UJefitha ukhulula abantwana bakoIsrayeli kumaAmoni

11Njalo uJefitha umGileyadi wayeliqhawe elilamandlaa, wayeyindodana yewule; uGileyadi wasezala uJefitha. 2 UmkaGileyadi wasemzalela amadodana; kwathi amadodana omkakhe esekhulile amxotsha uJefitha, athi kuye: Kawuyikudla ilifa endlini kababa, ngoba uyindodana yomunye umfazi. 3 UJefitha wasebalekela abafowabo, wahlala elizweni leTobib. Amadoda ayize asebuthana kuJefitha, aphuma layec.

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

12 UJefitha wasethuma izithunywa enkosini yabantwana bakoAmoni esithi: Ngilani lawe ukuthi uze kimi ukulwa elizweni lami? 13 Inkosi yabantwana bakoAmoni yasisithi kuzithunywa zikaJefitha: Ngoba uIsrayeli wathatha ilizwe lami ekwenyukeni kwakhe eGibhithej kusukela eArinonik kuze kube seJaboki kuze kube seJordanil; ngakho-ke libuyiseni ngokuthula. 14 UJefitha wasephinda ethuma izithunywa futhi enkosini yabantwana bakoAmoni, 15 wathi kuye: Utsho njalo uJefitha: UIsrayeli kalithathanga ilizwe lakoMowabi lelizwe labantwana bakoAmonim, 16 kodwa ekwenyukeni kwabo besuka eGibhithe uIsrayeli wahamba edabula enkangala waya eLwandle oluBomvun, wafika eKadeshio. 17 UIsrayeli wasethuma izithunywa enkosini yeEdoma esithi: Ake sedlule sidabule elizweni lakhop; kodwa inkosi yeEdoma kayilalelanga. Wathumela njalo enkosini yakoMowabi, kodwa kayivumangaq. Ngakho uIsrayeli wahlala eKadeshir. 18 Basebedabula enkangala, balibhoda ilizwe leEdoma lelizwe lakoMowabis, bafika lapho eliphuma khona ilanga kwelizwe lakoMowabit. Bamisa inkamba ngaphetsheya kweArinoni, kodwa kabangenanga emngceleni wakoMowabi, ngoba iArinoni yayingumngcele wakoMowabiu. 19 UIsrayeli wasethuma izithunywa kuSihoni inkosi yamaAmori, inkosi yeHeshiboniv; uIsrayeli wathi kuye: Ake sedlule elizweni lakho siye endaweni yamiw. 20 Kodwa uSihoni kamthembanga uIsrayeli ukuthi adlule emngceleni wakhe; kodwa uSihoni wabutha bonke abantu bakhex, wamisa inkamba eJahazi, walwa loIsrayeliy. 21 Kodwa iNkosi, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, yanikela uSihoni labo bonke abantu bakhe esandleni sikaIsrayeli, babatshaya. Ngakho uIsrayeli wadla ilifa lelizwe lonke lamaAmori, abahlali balelolizwez. 22 Badla ilifa layo yonke imingcele yamaAmori kusukela eArinoni kuze kube seJaboki, njalo kusukela enkangala kuze kube seJordania. 23 Khathesi-ke iNkosi, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, yawaxotsha elifeni amaAmori phambi kwabantu bayo uIsrayeli; kanti wena uzakudla ilifa lalo yini? 24 Kawuyikudla yini ilifa lalokhu uKemoshi unkulunkulu wakho akunika ukudla ilifa lakhob? Ngakho loba ngubani iNkosi uNkulunkulu wethu ezamxotsha elifeni phambi kwethu, lokhu sizakudla ilifa lakhoc. 25 Pho-ke wena ungcono yini okwedlula uBalaki indodana kaZipori inkosi yakoMowabi? Wake waxabana loIsrayeli; kumbe wake walwa labo yinid; 26 lapho uIsrayeli esehlala eHeshiboni lemizaneni yayoe, leAroweri lemizaneni yayo, lakuyo yonke imizi esekhunjini lweArinonif, iminyaka engamakhulu amathathu? Kungani-ke ungayophulanga ngalesosikhathig? 27 Ngakho mina kangonanga kuwe, kodwa wena wenza okubi kimi ngokulwa lami; iNkosi uMahluleli kahlulele lamuhla phakathi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli labantwana bakoAmonih. 28 Kodwa inkosi yabantwana bakoAmoni kayilalelanga amazwi kaJefitha awathumela kuyo.

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

Indodakazi kaJefitha

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