Abehluleli 11

11 ¹UJefta waseGileyadi wayeyiqhawe elinamandla, kodwa eyindodana yesifebe. UGileyadi wayenguyise. ²Umkagileyadi naye wamzalela amadodana. Kwathi esekhulile, axosha uJefta, athi: “Ngeke udle ifa endlini kababa, ngokuba uyindodana yomunye umfazi.” ³UJefta wabalekela abafowabo, wahlala ezweni laseThobi, lapho amadoda ayizigebengu abuthana kuye, aphuma naye.

⁴Emva kwesikhathi, ama-Amoni alwa no-Israyeli. ⁵Kwathi lapho u-Amoni elwa no-Israyeli, amalunga aseGileyadi aya ukuyolanda uJefta ezweni laseThobi. ⁶Athi kuJefta: “Woza ube ngumholi wethu, ukuze silwe nama-Amoni.”

⁷UJefta wathi kumalunga aseGileyadi: “Anizange yini ningizonde, ningixoshe endlini kababa? Manje nizelani kimi, khona nisenkathazweni?”

⁸Amalunga aseGileyadi aphendula: “Yingakho sibuyele kuwe manje: woza ulwe nama-Amoni kanye nathi, ube yinhloko yethu phezu kwabo bonke abahlala eGileyadi.”

⁹UJefta wathi kumalunga aseGileyadi: “Uma ningibuyisela ukuba ngilwe nama-Amoni, uBaba wethu abe esewanikela kimi, ngiyakuba yinhloko yenu.”

¹⁰Amalunga aseGileyadi athi kuJefta: “UBaba wethu ungufakazi phakathi kwethu, uma singenzi njengokusho kwakho.”

¹¹UJefta wahamba namalunga aseGileyadi, abantu bamenza waba yinhloko nomholi wabo. Wakhuluma wonke amazwi akhe phambi kukaBaba wethu eMispa.

¹²UJefta wathuma izithunywa enkosini yama-Amoni, wathi: “Kuyini okuphakathi kwethu, ukuba uze ukulwa nezwe lami?”

¹³Inkosi yama-Amoni yathi ezithunyweni zikaJefta: “Ngenxa yokuthi u-Israyeli wathatha izwe lami kusukela e-Arinoni kuze kube seJaboki naseJordani, mhla ephuma eGibhithe, manje ulibuyise ngokuthula.”

¹⁴UJefta waphinde wathuma izithunywa enkosini yama-Amoni, ¹⁵wathi kuyo: “Usho kanje uJefta: U-Israyeli akazange athathe izwe kuMowabi noma ku-Amoni. ¹⁶Mhla u-Israyeli enyuka eGibhithe, wadabula ihlane waze wafika oLwandle oluBomvu, wafika naseKadeshi. ¹⁷U-Israyeli wathuma izithunywa enkosini yase-Edomi, wathi: “Ake usivumele sidabule ezweni lakho,” kodwa ayivuma ukulalela. Wathuma nasenkosini yaseMowabi, nayo yala. Ngakho u-Israyeli wahlala eKadeshi. ¹⁸Bahamba ngehlane, bazungeza i-Edomi neMowabi, bafika ngasempumalanga yeMowabi. Bamisa ngaphesheya kwe-Arinoni, bengangeni emngceleni weMowabi, ngokuba i-Arinoni yayingumngcele weMowabi. ¹⁹U-Israyeli wathuma izithunywa kuSihoni inkosi yama-Amori, inkosi yaseHeshiboni, wathi: “Ake usivumele sidabule ezweni lakho size sifike endaweni yethu.” ²⁰Kodwa uSihoni akazange amethembe u-Israyeli ukuba adabule emngceleni wakhe; wabutha bonke abantu bakhe, wamisa eJahasi, walwa no-Israyeli. ²¹UBaba wethu, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, wabe esenikela uSihoni nabantu bakhe bonke esandleni sika-Israyeli; babanqoba, bathatha lonke izwe lama-Amori lelo. ²²Bathatha lonke izwe lama-Amori, kusukela e-Arinoni kuze kube seJaboki, nakusukela ehlane kuze kube seJordani. ²³Manje uBaba wethu, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, uxoshile ama-Amori phambi kwabantu bakhe u-Israyeli—pho wena ungalidla yini ifa lalo? ²⁴Awuyikudla yini lokho akunika khona uKemoshi unkulunkulu wakho? Ngakho thina siyakudla konke uBaba wethu akuxoshile phambi kwethu. ²⁵Ingabe ungcono yini kunoBalaki indodana kaZipori, inkosi yaseMowabi? Wake walwisana no-Israyeli yini, noma walwa nabo? ²⁶Iminyaka engamakhulu amathathu u-Israyeli wayehlala eHeshiboni nasemizaneni yayo, nase-Aroweri nasemizaneni yayo, nakuyo yonke imizi eseduze kwe-Arinoni. Kungani ningazange niyibuyise ngaleso sikhathi? ²⁷Mina angikonanga, kodwa wena ungonile ngokulwa nami. UBaba wethu, uMahluleli, makahlulele namuhla phakathi kwabantwana bakwa-Israyeli nabantwana bakwa-Amoni.”

