Zwitjaba zwinosala mu shango
1 Yezwi ndizo zwitjaba zwakasiyiwa ndi Yahwe kulika Baiziraela nazo bose bakabe basingazibe ngekwe ngwa mu Kanana, 2 kwakabe kulikuti zwizekugwana zwe Baiziraela zwizibe ngwa, kuti badiye basakatongo ziba ngwa mu kutanga. 3 Zwitjaba ndi yezwi, babusi bali bashanu be Bafilisitiya ne Bakanana bose ne Basidoni ne Bahivi bakabe begala mu Dombo le Lebhanoni, kudwa ku Dombo le Bhaalehemoni kunoti tjose ku nkoba we Hamati. 4 Zwakasiyiwa kuli kulika Baiziraela kubona kuti kene banowotobela milayo ya Yahwe yabakapa bo batategulu babo ndi Mushe. 5 Bathu be Iziraela bakagala pakati kwe Bakanana ne Bahiti ne Baamoni ne Baperizi ne Bahivi ne Bajebusi, 6 ngono bakatola bakololokadzi babo kube bakadzi babo, ngono bakapa bakololo babo bakololokadzi babo, bakashingila midzimu yabo.
Othiniyeli
7 Bathu be Iziraela bakathama mbipo mu mesho a Yahwe, bekangang'wa Yahwe Ndzimu wabo, beshingila bo Bhaale na bo Ashera. 8 Ndizo bushongola gwa Yahwe gukathutila Baiziraela, ngono bakabatengesa mu maboko a Khushanirishathaimu mambo we Misopotamiya, ngono bathu be Iziraela bakashingila Khushanirishathaimu kwe makole ali zhanakadzi. 9 Koga kwakati Baiziraela belilila kuna Yahwe, Yahwe baka bamusila nsununguli kuba sunungula, iye Othiniyeli nkololo wa Kenazi nnung'una wa Khalebu. 10 Meya ya Yahwe ikazha munli ngono kasumikilisa Iziraela, kayenda ku ngwa, ngono Yahwe bakalonga Khushanirishathaimu mambo we Misopotamiya mu luboko gugwe, ngono Othiniyele kankunda. 11 Ndizo shango ikabe nge kunyalala kwe makole ali makumi manna (40). Ipapo Othiniyele nkololo wa Kenazi kafa.
Ehudi
12 Ngono Baiziraela bakathama mbipo mu mesho a Yahwe kakale, Yahwe bakasimisa Egiloni mambo we Moabu kugwa ne Iziraela, ngoti bakathama mbipo mu mesho a Yahwe. 13 Kazwikubunganyila Baamoni ne Baamaleki kanonginilila Baiziraela bakatapa nzi nkulu we milala. 14 Ngono Baiziraela bakashingila Egiloni mambo we Moabu kwe makole ali gumi lina ali zhanakadzi (18).
15 Koga kwakati Baiziraela belilila kuna Yahwe, Yahwe bakabamusila nsununguli unoyi Ehudi nkololo wa Gera we Mbhenjamini, nlume we tjimeshwe. Baiziraela bakatumila lukhetho kuna Egiloni mambo we Moabu ndiye. 16 Ehudi kazwithamila bukanu guno pitsha midzibo mibili gwe bulefu gwe luboko ngono kagudedela mu tjidzwa tje luji kusi kwe zwiambalo zwizwe. 17 Ngono kayesa lukhetho kuna Egiloni mambo we Moabu, wakabe ali nlume wakakola kwazo. 18 Kwakati Ehudi asina kuyisa lukhetho, kapaladza bathu bakabe bakasenga lukhetho. 19 Shule iye kashanduka pa zwifano zwe midzimu zwipa Giligala kadwa mambo kati, “Ndina dama lenyu le ikohwa imwi mambo,” Mambo bakabe beti, “Zhoba.” Bose bakabe banaye bakabhudila kuzhe. 20 Ehudi kazha kubali kwabakabe baligele baliboga ku ng'umbana itjapezhugwi inotothola, ngono Ehudi kabadwa kati, “Ndina ndayidzo yenyu inodwa ku Ndzimu.” Mambo bakamilika mu tjigalo tjabo. 21 Ehudi kalonga luboko gugwe gwe lumeshwe kashomola bukanu mu tjidzwa tjitje tje luji ngono kagulobelela mu ntumbu wa mambo, 22 bukanu gukangina kose ne mpinyana wago, gukanoputja ku ikamba. Ehudi kasishomole bukanu ngono gukazwimbiwa nge lizwizwi, ngono shambgwa ikabhuda. 23 Ipapo Ehudi kabhudila ku ng'umbana itjambeli, kazhalila mikoba ye ng'umba ipezhugwi shule kukwe ngono kadzikhiya. 24 Kwakati atjiyenda, balanda babe bakazha bakawana mikoba ye ng'umba itjapezhugwi yakakhiyiwa ngono bakakumbula beti, “Pamwe batjasununguka mu ng'umbana itjamukati inotothola.” 25 Ngono bakalinda kuswikila bepelameya, kwakati mambo basingazhule mikoba ye ng'umba, bakatola khiyi bakakhiyinula mikoba, bakawana tetshi wabo alilele pasi aka fa. 26 Bakati batjakalinda, Ehudi katizha kasiya. Wakapinda pa zwifano zwe midzimu, etizhila ku Seira. 27 Wakati eswika kalidza lunyanga mu shango ye matuthu ya Ifureimi, bathu be Iziraela bakadelukila naye bedwa ku shango ye matuthu akabatungamila. 28 Kabadwa kati, “Mundisale shule, ngoti Yahwe balonga zwita zwenyu Bamoabu mu maboko enyu.” Ndizo bakadelukila bakansalashule, bakatolela Bamoabu maambuko e gwizi gwe Jorodani, kusina wabanodumila ku tjuluka. 29 Mu tjibaka itjetjo bakabulaya balume bali zwiwulu zwili gumi be Moabu (10 000), bose bakazwilizanila bakasima, akuna wakatizha. 30 Ndizo Moabu yakayisiwa pasi kwe Iziraela zhuba ilelo. Shango ikabe nge kunyalala kwe makole ali makumi ali zhanakadzi (80).
