Jefta ma rire omupangure
1 Jefta, Omugilead, wa ri ombangaṋe. Eye wa ri omuatje womukazendu omukorondu. Ena ra ihe ra ri Gilead. 2 Nomukazendu omukupwa wa Gilead we mu pandukira ovazandu wina; nowo tji ve kura va ramba Jefta ave tja ku ye: “Ove ko notjiṋa tji mo rumata pu tate, orondu oove omuatje womukazendu warwe.” 3 Jefta opa tupukira okuza povangu ve na katura kehi ra Tob. Eye we keriworonganisira ovarumendu ovehinohepero; nowo va ryanga puna ye.
4 Nu kombunda yoruveze rworive Ovaamoni va hinga ovita kuna Ovaisrael. 5 Ovita mbi tji vya za nokutjitwa, ovanane va Gilead otji va kaeta Jefta kehi ra Tob. 6 Owo va tja ku ye: “Indjo u karire omuhongore wetu, tu karwise Ovaamoni.”
7 Nungwari Jefta wa zira ovanane vOvagilead a tja: “Kaweṋe mbu mwe ndji humisire namu ndji ramba mondjuwo ya tate are? Nambano tji mu ri mouzeu mwe ere tjike ku ami?”
8 Novanane vOvagilead va tja nai ku Jefta: “Eṱe twa kotoka kove nambano, tjinga amatu vanga kutja u yende puna eṱe tu karwise Ovaamoni, nu u karire omuhongore wOvagilead avehe.”
9 Jefta arire tja tja kovanane vOvagilead: “Eṋe tji mamu ndji yarura konganda okukarwisa Ovaamoni, nu Muhona tje ndji pe outoṋi, tjiri, me karira omuhongore weṋu.”
10 Owo ve mu zira ave tja: “Eṱe matu tjiti otja pu mo hee. Muhona onguri omuhongonone wetu.” 11 Jefta opa ira puna ovanane vOvagilead, novandu ve mu isa po omuhongore nomunane wawo. Nu Jefta wa hungira oviṋa vye avihe mbye sokutjita komurungu wa Muhona mOmispa.
12 Jefta wa tuma ovahindwa kombara yOvaamoni na tja ku yo: “Ove u na tjike na eṱe, tji mo ya okurwisa ehi retu?”
13 Ombara yOvaamoni ya zira nai kovahindwa va Jefta: “Ovaisrael va kamburire ehi randje okuza konḓonḓu Arnon nga konḓonḓu Jabok, indu tji va zire mOengipte; nambano ndji kotorera ehi ndo mohange.”
14 Nu Jefta wa tuma ovahindwa rukwao kombara yOvaamoni, 15 na tja ku yo: “Ovaisrael kave kamburire ehi rOvamoab na indi rOvaamoni. 16 Ovaisrael tji va za mOengipte va tuurunga okuti onguza nga kOmuronga wOtuu, nave kavaza kOkades. 17 Ovaisrael va tuma ovahindwa kombara yOvaedom, nave i ningire kutja i ve pe oruveze okukapitira mokuti kwayo. Nungwari ombara yOvaedom kai vangere okuzuva otjiṋa hi. Rukwao owo va ningira kombara yOvamoab, noyo wina kai vangere okuvepa oruveze okukapitira mo. Ovaisrael opu va karera mOkades. 18 Okuzambo va tuurunga okuti onguza. Owo va kondoroka ehi rOvaedom na indi rOvamoab nave kavaza komukuma wokomuhuka wa Moab, munda mbwina yonḓonḓu Arnon. Imbo Ovaisrael opu va tona ozondanda, nungwari kave kondere onḓonḓu Arnon, tjinga aya ri omuruko wOvamoab. 19 Ovaisrael opu va tumina ovahindwa ku Sihon, ombara yOvaamori, ngwaa honapara mOhesbon nave ningire ku ye ave tja: ‘Arikana, tu pao oruveze tu tuurungire mehi roye okuyenda kehi retu.’ 20 Nungwari Sihon ka vangere okuveyandjera okutuurungira mehi re. Eye wa woronganisa otjimbumba tje atjihe tjovita, a kazika ozondanda mOjahas na karwisa Ovaisrael. 21 Nungwari Muhona, Ndjambi wa Israel, wa yandja outoṋi kOvaisrael kombanda ya Sihon novandu ve avehe. Ovaisrael otji va kambura ehi arihe rOvaamori, mba turire mehi ndo ri rire ouini wawo. 22 Nowo va kambura ehi arihe rOvaamori okuza konḓonḓu Arnon nga konḓonḓu Jordan. 23 Komuhingo mbwi Muhona, Ndjambi wa Israel, otja ramba Ovaamori komurungu wotjiwaṋa tje Israel. Nambano ove movanga okukotora ro rukwao are? 24 Tjiri, atjihe omukuru woye wotjisenginina Kemos tji me ku pe matji rire ouini woye. Nungwari atjihe Muhona, Ndjambi wetu, tji me tu kamburire matji rire ouini wetu. 25 Mo ripura kutja oove omunanḓengu pu Balak, omuzandu wa Sipor, ombara ya Moab are? Hapo eye wa posere ruṋe na Israel poo wa hingire ruṋe ovita kuna wo? 26 Ovaisrael va kambura Hesbon na Aroer, novirongo avihe mbya ri meṋe yavyo, novihuro avihe mbi ri komikuro vyonḓonḓu Arnon, oure wozombura omasere yetatu. Okutjavi tji mu he vi kamburire moruveze aruhe ndo? 27 Ayee, ami hi ku tjitire ouvi. Oove ngu mo tjiti nao, tji mo hingi ovita kuna ami. Muhona nga rire omupangure. Eye nga pangure ndinondi pokati kOvaisrael nOvaamoni.” 28 Nungwari ombara yOvaamoni ka puratenene ko kombuze Jefta ndje mu hindira.
