Judges - Chapter 11

Verse 1: UJefta wakwaGileyadi wayeyiqhawe elinamandla; wayeyindodana yesifebe; uGileyadi wamzala uJefta.

Verse 2: UmkaGileyadi wamzalela amadodana; esekhulile amadodana omkakhe amxosha uJefta, athi kuye: “Awuyikulidla ifa endlini kababa, ngokuba uyindodana yomunye owesifazane.”

Verse 3: UJefta wabalekela abafowabo, wahlala ezweni laseThobi; kwabuthana kuJefta amayiyane, aphuma naye.

Verse 4: Kwathi emva kwesikhashana abantwana bakwa-Amoni balwa no-Israyeli.

Verse 5: Bathi abantwana bakwa-Amoni belwa no-Israyeli, amalunga akwaGileyadi aya amlanda uJefta ezweni laseThobi.

Verse 6: Athi kuJefta: “Woza ube ngumholi wethu, silwe nabantwana bakwa-Amoni.”

Verse 7: UJefta wathi kumalunga akwaGileyadi: “Aningizondanga yini, nangixosha endlini kababa na? Nizelani kimi manje nisekuhluphekeni na?”

Verse 8: Amalunga akwaGileyadi athi kuJefta: “Sibuyele kuwe manje ngalokhu ukuba uhambe nathi, ulwe nabantwana bakwa-Amoni, ube yinhloko phezu kwabo bonke abakhe kwaGileyadi.”

Verse 9: Wayesethi uJefta kumalunga akwaGileyadi: “Uma ningibuyisa ukulwa nabantwana bakwa-Amoni, uJehova abanikele phambi kwami, ngiyakuba yinhloko yenu.”

Verse 10: Amalunga akwaGileyadi athi kuJefta: “UJehova makabe ngufakazi wethu; impela siyakwenza njengezwi lakho.”

Verse 11: UJefta wayesehamba namalunga akwaGileyadi; abantu bamenza inhloko nomholi phezu kwabo; uJefta wakhuluma onke amazwi akhe phambi kukaJehova eMispa.

Verse 12: UJefta wathuma izithunywa enkosini yabantwana bakwa-Amoni, wathi: “Unamsebenzi muni nami ukuba uze kimi ukulwa nezwe lakithi na?”

Verse 13: Inkosi yabantwana bakwa-Amoni yathi kuzo izithunywa zikaJefta: “Ngokuba u-Israyeli walithatha izwe lakithi ekukhuphukeni kwakhe eGibithe, kusukela e-Arinoni kuze kube seJaboki naseJordani, buyisani lawo mazwe ngokuthula.”

Verse 14: UJefta wabuye wathuma izithunywa enkosini yabantwana bakwa-Amoni,

Verse 15: wathi kuyo: “Usho kanje uJefta, uthi: U-Israyeli akathathanga izwe lakwaMowabi nezwe labantwana bakwa-Amoni.

Verse 16: Ngokuba ekukhuphukeni kwabo eGibithe, u-Israyeli ehamba ehlane waze wafika eLwandle Olubomvu, wafika naseKadeshi,

Verse 17: u-Israyeli wathuma izithunywa enkosini yakwa-Edomi, wathi: ‘Ake ngidabule izwe lakho;’ kepha inkosi yakwa-Edomi ayilalelanga; nasenkosini yakwaMowabi wathuma kanjalo; kepha ayivumanga; u-Israyeli wayesehlala eKadeshi.

Verse 18: “Wayesehamba ehlane, wazungeza izwe lakwa-Edomi nezwe lakwaMowabi, weza ngasempumalanga kwezwe lakwaMowabi, wamisa ngaphesheya kwe-Arinoni; kepha abangenanga emkhawulweni wakwaMowabi, ngokuba i-Arinoni lalingumkhawulo wakwaMowabi. 11:18 Num. 21:13.

Verse 19: “U-Israyeli wayesethuma izithunywa kuSihoni inkosi yama-Amori, inkosi yaseHeshiboni; u-Israyeli wathi kuye: ‘Ake sidabule izwe lakho, siye endaweni yethu.’

Verse 20: Kodwa uSihoni akamethembanga u-Israyeli ukuba adabule emkhawulweni wakhe; kepha uSihoni wabutha bonke abantu bakhe, wamisa eJahasi, walwa no-Israyeli.

