1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. 2 And Gilead’s wife bare him sons; and his wife’s sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father’s house; for thou art the son of a strange woman. 3 Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him.
4 ¶ And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel. 5 And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob: 6 And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon. 7 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father’s house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress? 8 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead. 9 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head? 10 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words. 11 Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh.
12 ¶ And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land? 13 And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably. 14 And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon: 15 And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon: 16 But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh; 17 Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto . And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel abode in Kadesh. 18 Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab. 19 And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land into my place. 20 But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel. 21 And the LORD God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country. 22 And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan. 23 So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it? 24 Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess. 25 And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them, 26 While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them within that time? 27 Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: the LORD the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon. 28 Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him.
29 ¶ Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon. 30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, 31 Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.
32 ¶ So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands. 33 And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.
34 ¶ And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back. 36 And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon. 37 And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows. 38 And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. 39 And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel, 40 That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.
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.
