1 Jefutha we N'giliyadi wakabe ali mbhayani wakasima. Tate babe bakabe bali Giliyadi, mmebabe bakabe bali fukula. 2 Nkadzi wa Giliyadi kanzwalila bakololo, ngono kwakati bakololo be nkadzi uwe batjikula, bakatata Jefutha bakandwa bakati, “Akuna thaka yaunowowana mu nsha wedu, ngoti u nkololo we nkadzi upoga.” 3 Ndizo Jefutha katizha mu bana batate babe, kanogala mu shango ye Tobi. Ngono gupo le batoleli likankubunganila likansala shule liyenda litolela bathu naye. 4 Kwakati shule kwe tjibaka Baamoni bakanogwa ne Baiziraela. 5 Kwakati Baamoni begwa ne Baiziraela, bakulu be Giliyadi bakanodana Jefutha ku shango ye Tobi. 6 Bakandwa beti, “Buya ube ntungamili wedu, ndizo tigwe ne Baamoni.” 7 Koga Jefutha kadwa bakulu be Giliyadi kati, “Apa amuzondibenga, mukanditata mu ng'umba ya tate bangu kene? Ini matjizha kundili matjibe mu kudziyidzika kene?” 8 Ngono bakulu be Giliyadi bakadwa Jefutha bakati, “Ndizo tashandukila kukuli ngwenu, kuti uyende naswi tinogwa ne Baamoni ube nsholo wedu mu bagali bose be Giliyadi.” 9 Ngono Jefutha kadwa bakulu be Giliyadi kati, “Ha mundibgwiliza kanyi kuti ndinogwa ne Baamoni ngono Yahwe bebendipa ibo ndibakunda, ndowobe nsholo wenyu kene?” 10 Bakulu be Giliyadi bakashandula beti, “Yahwe ndibo ntendeki wedu, towothama sekwa unoleba.” 11 Ndizo Jefutha kayenda ne bakulu be Giliyadi, ngono bathu bakanthama nsholo ne nge ntungamili wabo. Jefutha kaleba matama awe wose mbeli kwa Yahwe ku Mizipha.
12 Ipapo Jefutha katuma batumwa kuna mambo we Baamoni kati, “Uneni naswi kwaungatinginilila mu shango yedu kene?” 13 Mambo we Amoni kashandula batumwa ba Jefutha eti, “Kwakati Baiziraela bedwa ku Egipiti, bakatola shango yangu kudwa ku Arinoni kunoti ku Jabhoki ne kunoti ku Jorodani, ngwenu tjindibgwilizilani iyo nge mbakiso.”
14 Ngono Jefutha katuma batumwa kakale kuna mambo we Amoni, 15 kandwa kati, “Tjinoleba Jefutha ndiyetji, Iziraela aizotola shango ye Moabu kene ye Amoni, 16 koga bakati bedwa ku Egipiti, Baiziraela bakapalama tjilambanyika kunoti ku Gungwa Shaba, bakaswika ku Kadeshi. 17 Baiziraela bakatuma batumwa kuna mambo we Baedomu kati, ‘Tokumbila palama shango yenyu,’ koga mambo we Edomu kaside hwa. Ngono bakatumila kakale kuna mambo we Moabu koga kasidume. Ndizo Baiziraela bakagala ku Kadeshi. 18 Ngono bakayenda mu tjilambanyika, bepoteleka shango ye Baedomu ne shango ye Bamoabu, pakapinda tjekubhezhuba kwe shango ye Moabu, bakakotokela seli ye Arinoni, koga abazongina mu ntuthu we Moabu, ngoti Arinoni yakabe ili ngathu we Moabu.
19 “Ipapo Baiziraela bakatuma batumwa kuna Sihoni mambo we Baamoni wakabe ebusa mu Heshibhoni, ngono bakandwa bakati, ‘Tokumbila palama mu shango iyo toyenda kuna yedu.’ 20 Koga Sihoni kasigalebgwe Baiziraela ku palama ntuthu uwe, ndizo Sihoni kakubunganya bathu babe bose ngono kakotokela ku Jahazi ngono kagwa ne Baiziraela. 21 Ngono Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela kalonga Sihoni ne bathu babe bose mu maboko e Baiziraela ngono bakaba kunda. Ndizo Iziraela ikatola shango yose ye Baamori bakabe gala mu shango iyeyo. 22 Bakaitapa yose kudwa ku Arinoni kunoti ku Jabhoki ne kudwa ku tjilambanyika kunoti ku Jorodani.