Verse 21: “UJehova uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli wanikela uSihoni nabo bonke abantu bakhe esandleni sakwa-Israyeli, bababulala; u-Israyeli wadla izwe lonke lama-Amori, abantu balelo zwe.

Verse 22: Badla izwe lonke lama-Amori, kusukela e-Arinoni kuze kube seJakobi, kusukela ehlane kuze kube seJordani.

Verse 23: “Manje uJehova uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli uwaxoshile ama-Amori phambi kwabantu bakhe u-Israyeli; wena uyakulidla izwe na?

Verse 24: Awuyikudla lelo uKemoshi unkulunkulu wakho akunika lona ukuba ulidle na? Kanjalo bonke uJehova, uNkulunkulu wethu, abaxosha phambi kwethu, siyalidla elabo.

Verse 25: Pho, ungcono yini kunoBalaki indodana kaSipori, inkosi yakwaMowabi, na? Wake waphikisana no-Israyeli, wake walwa nabo na?

Verse 26: U-Israyeli esahlala eHeshiboni nasemizaneni yalo, nase-Aroweri nasemizaneni yalo, nasemizini yonke engaseceleni kwe-Arinoni iminyaka engamakhulu amathathu, anisaphucanga ngani yona ngaleso sikhathi na?

Verse 27: Mina angikonanga, kepha wena wenza okubi kimi ngokulwa nami; uJehova uMahluleli makahlulele namuhla phakathi kwabantwana bakwa-Israyeli nabantwana bakwa-Amoni.”

Verse 28: Kodwa inkosi yabantwana bakwa-Amoni ayilalelanga amazwi kaJefta awathuma kuyo.

Verse 29: Khona uMoya kaJehova wafika kuJefta, wadlula kwaGileyadi nakwaManase, wadlula naseMispa lakwaGileyadi; esuka eMispa lakwaGileyadi wadlulela kubantwana bakwa-Amoni.

Verse 30: UJefta wenza isithembiso kuJehova, wathi: “Uma uyakunikela impela abantwana bakwa-Amoni esandleni sami,

Verse 31: kuyakuthi noma yikuphi okuphuma eminyango yendlu yami ukungihlangabeza, lapho ngibuya ngokuthula kubantwana bakwa-Amoni, kube ngokukaJehova, nginikele ngakho kube ngumnikelo wokushiswa.”

Verse 32: UJefta wayesedlulela kubantwana bakwa-Amoni ukulwa nabo; uJehova wabanikela esandleni sakhe.

Verse 33: Wababulala kusukela e-Aroweri kuze kufike eMiniti, imizi engamashumi amabili, nase-Abela Keramimi ngokuceka okukhulu kakhulu. Kanjalo abantwana bakwa-Amoni banqotshwa phambi kwabantwana bakwa-Israyeli.

Verse 34: UJefta weza eMispa endlini yakhe; bheka, indodakazi yakhe yaphuma ukumhlangabeza, iza nezigubhu nokusina; yayingumntwana oyedwa; ngaphandle kwakhe wayengenandodana nandodakazi.

Verse 35: Kwathi lapho eyibona, waklebhula izingubo zakhe, wathi: “Hawu, mntanami, ungithobisile kakhulu, ungomunye wabangihluphayo, ngokuba ngivulile umlomo kuJehova, angisenakubuya.”

Verse 36: Wathi kuye: “Baba, uvulile umlomo wakho kuJehova; yenza kimi njengokuphumileyo emlonyeni wakho, lokhu uJehova ekuphindisele ezitheni zakho, abantwana bakwa-Amoni.”

Verse 37: Yathi kuyise: “Mangenzelwe lokhu: ngiyeke izinyanga ezimbili ukuba ngiye, ngehlele ezintabeni, ngililele ubuntombi bami, mina nabangane bami.”

Verse 38: Wathi: “Hamba.” Wayimukisa izinyanga ezimbili; yamuka yona nabangane bayo, yalilela ubuntombi bayo ezintabeni.

Verse 39: Kwathi ngasekupheleni kwezinyanga ezimbili, yabuyela kuyise owenza kuyo njengokwesithembiso sakhe asethembisileyo; ayiyazanga indoda.

Verse 40: Kwaba yisimiso kwa-Israyeli ukuba amadodakazi akwa-Israyeli aye yonke iminyaka ukuyitusa indodakazi kaJefta wakwaGileyadi izinsuku ezine ngomnyaka.