesosikhathi ^ag? 27Ngakho mina kangonanga kuwe, kodwa wena wenza okubi kimi ngokulwa lami; iNkosi uMahluleli kahlulele lamuhla phakathi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli labantwana bakoAmoni ^ah. 28Kodwa inkosi yabantwana bakoAmoni kayilalelanga amazwi kaJefitha awathumela kuyo.

29UMoya weNkosi wasesiza phezu kukaJefitha, wedlula eGileyadi leManase, wedlula eMizipa yeGileyadi; esuka eMizipa wedlulela kubantwana bakoAmoni ^ai. 30UJefitha wafunga isifungo eNkosini wathi: Uba uzanikela lokunikela abantwana bakoAmoni esandleni sami ^aj, 31kuzakuthi loba yikuphi okuphuma eminyango yendlu yami ukungihlangabeza ekubuyeni kwami ngokuthula ngivela kubantwana bakoAmoni, kuzakuba ngokweNkosi ^ak, ngizakunikela kube ngumnikelo wokutshiswa ^al. 32Ngakho uJefitha wasesedlulela ebantwaneni bakoAmoni ukulwa emelene labo; iNkosi yasibanikela esandleni sakhe. 33Wasebatshaya kusukela eAroweri ^am uze ufike eMinithi ^an, imizi engamatshumi amabili, kuze kube seAbeli-Keramimi, ukutshaya okukhulukazi. Ngokunjalo abantwana bakoAmoni behliselwa phansi phambi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli.

Indodakazi kaJefitha

34UJefitha wasefika eMizipa endlini yakhe ^ao. Khangela-ke, indodakazi yakhe yaphuma ukumhlangabeza ^ap, ilezigujana, lemigido; yayiyiyo yodwa eyakhe; ngaphandle kwayo wayengelandodana lendodakazi ^aq. 35Kwasekusithi lapho eyibona wadabula izigqoko zakhe wathi ^ar: Maye ndodakazi yami! Ungithobisile kakhulu, njalo wena uphakathi kwabangihluphayo, ngoba mina ngivule umlomo wami eNkosini, ngingeke ngibuyele emuva ^as. 36Yasisithi kuye: Baba, uvulile umlomo wakho eNkosini, yenza kimi njengalokho okuphume emlonyeni wakho, lokhu iNkosi ikuphindisele ezitheni zakho, ebantwaneni bakoAmoni. 37Yasisithi kuyise: Akungenzele linto: Ngiyekela inyanga ezimbili, ngiye ngehle ezintabeni, ngililele ubuntombi bami, mina labangane bami ^at. 38Wasesithi: Hamba. Waseyiyekela ihamba inyanga ezimbili. Yasihamba, yona labangane bayo, yalilela ubuntombi bayo ezintabeni. 39Kwasekusithi ekupheleni kwenyanga ezimbili yabuyela kuyise, owenza kuyo isifungo sakhe asifungayo; yona kayiyazanga indoda. Kwasekusiba ngumkhuba koIsrayeli: 40Iminyaka ngeminyaka amadodakazi akoIsrayeli ayehamba ukuyakhumbula indodakazi kaJefitha umGileyadi insuku ezine ngomnyaka ^au.