Abahluleli 11 - iBhayibhili Elingcwele 1978

UJefta ukhulula abakoIsrayeli kumaAmoni

¹ UJefta waseGileyadi wayeliqhawe elilamandla, wayeyindodana yewule, uyise wayenguGileyadi.

² UmkaGileyadi wamzalela amanye amadodana; kwathi lawomadodana esekhulile amxotsha uJefta, athi kuye: Kawuyikudla ilifa endlini kababa, ngoba uyindodana yomunye umfazi.

³ UJefta wabaleka kubafowabo, wayahlala elizweni laseTobi. Abantu abagangileyo babuthana kuye, bamlandela.

⁴ Emva kwesikhathi amaAmoni alwa loIsrayeli.

⁵ Kwathi ekulweni kwawo loIsrayeli abadala baseGileyadi bahamba bayathatha uJefta elizweni laseTobi,

⁶ bathi kuye: Woza ube ngumholi wethu ukuba silwe lamaAmoni.

⁷ Kodwa yena wathi kibo: Kalingizondanga yini, langixotsha endlini kababa na? Pho, lizelani kimi nxa selihlupheka na?

⁸ Bona bathi kuye: Yikho lokhu okusenze seza kuwe khathesi ukuba uhambe lathi siyekulwa lamaAmoni, ube yinduna yabo bonke abaseGileyadi.

⁹ UJefta wathi kibo: Uba lingibuyisa ekhaya ukulwa lamaAmoni, iNkosi iwanikele kimi, ngizakuba yinhloko yenu.

¹⁰ Abadala baseGileyadi bathi kuye: INkosi izakuba ngufakazi phakathi kwethu; impela sizakwenza lokhu.

¹¹ UJefta wasehamba labo, abantu bamenza waba yinhloko yabo lomholi wabo. EMizipa uJefta wabuya wakhuluma zonke izimiso zakhe phambi kweNkosi.

¹² UJefta wasethumela izithunywa enkosini yamaAmoni esithi: Ungibangisani ukuba uphume uzekulwa lelizwe lami na?

¹³ Inkosi yamaAmoni yaziphendula izithunywa zikaJefta yathi: Ngoba uIsrayeli wathatha ilizwe lami ekuphumeni kwakhe eGibithe kusukela eArinoni kusiya eJaboki laseJordani; ngakhoke libuyiseni ngokuthula.

¹⁴ UJefta wasethuma izithunywa futhi enkosini yamaAmoni

¹⁵ esithi: UJefta uthi uIsrayeli kalithathanga ilizwe laseMowabi lelamaAmoni,

¹⁶ kodwa ekuphumeni kwakhe eGibithe uIsrayeli wadabula enkangala waya oLwandle oluBomvu, wafika eKadeshi.

¹⁷ UIsrayeli wasethumela izithunywa enkosini yaseEdoma esithi: Akusivumele sidlule elizweni lakho; kodwa inkosi yaseEdoma kayaze yakulalela lokho. Basebethumela izithunywa enkosini yaseMowabi, layo kayivumanga. Ngakho abakoIsrayeli bahlala eKadeshi.

¹⁸ Basebedabula enkangala, balibhoda ilizwe laseEdoma lelaseMowabi, bafika ngasempumalanga kwelizwe laseMowabi. Bahlala ngaphetsheya kweArinoni, kodwa kabangenanga elizweni laseMowabi ngoba iArinoni lalingumngcele waseMowabi.

¹⁹ AbakoIsrayeli basebethuma izithunywa kuSihoni inkosi yamaAmori, inkosi yaseHeshiboni, bathi: Ake usivumele sedlule elizweni lakho siye kwelakithi.

²⁰ Kodwa uSihoni kamvumelanga uIsrayeli ukuba adlule elizweni lakhe; wasebutha bonke abantu bakhe, wamisa eJahazi, walwa loIsrayeli.