Shamaga
31 Shule kwa Ehudi kukazha Shamaga nkololo wa Anati iye wakabulaya balume bali mazana ali tathatu (600) be Bafilisitiya nge ikombo tje ng'ombe, naiye waka sunungula Baiziraela.
1-2 And the Lord had another reason for letting these enemies stay. The Israelites needed to learn how to fight in war, just as their ancestors had done. Each new generation would have to learn by fighting 3 the Philistines and their five rulers, as well as the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites that lived in the Lebanon Mountains from Mount Baal-Hermon to Hamath Pass.
4 Moses had told the Israelites what the Lord had commanded them to do, and now the Lord was using these nations to find out if Israel would obey. 5-6 But they refused. And some of them even married Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites who lived all around them. That's how they started worshiping foreign gods.
Othniel
7 The Israelites sinned against the Lord by forgetting him and worshiping idols of Baal and Astarte. 8 This made the Lord angry, so he let Israel be defeated by King Cushan Rishathaim of northern Syria, who ruled Israel eight years and made everyone pay taxes. 9 The Israelites begged the Lord for help, and so he chose Othniel to rescue them. Othniel was the son of Caleb's younger brother Kenaz. 10 The Spirit of the Lord took control of Othniel, and he led Israel in a war against Cushan Rishathaim. The Lord let Othniel win, 11 and Israel was at peace until Othniel died about 40 years later.
Ehud
12 Once more the Israelites started disobeying the Lord. So he let them be defeated by King Eglon of Moab, 13 who had joined forces with the Ammonites and the Amalekites to attack Israel. Eglon and his army captured Jericho. 14 Then he ruled Israel for 18 years and forced the Israelites to pay heavy taxes.
15-16 The Israelites begged the Lord for help, and the Lord chose Ehud from the Benjamin tribe to rescue them. They put Ehud in charge of taking the taxes to King Eglon, but before Ehud went, he made a double-edged dagger. Ehud was left-handed, so he strapped the dagger to his right thigh, where it was hidden under his robes.
17-18 Ehud and some other Israelites took the taxes to Eglon, who was a very fat man. As soon as they gave the taxes to Eglon, Ehud said it was time to go home.
19-20 Ehud went with the other Israelites as far as the statues at Gilgal. Then he turned back and went upstairs to the room where Eglon had his throne. Ehud said, “Your Majesty, I need to talk with you in private.”
Eglon replied, “Don't say anything yet!” His officials left the room, and Eglon stood up as Ehud came closer.
“Yes,” Ehud said, “I have a message for you from God!” 21 Ehud pulled out the dagger with his left hand and shoved it so far into Eglon's stomach 22-23 that even the handle was buried in his fat. Ehud left the dagger there. Then after closing and locking the doors to the room, he climbed through a window onto the porch 24 and left.
When the king's officials came back and saw that the doors were locked, they said, “The king is probably inside relieving himself.” 25 They stood there waiting until they felt foolish, but Eglon still didn't open the doors. Finally, they unlocked the doors and found King Eglon lying dead on the floor. 26 But by that time, Ehud had already escaped past the statues.
Ehud went to the town of Seirah 27-28 in the hill country of Ephraim and started blowing a trumpet as a signal to call the Israelites together. When they came, he shouted, “Follow me! The Lord will help us defeat the Moabites.”
The Israelites followed Ehud down to the Jordan valley, and they captured the places where people cross the river on the way to Moab. They would not let anyone go across, 29 and before the fighting was over, they killed about 10,000 Moabite warriors—not one escaped alive.
30 Moab was so badly defeated that it was a long time before they were strong enough to attack Israel again. And Israel was at peace for 80 years.
Shamgar
31 Shamgar the son of Anath was the next to rescue Israel. In one battle, he used a sharp wooden pole to kill 600 Philistines.