1 Jefta, omukwiita ofule gwokuGilead, okwa li omuna gwohonda. He Gilead 2 okwa li e na oyana yalwe nomukadhi. Sho ya koko, oya tidha po Jefta noya ti kuye: “Ito ka thigulula nando osha putate, oshoka nyoko okwi ili.” 3 Jefta okwa yi ontuku yaamwahe e ta ka kala mevi lyaTob. Okwi ihilile ongundu yaantu yaamakaha noye ende ye mu tula mokakuwilili.
4 Konima yethimbo Aayammoni oya hingile Aaisraeli iita. 5 Shika sho sha ningwa, aawiliki yaGilead oya ka tala Jefta kevi lyaTob. 6 Oya ti: “Ila, u tu wilike, opo tu kondjithe Aayammoni.”
7 Ihe Jefta okwa yamukula: “Ne omwa tondo ndje nayi, sigo mwa tidha ndje maandjatate. Omolwashike tamu ya kungame ngashingeyi, sho mwa adhika kuudhigu?”
8 Oya ti kuye: “Otwi igameke kungoye, oshoka otwa hala, tu ye nangoye, tu ka kondjithe Aayammoni, ngoye u wilike aantu ayehe muGilead.”
9 Jefta okwa ti kuyo: “Ngele otamu galulile ndje kegumbo, ndi kondjithe Aayammoni, nOmuwa ta pe ndje esindano, nena otii ka ninga omuleli gweni.” 10 Oya yamukula: “Otwa zimine. Omuwa oye onzapo yetu.” 11 Osho ngaaka Jefta a yi naawiliki yaGilead, naantu oye mu ningi omuleli nomuwiliki gwawo. Koshipala shOmuwa muMispa Jefta okwe endulula oohapu dhe adhihe e dhi popi naawiliki.
12 Nena Jefta okwa tumu aatumwa komukwaniilwa gwaAmmon nelaka tali ti: “Oshike to tamanana natse? Omolwashike to matukile oshilongo shetu?” 13 Omukwaniilwa gwaAmmon okwa yamukula aatumwa yaJefta ta ti: “Aaisraeli sho ya zile muEgipiti, oya kutha po evi lyandje okuza komulonga Arnon sigo omulonga Jabbok nomulonga Jordan. Ngashingeyi li galulila ndje nombili.”
14 Jefta okwa tumununa ko ishewe aatumwa komukwaniilwa gwaAmmon, 15 neyamukulo lye tali ti: “Kashi shi oshili kutya Israel okwa kutha po evi lyaMoab nenge evi lyaAmmon. 16 Shoka sha ningwa, osho shika. Aaisraeli sho ya thigi po Egipiti, oya taula ombuga, sigo okEkololo lyaAkaba, e taa thiki kuKadesh. 17 Nena oya tumu aatumwa komukwaniilwa gwaEdom, ye mu pule epitikilo, ya taakane evi lye. Ihe omukwaniilwa gwaEdom ine ya pitikila. Oya pula ishewe omukwaniilwa gwaMoab, naye ongashikwawo, ine ya pitikila, ya pite mevi lye. Osho nduno Aaisraeli ya kala muKadesh. 18 Nena oya tsikile ya piti mombuga taa dhingoloka evi lyaEdom nevi lyaMoab, handiyaka yomulonga Arnon. Oko ya yungu ontanda, ihe inaa tokola nando Arnon, oshoka ogwa li ongamba yaMoab. 19 Nena Aaisraeli oya tumu aatumwa kuSihon, omukwaniilwa gwAayamori gwokuHeshbon noye mu pula epitikilo, ya taakane oshilongo she, ya ye kevi lyaandjawo. 20 Ihe Sihon ina pitika nando, Aaisraeli ye shi ninge. Okwe eta aakwiita ye ayehe e taa yungu ontanda puJahas nokwa matukile Aaisraeli. 21 Ihe Omuwa, Kalunga kaIsrael, okwa sinditha Aaisraeli ya sindi Sihon niita ye. Osho ngaaka Israel a lala oshilongo ashihe shAayamori mboka ya kala moshilongo shoka. 