AbAhluleli 11

₁UJefta wakwaGileyadi wayeyiqhawe elinamandla; wayeyindodana yesifebe; uGileyadi wamzala uJefta. ₂UmkaGileyadi wamzalela amadodana; esekhulile amadodana omkakhe amxosha uJefta, athi kuye: “Awuyikulidla ifa endlini kababa, ngokuba uyindodana yomunye owesifazane.” ₃UJefta wabalekela abafowabo, wahlala ezweni laseThobi; kwabuthana kuJefta amayiyane, aphuma naye.

₄Kwathi emva kwesikhashana abantwana bakwa-Amoni balwa no-Israyeli. ₅Bathi abantwana bakwa-Amoni belwa no-Israyeli, amalunga akwaGileyadi aya amlanda uJefta ezweni laseThobi. ₆Athi kuJefta: “Woza ube ngumholi wethu, silwe nabantwana bakwa-Amoni.”

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

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

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

₁₀Amalunga akwaGileyadi athi kuJefta: “UJehova makabe ngufakazi wethu; impela siyakwenza njengezwi lakho.” ₁₁UJefta wayesehamba namalunga akwaGileyadi; abantu bamenza inhloko nomholi phezu kwabo; uJefta wakhuluma onke amazwi akhe phambi kukaJehova eMispa.

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

₁₃Inkosi 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.”

₁₄UJefta wabuye wathuma izithunywa enkosini yabantwana bakwa-Amoni, ₁₅wathi kuyo: “Usho kanje uJefta, uthi: U-Israyeli akathathanga izwe lakwaMowabi nezwe labantwana bakwa-Amoni. ₁₆Ngokuba ekukhuphukeni kwabo eGibithe, u-Israyeli ehamba ehlane waze wafika eLwandle Olubomvu, wafika naseKadeshi, ₁₇u-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.

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.

₁₉“U-Israyeli wayesethuma izithunywa kuSihoni inkosi yama-Amori, inkosi yaseHeshiboni; u-Israyeli wathi kuye: ‘Ake sidabule izwe lakho, siye endaweni yethu.’ ₂₀Kodwa uSihoni akamethembanga u-Israyeli ukuba adabule emkhawulweni wakhe; kepha uSihoni wabutha bonke abantu bakhe, wamisa eJahasi, walwa no-Israyeli.

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

₂₃“Manje uJehova uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli uwaxoshile ama-Amori phambi kwabantu bakhe u-Israyeli; wena uyakulidla izwe na? ₂₄Awuyikudla lelo uKemoshi unkulunkulu wakho akunika lona ukuba ulidle na? Kanjalo bonke uJehova, uNkulunkulu wethu, abaxosha phambi kwethu, siyalidla elabo. ₂₅Pho, ungcono yini kunoBalaki indodana kaSipori, inkosi yakwaMowabi, na? Wake waphikisana no-Israyeli, wake walwa nabo na? ₂₆U-Israyeli esahlala eHeshiboni nasemizaneni yalo, nase-Aroweri nasemizaneni yalo, nasemizini yonke engaseceleni kwe-Arinoni iminyaka engamakhulu amathathu, anisaphucanga ngani yona ngaleso sikhathi na? ₂₇Mina angikonanga, kepha wena wenza okubi kimi ngokulwa nami; uJehova uMahluleli makahlulele namuhla phakathi kwabantwana bakwa-Israyeli nabantwana bakwa-Amoni.” ₂₈Kodwa inkosi yabantwana bakwa-Amoni ayilalelanga amazwi kaJefta awathuma kuyo.

₂₉Khona uMoya kaJehova wafika kuJefta, wadlula kwaGileyadi nakwaManase, wadlula naseMispa lakwaGileyadi; esuka eMispa lakwaGileyadi wadlulela kubantwana bakwa-Amoni. ₃₀UJefta wenza isithembiso kuJehova, wathi: “Uma uyakunikela impela abantwana bakwa-Amoni esandleni sami, ₃₁kuyakuthi noma yikuphi okuphuma eminyango yendlu yami ukungihlangabeza, lapho ngibuya ngokuthula kubantwana bakwa-Amoni, kube ngokukaJehova, nginikele ngakho kube ngumnikelo wokushiswa.”

₃₂UJefta wayesedlulela kubantwana bakwa-Amoni ukulwa nabo; uJehova wabanikela esandleni sakhe. ₃₃Wababulala kusukela e-Aroweri kuze kufike eMiniti, imizi engamashumi amabili, nase-Abela Keramimi ngokuceka okukhulu kakhulu. Kanjalo abantwana bakwa-Amoni banqotshwa phambi kwabantwana bakwa-Israyeli.

₃₄UJefta weza eMispa endlini yakhe; bheka, indodakazi yakhe yaphuma ukumhlangabeza, iza nezigubhu nokusina; yayingumntwana oyedwa; ngaphandle kwakhe wayengenandodana nandodakazi. ₃₅Kwathi lapho eyibona, waklebhula izingubo zakhe, wathi: “Hawu, mntanami, ungithobisile kakhulu, ungomunye wabangihluphayo, ngokuba ngivulile umlomo kuJehova, angisenakubuya.”

₃₆Wathi kuye: “Baba, uvulile umlomo wakho kuJehova; yenza kimi njengokuphumileyo emlonyeni wakho, lokhu uJehova ekuphindisele ezitheni zakho, abantwana bakwa-Amoni.” ₃₇Yathi kuyise: “Mangenzelwe lokhu: ngiyeke izinyanga ezimbili ukuba ngiye, ngehlele ezintabeni, ngililele ubuntombi bami, mina nabangane bami.”

₃₈Wathi: “Hamba.” Wayimukisa izinyanga ezimbili; yamuka yona nabangane bayo, yalilela ubuntombi bayo ezintabeni. ₃₉Kwathi ngasekupheleni kwezinyanga ezimbili, yabuyela kuyise owenza kuyo njengokwesithembiso sakhe asethembisileyo; ayiyazanga indoda.

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