Amalunga Akwa-Israyeli Alanda UJeftha
1UJeftha wakwaGileyadi owayeyindodana yesifebe, wayeyiqhawe elinamandla. Uyise kwakunguGileyadi. 2UmkaGileyadi wamzalela naye amadodana. Kuthe lapho amadodana omkakhe ekhula, amxosha, ethi kuye: “Awunakuthola lutho oluyifa endlini kababa, ngokuba uyindodana yomunye umfazi.”
3UJeftha wayesebaleka kubafowabo, wahlala eThobi. UJeftha wazungezwa yizephulamthetho ayephuma ahlasele nazo.
4Emveni kwesikhathi, abakwa-Amoni balwa nabakwa-Israyeli. 5Kwathi lapho abakwa-Amoni belwa nabakwa-Israyeli, amalunga akwaGileyadi ahamba ukuyolanda uJeftha eThobi. 6Athi kuJeftha: “Buya uzoba ngumkhuzi wempi yethu, ukuze silwe nabakwa-Amoni.”
7Kodwa uJeftha wathi kumalunga akwaGileyadi: “Anisibo yini labo abangala, bangixosha endlini kababa, na? Pho nilethwa yini kimi uma senisenkathazweni, na?”
8Amalunga akwaGileyadi athi kuye: “Noma kunjalo, sesibuyele kuwe manje ukuze uhambe nathi uyokulwa nabakwa-Amoni, ube yinhloko phezu kwethu naphezu kwazo zonke izakhamuzi zakwaGileyadi.”
9UJeftha wathi kumalunga akwaGileyadi: “Uma ningibuyisela ekhaya ukuba ngilwe nabakwa-Amoni uSimakade abanikele kimi, ngiyokuba yinhloko yenu.”
10Amalunga akwaGileyadi athi kuye: “USimakade uyokuba ngufakazi phakathi kwethu, impela sizokwenza njengalokhu usho.”
11UJeftha wahamba namalunga akwaGileyadi, abantu bamenza inhloko yabo, nomkhuzi wempi yabo, uJeftha wawakhuluma wonke lawo mazwi akhe phambi kukaSimakade, eMizpha.
12UJeftha wayesethumela izithunywa enkosini yakwa-Amoni, wathi kuyo: “Yini lena ekhona phakathi kwethu, uze ufike uzolwa nezwe lami, na?”
13Inkosi yabakwa-Amoni yaphendula izithunywa zikaJeftha, yathi: “Kungenxa yokuba ngesikhathi u-Israyeli ephuma eGibhithe wathatha izwe lami, kusukela e-Arinoni kuye eJabhoki kuze kube seJordani; ngakho-ke manje libuyise ngokuthula.”
14UJeftha waphinda wathumela izithunywa enkosini yabakwa-Amoni, 15wathi kuyo: “Yilokhu okushiwo nguJeftha, uthi abakwa-Israyeli abazange balithathe izwe lakwaMowabi nelabakwa-Amoni, 16kodwa lapho benyuka bevela eGibhithe, abakwa-Israyeli badabula ihlane baya oLwandle Lomhlanga, baze bafika eKadeshi. 17Abakwa-Israyeli bathumela izithunywa enkosini yakwa-Edomi, bathi: ‘Sicela usivumele sidabule ezweni lakho,’ kodwa inkosi yakwa-Edomi ayifunanga ukubalalela. Babuye bathumela nasenkosini yakwaMowabi, kodwa nayo yenqaba, ngakho-ke abakwa-Israyeli bahlala eKadeshi.
18“Base behamba ehlane, bazungeza izwe lakwa-Edomi nelakwaMowabi, baze bafinyelela empumalanga yezwe lakwaMowabi, bakanisa ngakolunye uhlangothi e-Arinoni. Kabangenanga endaweni yabakwaMowabi, ngokuba i-Arinoni yayingumngcele kwaMowabi.
19“Abakwa-Israyeli bathumela izithunywa enkosini yama-Amori, uSihoni, inkosi yaseHeshibhoni, u-Israyeli wathi kuyo: ‘Sivumele sidabule ezweni lakho, sidlulele kwelethu.’ 20Kodwa uSihoni akazange abethembe abakwa-Israyeli ukuba bangadabula endaweni yakhe, ngakho-ke uSihoni waqoqa bonke abantu bakhe, wakanisa eJahazi, walwa no-Israyeli.