29 Tjazumba ombepo ya Muhona arire tji ya raukire kombanda ya Jefta. Eye wa tuurungira mehi ra Gilead nora Manasse na yaruka kOmispa mOgilead. Okuzambo eye wa hinga ovita kuna Ovaamoni. 30 Jefta arire tja tjiti omakwizikiro ku Muhona na tja: “Ove tji mo ndji pe outoṋi kombanda yOvaamoni, 31 nu tji mba kotoka nawa okuza kovita, me yandja omundu ngwi ngu ma tenge po okupita momuvero wondjuwo yandje okundjitjakanena a rire ombunguhiro oningiririsiwa kove.”
32 Jefta opa ira kOvaamoni okukeverwisa, nu Muhona we mu pa outoṋi. 33 Eye we ve havera okuza kOaroer nga kOminit, na kambura ovihuro omirongo vivari nga kOabel-Keramim. Pa ri otjiṱiro otjinene, nOvaamoni va haverwa i Ovaisrael.
Omuatje omukazona wa Jefta
34 Nu Jefta tja kotoka konganda ye mOmispa, tara, omukazona we otja pita okumutjakanena ama nyanda ongoma yomomake nokupunda. Neye ongwa ri omuatje we erike ṱi; posi ye ka ri nomuatje warwe. 35 Neye tje mu muna wa nyondorora ozombanda ze na tja: “Arikana, mukazona wandje, mo ndji hihamisa omutima tjinene! Okutjavi tje ri ove ngu mo ndji pe oruhoze ndu ṱa mba. Ami mba tjita omakwizikiro ku Muhona, nu hi nokuyenena okuyeyarura ombunda.”
36 Nu ingwi omusuko wa tja nai ku ihe: “Tate, ove tji wa tjita omakwizikiro ku Muhona, ndji tjita otja pu wa heya ku Muhona. Muhona we ku pa omasutisiro kovanavita na ove, imba Ovaamoni.” 37 Tjazumba eye wa ningira ku ihe a tja: “Otjiṋa tjimwe ngatji yandjewe ku ami. Ndji pa oruveze mbi rikarere erike oure womieze vivari kutja mbi ryange mozondundu mbi karirire ousuko wandje puna ovakwetu.” 38 Ihe otje mu zira a tja: “Twende uri!”, ne mu pe oure womieze vivari. Nomusuko wa ya puna omapanga we kozondundu, noka karirira ousuko we. 39 Kombunda yomieze vivari omusuko ngwi wa kotoka ku ihe. Nu ihe wa tjita ku ye otja pa yanena Muhona. Nomusuko ngo ke na pa wanene nomurumendu.
Imbwi ombwa rira omuhingo mOisrael: 40 Ombura aihe ovasuko vOvaisrael aave kumuka okukaririra omukazona wOmugilead Jefta oure womayuva yane.
Jephthah
1-5 The leaders of the Gilead clan decided to ask a brave warrior named Jephthah son of Gilead to lead the attack against the Ammonites.
Even though Jephthah belonged to the Gilead clan, he had earlier been forced to leave the region where they had lived. Jephthah was the son of a prostitute, but his half brothers were the sons of his father's wife.
One day his half brothers told him, “You don't really belong to our family, so you can't have any of the family property.” Then they forced Jephthah to leave home.
Jephthah went to the country of Tob, where he was joined by a number of men who would do anything for money.
So the leaders of Gilead went to Jephthah and said, 6 “Please come back to Gilead! If you lead our army, we will be able to fight off the Ammonites.”