22 Oya kutha po oshilongo shAayamori ashihe okuza kuArnon muumbugantu sigo oJabbok muumbangalantu nokuza kombuga kuuzilo sigo oJordan kuuninginino. 23 Shika osha ningwa kOmuwa, Kalunga kaIsrael, ngoka a kwatha aantu ye Aaisraeli, ya tidhe po Aayamori. 24 Owa hala, u kambadhale oku li kutha ko? Dhiginina ndyoka wa pewa kukalunga koye Kemosh. Ihe tse otatu ka takamitha ashihe shoka Omuwa, Kalunga ketu, e tu pe. 25 Oto dhiladhila kutya ongoye omwaanawa u vule Balak yaZippor, omukwaniilwa gwaMoab? Okwa homona tuu Israel nenge e ya etela iita nando olumwe? 26 Oshoka pwa piti omimvo omathele gatatu, sho Israel a lala Heshbon naAroer, niilando yomuushiinda wayo, niilando ayihe komunkulo gwomulonga Arnon. Oshike inoo yi kutha ko nale? 27 Aawoo, inandi ku hinda nando okashona. Ongoye to hindi ndje, sho to etele ndje iita. Omuwa oye omutokoli. Oye ta ka tokola pokati kAaisraeli nAayammoni.” 28 Ihe omukwaniilwa gwaAmmon ina pupa ko nokuli kelaka lyaJefta.
29 Ombepo yOmuwa oya lambele Jefta. Okwa taakana Gilead naManasse e ta galukile kuMispe muGilead e ta yi kuAmmon. 30 Jefta oku uvanekele Omuwa: “Ngele oto sinditha ndje Aayammoni, 31 omuntu ngoka ta ka tsakaneka ndje tango ta zi maandjetu, otandi ke mu gandja kOmuwa omayambo, sho te galuka kiita nda sindana. Omuntu ngoka otandi ke mu ninga efikilondjambo.” 32 Osho Jefta a tokola omulonga, a ka kondje nAayammoni; Omuwa nokwe mu pe esindano. 33 Okwe ya thepagula okuza kuAroer nombinga ayihe muushiinda waMinnit, iilando omilongo mbali ayihe kumwe, sigololo Abel Keramim. Opwa li omulape gwowala, Aayammoni noya sindika kAaisraeli.
Omwanakadhona gwaJefta
34 Jefta sho a galukile kegumbo kuMispe, omwana omukadhona okwe ke mu tsakaneka ta tembula ye ta hiki ontunda. Okwa li epona. 35 Sho e mu mono, okwa tuula oonguwo dhe moluhodhi e ta ti: “O, mumwandje! Owa tatula omutima gwandje! Omolwashike wa undulile ndje momupya gu thike mpano? Onda ninga euvaneko nde li uvanekele Omuwa, noite vulu oku li lundulula.”
36 Omwanakadhona okwa ti kuye: “Ngele owa uvanekele Omuwa euvaneko, ninga sho wa ti, u shi ningile ndje. Omuwa ndishi okwe ku pa esindano, sho wa dhenge aatondi yoye Aayammoni.” 37 Ihe okwi indile he a ti: “Ningila ndje shika. Etha ndje manga oomwedhi mbali, ndi ye nookanee kandje koondundu, ndi ka lilile ko uukadhona wandje, sho te si inaandi fukala.” 38 He okwe mu lombwele, a ye, nokwe mu etha, a kale oomwedhi mbali. Okwa yi nookanee ke koondundu nokwa lilile ko uukadhona we, oshoka ina hokanwa noke na oluvalo. 39 Konima yoomwedhi mbali okwa galukile kuhe. Jefta okwa ningi, ngaashi u uvanekele Omuwa, nomwana okwa si manga ye omukadhona.
Shika osha ningile ondjigilile muIsrael. 40 Aakiintu aagundjuka haa yi omasiku gane omumvo kehe oku ka lila omwana omukadhona gwaJefta gwokuGilead.
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.