²⁸Kodwa inkosi yama-Amoni ayiwanakanga amazwi uJefta ayewathumele kuyo.

UMoya kaBaba nesifungo esidabukisayo

²⁹UMoya kaBaba wethu wehlela phezu kukaJefta. Wadabula eGileyadi nakwaManase, wadabula eMispa yaseGileyadi, kusukela eMispa yaseGileyadi waqhubekela phambili ukulwa nama-Amoni.

³⁰UJefta wenza isifungo kuBaba wethu, wathi: “Uma unikela ama-Amoni esandleni sami, ³¹lokho okuyophuma eminyango yendlu yami ukungihlangabeza, mhla ngibuya ngisindile kuma-Amoni, kuyakuba ngokukaBaba wethu, ngikunikele kube ngumnikelo woshiso.”

³²UJefta wawelela kuma-Amoni ukulwa nawo, uBaba wethu wawanikela esandleni sakhe. ³³Wawanqoba kusukela e-Aroweri kuze kube seduze kweMiniti—imizi engamashumi amabili—kuze kube se-Abela Keramimi, kwaba ukunqotshwa okukhulu kakhulu. U-Amoni wathotshiswa phambi kuka-Israyeli.

³⁴UJefta wafika ekhaya eMispa; indodakazi yakhe yaphuma ukumhlangabeza ngezigubhu nangokusina—kwakuyingane yakhe eyodwa, wayengenayo enye indodana noma indodakazi. ³⁵Kwathi lapho eyibona, waklebhula izingubo zakhe, wathi: “Maye, ndodakazi yami, ungithobile—usuyinkathazo kimi. Ngivule umlomo wami kuBaba wethu; angikwazi ukukubuyisa emuva.”

³⁶Yathi: “Baba, ufungile kuBaba wethu—yenza kimi njengokuthembisa kwakho, njengoba uBaba wethu ekuphindiselele ezitheni zakho, ama-Amoni.” ³⁷Yathi kuyise: “Make ngenzelwe lento eyodwa: ngivumele izinyanga ezimbili ukuba ngehlele ezintabeni, ngikhale ngobuntombi bami, mina nabangane bami.”

³⁸Wathi: “Hamba,” wayimukisa izinyanga ezimbili. Yahamba nabangane bayo, yakhala ngobuntombi bayo ezintabeni. ³⁹Emva kwezinyanga ezimbili yabuyela kuyise, owagcwalisa isifungo sakhe kuyo. Yayingamazanga indoda; kwaqala isiko kwa-Israyeli, ⁴⁰sokuthi minyaka yonke amadodakazi akwa-Israyeli aphume ukukhumbula indodakazi kaJefta waseGileyadi, izinsuku ezine ngonyaka.