²¹ Kodwa iNkosi, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, yamnikela uSihoni labo bonke abantu bakhe esandleni sikaIsrayeli, babahlula. Ngakho abakoIsrayeli balithatha lonke ilizwe lamaAmori ayehlala kulelolizwe.

²² Balithatha lonke ilizwe lamaAmori kusukela eArinoni kusiya eJaboki, kusukela enkangala kusiya eJordani.

²³ Ngalokhoke iNkosi, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, yawaxotsha amaAmori phambi kwabantu bayo uIsrayeli. Wena uzakusithathela ilizwe na?

²⁴ Kawuyikuthatha lokhu uKemoshi unkulunkulu wakho akunika khona na? Konke lokho iNkosi uNkulunkulu wethu eyakuthathela abanye kungokwethu.

²⁵ Wenake ungcono yini kuloBalaki indodana kaZipori inkosi yaseMowabi na? Yena wake waxabana yini loIsrayeli na? Wake walwa labo na?

²⁶ Lapho uIsrayeli esehlala eHeshiboni lasemizini yalo, laseAroweri lasemizini yalo, lakuyo yonke imizi esokhunjini lweArinoni iminyaka engamakhulu amathathu, kungani ungalithathanga lelolizwe kulesosikhathi na?

²⁷ Ngakhoke mina kangilonanga ngalutho, uyangona wena ngokulwa lami; iNkosi uMahluleli izakwahlulela yona phakathi kwabakoIsrayeli lamaAmoni.

²⁸ Kodwa inkosi yamaAmoni kayiwalalelanga lamazwi kaJefta.

²⁹ UMoya weNkosi wasumehlela uJefta, wadabula iGileyadi lakoManase, wadlulela eMizipa laseGileyadi; wasuka lapho wadlulela kumaAmoni.

³⁰ UJefta wafunga eNkosini wathi: Uba unikela amaAmoni esandleni sami,

³¹ kuzakuthi loba yikuphi okuphuma endlini yami ukungihlangabeza ekubuyeni kwami senginqobile amaAmoni, kuzakuba ngokweNkosi, ngizakukunikela kube ngumnikelo wokutshiswa.

³² Ngakho uJefta wasecaphela kumaAmoni ukulwa lawo; iNkosi yawanikela esandleni sakhe.

³³ Wawachitha kusukela eAroweri kwaze kwaba seduze leMinithi, wathatha imizi engamatshumi amabili, waze wayafika eAbeli‐Keramimi, wawabulala wawaqothula. UIsrayeli wawanqoba ngokunjalo amaAmoni.

Indodakazi kaJefta

³⁴ UJefta wayafika emzini wakhe eMizipa. Kwaphuma indodakazi yakhe ukumhlangabeza, itshaya ichacho igida; yayinguye yedwa umntanakhe; ngaphandle kwayo wayengelandodana lendodakazi.

³⁵ Kwathi lapho eyibona wadabula izigqoko zakhe wathi: Maye mntanami! ungidabule inhliziyo, wangilethela ukuhlupheka okukhulu, ngoba ngifungile eNkosini, ngingeke ngisaphule isifungo sami.

³⁶ Yona yathi kuye: Baba, uba ufungile eNkosini, yenza kimi njengokufunga kwakho, lokhu iNkosi isikuphindisele ezitheni zakho amaAmoni.

³⁷ Ngicela ungenzele lokhu ukuthi ungiyekele inyanga ezimbili ngizule ezintabeni, ngikhalele ubuntombi bami mina labangane bami.

³⁸ Yena wathi: Hamba. Waseyiyekela ihamba okwenyanga ezimbili. Yasihambake, yona labangane bayo, yakhalela ubuntombi bayo ezintabeni.

³⁹ Ekupheleni kwenyanga ezimbili yabuyela kuyise owenza kuyo njengokufunga kwakhe. Yayingazanga ihlangane lendoda. Kwaba ngumkhubo koIsrayeli.

⁴⁰ ukuba amadodakazi akoIsrayeli ahambe yonke iminyaka ukukhalela indodakazi kaJefta owaseGileyadi insuku ezine ngomnyaka.