21“USimakade uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli wamnikela uSihoni nabo bonke abantu bakhe esandleni sabakwa-Israyeli, bamnqoba, abakwa-Israyeli base belidla lonke izwe lama-Amori ayehlala lapho. 22Balidla lonke izwe lama-Amori, kusukela e-Arinoni kuye eJabhoki, nasehlane kuze kube seJordani.
23“Ngakho-ke manje, uSimakade uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli uwanqobile ama-Amori ukuze kuzuze abantu bakhe bakwa-Israyeli. Ngabe usophe ukudla izwe labo, na? 24Aneneliswa yini yizwe unkulunkulu wenu uKhemoshi aninike lona laba yifa lenu, na? Thina asifanele yini ukudla lonke izwe uSimakade uNkulunkulu wethu asinqobele lona ukuba libe yifa lethu, na? 25Pho wena ungcono yini kunenkosi uBhalaki, indodana kaZiphori wakwaMowabi, na? Wake wabanga yini nabakwa-Israyeli, noma waya empini nabo, na? 26Ngesikhathi abakwa-Israyeli besahlala eHeshibhoni nasemizaneni yalo, nase-Aroweri nemizana yalo, nakuyo yonke imizi emaqondana ne-Arinoni, iminyaka engama-300, awuyithathanga ngani ngaleso sikhathi, na? 27Akuyimi engonileyo kuwe, kodwa nguwe owenza okubi kimi ngokulwa nami. Sengathi uSimakade ongumehluleli anganquma namuhla phakathi kwabakwa-Israyeli nabakwa-Amoni.”
28Nokho inkosi yakwa-Amoni ayizange iwashaye mkhuba amazwi uJeftha ayewathumele kuyo.
UJeftha Wenza Isifungo
29UMoya kaSimakade wehlela phezu kukaJeftha, wadabula kwaGileyadi nakwaManase. Wedlulela eMizpha kwaGileyadi, wasuka eMizpha kwaGileyadi waya kubantu bakwa-Amoni. 30UJeftha wenza isifungo kuSimakade, wathi: “Uma uyakunikela abakwa-Amoni esandleni sami, 31kuyothi noma yini eyophuma emnyango wendlu yami izongihlangabeza, lapho ngibuya ngokuthula kubantu bakwa-Amoni, kube ngokukaSimakade, nginikele ngakho kube ngumnikelo wokushiswa.”
32UJeftha wayesedlulela kubantu bakwa-Amoni ukuba alwe nabo; uSimakade wabanikela esandleni sakhe. 33Wababulala kusukela e-Aroweri kuye kuyofika eMinithi, imizi engama-20, nase-Abhela Kheramimi. Abakwa-Amoni banqotshwa ngabakwa-Israyeli.
Indodakazi KaJeftha Ihlangabeza Uyise
34UJeftha wabuyela ekhaya eMizpha; mamo, nakho-ke sekuphuma indodakazi yakhe imhlangabeza, iza nezigubhu isina; kwakuyiyona yodwa ingane ayenayo; wayengenandodana nandodakazi ngaphandle kwayo. 35Lapho eyibona, waklebhula izingubo zakhe, wathi: “Hawu, ndodakazi yami, waze wangilaya, wangibangela ukuhlupheka okukhulu. Phela ngivule umlomo wami ngakhuluma kuSimakade, manje angisakwazi ukusihoxisa isifungo sami.”
36Yathi kuye: “Baba, uma ukhulumile kuSimakade, yenza kimi njengalokhu ufungile, lokhu uSimakade ukuphindiselele ezitheni zakho, abantu bakwa-Amoni.”
37Yayisithi kuyise: “Mangenzelwe lokhu: ngiyeke izinyanga ezimbili ngihambe, ngehlele ezintabeni, ukuze ngililele ubuntombi bami, mina nabangani bami.”
38Uyise wathi kuyo: “Hamba.”
Wayihambisa izinyanga ezimbili; yahamba nabangani bayo, yalilela ubuntombi bayo ezintabeni. 39Ekupheleni kwezinyanga ezimbili, yabuyela kuyise, owenza kuyo njengokwesifungo sakhe ayesenzile; yayingakaze ilale nandoda. Kwabe sekuvela isimiso kwa-Israyeli sokuba, 40yonke iminyaka, amadodakazi akwa-Israyeli ahambe ayolilela indodakazi kaJeftha wakwaGileyadi izinsuku ezine.