23 “Ngono ngwenu se Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela bakatata Baamori mbeli kwe bathu babo Baiziraela, apa unafanilo dzekuitola kene? 24 Apa autotola tjaunopiwa na Khemoshi ndzimu uwo kene? Naswibo bo tjatinopiwa na Yahwe Ndzimu wedu towotjithuwa. 25 Apa moyita pana Bhalaki nkololo wa Zipori mambo we Moabu kene? Apa wakatongomusilana zhoba ne kukweba kwebana ne Baiziraela kene? 26 Kwe makole ali mazana matatu (300) Baiziraela begala mu Heshibhoni ne mizana yayo ne mu Aruwa ne mizana yayo ne mizi yose imu tjekelo dze Arinoni. Ini musakatitolela iyo nge tjibaka itjetjo? 27 Imi andizokutjinyila, koga iwe ndiwe unonditjinyila ngothama ngwa nami. Yahwe nsumikilisi ngabasumikilise pakati kwe bathu be Iziraela ne bathu be Amoni nasi.”
28 Koga mambo we Amoni kasibhulutane matama aakatumiligwa ndi Jefutha.
29 Ngono Meya ya Yahwe ikazha muna Jefutha. Kapalama Giliyadi ne Manase, kapindila ku Mizipha we Giliyadi, kudwa pa Mizipha kapindila ku Baamoni. 30 Ngono Jefutha katuna kuna Yahwe kati, “Ha mungalonga Baamoni mu maboko angu, 31 ipapo mmwe ne mmwe unowozha edwa mu ng'umba yangu kundishanganidza ha ndashanduka nge mbakiso ku Baamoni kowobe ba Yahwe, ngono ndowobadusa se tjibhayilo tjinopisiwa.” 32 Ndizo Jefutha katjulukila ku Baamoni kugwa nami, ngono Yahwe bakabalonga mu maboko bo. 33 Kabakunda kudwa ku Aruwa kunoti ku Miniti, katapa mizi ili makumi mabili (20), ne kunoti tjose ku Abelikeramimi, kwakabe kukunda kukulu. Ndizo Baamoni bakayisiwa pasi kwe Baiziraela.
Nkololokadzi wa Jefutha
34 Kwakati Jefutha azha ku nzi uwe ku Mizipha, bonani, nkololokadzi uwe kabhuda ku nshanganidza ne dzithamborini ne njimbo. Kwakabe kuli iye yega mwana uwe, kuzhe kukwe wakabe asina nkololo kene nkololokadzi. 35 Wakati embona kapalula zwiambalo zwizwe kati, “Aa, nkololokadzi wangu, wandiyisa pasi seni, ini ungadizhisila mathatha mangapa ngobe ndakazhula nlomo, ndikatuna kuna Yahwe ngono andingatjinyulule.”
36 Ngono nkololokadzi uwe kashandula eti, “Tate, ha makazhula nlomo mukatuna kuna Yahwe, thamani tjamakandigadzabgwe, ngoti Yahwe batjimubgwilizila mu zwita zwenyu Baamoni.” 37 Ngono kadwa tate babe eti, “Ndokumbila mundithamile etji, ‘Mundipe mimwedzi mibili ndi yende ku matombo ndinolilila buanadi gwangu, imi ne bazwalani bangu.’ ”
38 Ngono tate babe bakati, “Yenda.” Ngono bakanletja kayenda kwe mimwedzi mibili, ngono kayenda ne bazwalani babe bakanolilila buanadi gugwe ku matombo. 39 Shule kwe mimwedzi mibili kabgwilila kuna tate babe, bakanthamila kuyendidzana nge tuna kwabo. Wakabe asathu kaziba balume. Ngono kukabe tjilenje, 40 kuti gole ne gole mwanadi mmwe ne mmwe mu Iziraela unoyenda kwe mazhuba ali makumi manna (40) kuli kunokumbula nkololokadzi wa Jefutha we Giliyadi.
1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. 2 And Gilead’s wife bare him sons; and his wife’s sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father’s house; for thou art the son of a strange woman. 3 Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him.
4 ¶ And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel. 5 And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob: 6 And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon. 7 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father’s house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress? 8 And the elders of Gilead said unto 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 And Jephthah said unto 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 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words. 11 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 ¶ And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land? 13 And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably. 14 And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon: 15 And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon: 16 But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh; 17 Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto . And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel abode in Kadesh. 18 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 And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land into my place. 20 But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel. 21 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 And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan. 23 So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it? 24 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 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 While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them within that time? 27 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 Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him.
29 ¶ 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 unto the children of Ammon. 30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, 31 Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth 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 up for a burnt offering.
32 ¶ So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands. 33 And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.
34 ¶ And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto 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 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 unto the LORD, and I cannot go back. 36 And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto 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 thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon. 37 And she said unto 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 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 And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto 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 That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.