7 “Didn't you hate me?” Jephthah replied. “Weren't you the ones who forced me to leave my family? You're only coming to me now because you're in trouble.”
8 “But we do want you to come back,” the leaders said. “And if you lead us in battle against the Ammonites, we will make you the ruler of Gilead.”
9 “All right,” Jephthah said. “If I go back with you and the Lord lets me defeat the Ammonites, will you really make me your ruler?”
10 “You have our word,” the leaders answered. “And the Lord is a witness to what we have said.”
11 So Jephthah went back to Mizpah with the leaders of Gilead. The people of Gilead gathered at the place of worship and made Jephthah their ruler. Jephthah also made promises to them.
12 After the ceremony, Jephthah sent messengers to say to the king of Ammon, “Are you trying to start a war? You have invaded my country, and I want to know why!”
13 The king of Ammon replied, “Tell Jephthah that the land really belongs to me, all the way from the Arnon River in the south, to the Jabbok River in the north, and west to the Jordan River. When the Israelites came out of Egypt, they stole it. Tell Jephthah to return it to me, and there won't be any war.”
14 Jephthah sent the messengers back to the king of Ammon, 15 and they told him that Jephthah had said:
Israel hasn't taken any territory from Moab or Ammon. 16 When the Israelites came from Egypt, they traveled across the desert to the Red Sea and then to Kadesh. 17 They sent messengers to the king of Edom and said, “Please, let us go through your country.” But the king of Edom refused. They also sent messengers to the king of Moab, but he wouldn't let them cross his country either. And so the Israelites stayed at Kadesh.
18 A little later, the Israelites set out into the desert, going east of Edom and Moab, and camping on the eastern side of the Arnon River gorge. The Arnon is the eastern border of Moab, and since the Israelites didn't cross it, they didn't even set foot in Moab.
19 The Israelites sent messengers to the Amorite King Sihon of Heshbon. “Please,” they said, “let our people go through your country to get to our own land.”
20 Sihon didn't think the Israelites could be trusted, so he called his army together. They set up camp at Jahaz, then they attacked the Israelite camp. 21 But the Lord God helped Israel defeat Sihon and his army. Israel took over all of the Amorite land where Sihon's people had lived, 22 from the Arnon River in the south to the Jabbok River in the north, and from the desert in the east to the Jordan River in the west.
23 The messengers also told the king of Ammon that Jephthah had said:
The Lord God of Israel helped his nation get rid of the Amorites and take their land. Now do you think you're going to take over that same territory? 24 If Chemosh your god takes over a country and gives it to you, don't you have a right to it? And if the Lord takes over a country and gives it to us, the land is ours!
25 Are you better than Balak the son of Zippor? He was the king of Moab, but he didn't quarrel with Israel or start a war with us.
26 For 300 years, Israelites have been living in Heshbon and Aroer and the nearby villages, and in the towns along the Arnon River gorge. If the land really belonged to you Ammonites, you wouldn't have waited until now to try to get it back.
27 I haven't done anything to you, but it's certainly wrong of you to start a war. I pray that the Lord will show whether Israel or Ammon is in the right.
28 But the king of Ammon paid no attention to Jephthah's message.
29 Then the Lord's Spirit took control of Jephthah, and Jephthah went through Gilead and Manasseh, raising an army. Finally, he arrived at Mizpah in Gilead, where 30 he promised the Lord, “If you will let me defeat the Ammonites 31 and come home safely, I will sacrifice to you whoever comes out to meet me first.”
32 From Mizpah, Jephthah attacked the Ammonites, and the Lord helped him defeat them.
33 Jephthah and his army destroyed the 20 towns between Aroer and Minnith, and others as far as Abel-Keramim. After that, the Ammonites could not invade Israel any more.
Jephthah's Daughter
34 When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, the first one to meet him was his daughter. She was playing a tambourine and dancing to celebrate his victory, and she was his only child.
35 “Oh no!” Jephthah cried. Then he tore his clothes in sorrow and said to his daughter, “I made a sacred promise to the Lord, and I must keep it. Your coming out to meet me has broken my heart.”
36 “Father,” she said, “you made a sacred promise to the Lord, and he let you defeat the Ammonites. Now, you must do what you promised, even if it means I must die. 37 But first, please let me spend two months, wandering in the hill country with my friends. We will cry together, because I can never get married and have children.”
38 “Yes, you may have two months,” Jephthah said.
She and some other girls left, and for two months they wandered in the hill country, crying because she could never get married and have children. 39 Then she went back to her father. He did what he had promised, and she never got married.
That's why 40 every year, Israelite girls walk around for four days, weeping for Jephthah's daughter.
