ABahluleli
11 UJeftha+ waseGiliyadi wayeyindoda eliqhawe. Wayezalwa ngowesifazana oyisifebe njalo uyise kwakunguGiliyadi. 2 Kodwa uGiliyadi wayelamanye amadodana ayewazalelwe yinkosikazi yakhe. Amadodana akhe athi esekhulile axotsha uJeftha esithi: “Kawusoze uthole lifa endlini kababa ngoba uzalwa ngomunye umfazi.” 3 Yikho uJeftha wabaleka kubafowabo wayahlala elizweni laseThobhi njalo amadoda ayetshona ehlezi engenzi lutho amanyana laye amlandela.
4 Ngemva kwesikhathi ama-Amoni alwa labako-Israyeli.+ 5 Abadala beGiliyadi bathi bebona ukuthi ama-Amoni ayesesilwa labako-Israyeli, basuka masinyane besiyathatha uJeftha elizweni laseThobhi. 6 Bafika bathi kuJeftha: “Woza uzokuba ngumkhokheli wethu ukuze senelise ukulwa lama-Amoni.” 7 Kodwa uJeftha wathi ebadaleni beGiliyadi: “Kanti kayisini elangizonda laze langixotsha endlini kababa?+ Kungani selibuya kimi selilohlupho?” 8 Abadala beGiliyadi basebesithi kuJeftha: “Yikho size kuwe. Nxa ungahamba lathi uyekulwa lama-Amoni, uzakuba ngumkhokheli wabantu bonke beGiliyadi.” + 9 UJeftha wasesithi ebadaleni beGiliyadi: “Nxa ngingahamba lani ukuyakulwa lama-Amoni futhi uJehova angisize ukuthi ngiwanqobe, ngizakuba ngumkhokheli wenu.” 10 Abadala beGiliyadi basebesithi kuJeftha: “UJehova kabe ngufakazi phakathi kwethu lawe nxa singayekela ukwenza okutshoyo.” 11 Yikho-ke uJeftha wahamba labadala beGiliyadi futhi abantu bamenza umkhokheli lenduna yabo. UJeftha wawaphinda wonke amazwi akhe phambi kukaJehova eMizipha.+
12 UJeftha wasethuma izithunywa enkosini yama-Amoni+ esithi: “Kuyini ongibangisa khona uze ubuye uzohlasela ilizwe lami?” 13 Inkosi yama-Amoni yaphendula izithunywa zikaJeftha yathi: “Ngiyakuhlasela ngoba abako-Israyeli bathi bephuma eGibhithe+ bafika bathatha ilizwe lami kusukela e-Arinoni+ kusiya eJabhokhi kuqhubeke kuze kuyefika eJodani.+ Khathesi libuyisele ngokuthula.” 14 Kodwa uJeftha watshela izithunywa zakhe ukuthi zibuyele enkosini yama-Amoni, 15 zifike zithi:
“UJeftha uthe: ‘Abako-Israyeli abazange bathathe ilizwe lamaMowabi+ lelama-Amoni,+ 16 ngoba bathi bephuma eGibhithe badabula enkangala badlula eLwandle Olubomvu+ baze bayafika eKhadeshi.+ 17 Sebelapho bathuma izithunywa enkosini yase-Edomi+ besithi: “Sicela ukudlula elizweni lakho,” kodwa inkosi yase-Edomi ayizange ivume. Bathumela ilizwi lasenkosini yamaMowabi+ kodwa layo ayizange ivume. Yikho abako-Israyeli baqhubeka behlala eKhadeshi.+ 18 Ngesikhathi bedabula enkangala bahamba beceza ilizwe lase-Edomi+ lelamaMowabi. Badlula besempumalanga kwelizwe lamaMowabi+ bayamisa inkamba yabo ngaphetsheya kwe-Arinoni. Abazange beqe umngcele bangene elizweni lamaMowabi ngoba i-Arinoni yiyo eyayingumngcele welizwe lamaMowabi.+
19 “‘Ngemva kwalokho abako-Israyeli bathuma izithunywa kuSihoni inkosi yama-Amori eyayibusa eHeshibhoni, bathi kuye: “Sicela ukudlula elizweni lakho sisiya endaweni yethu.”+ 20 Kodwa uSihoni wala ukuthi abako-Israyeli badlule elizweni lakhe ngenxa yokuthi wayengabathembi. Wabiza bonke abantu bakhe babuthana eJahazi balwa labako-Israyeli.+ 21 UJehova uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli wanikela uSihoni labo bonke abantu bakhe esandleni sama-Israyeli. Bawanqoba ama-Amori bathatha lonke ilizwe ayehlala kulo kuleyondawo.+ 22 Bathatha lonke ilizwe lama-Amori kusukela e-Arinoni kuze kuyefika eJabhokhi, kusukela enkangala kusiya kuJodani.+
23 “‘UJehova uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli nguye owaxotsha ama-Amori phambi kwabantu bakhe.+ Manje wena nguwe osungabasusa yini? 24 Angithi wena uthatha lokho okuphiwa ngunkulunkulu wakho uKhemoshi?+ Yikho lathi sithatha ilizwe laloba ngubani oxotshwa nguJehova uNkulunkulu wethu phambi kwethu.+ 25 Kambe wena ungcono kuloBhalakhi+ indodana kaZiphori inkosi yamaMowabi? Yena wake wamelana labako-Israyeli yini? Wake walwa labo yini? 26 Abako-Israyeli sebeleminyaka engu-300 behlala eHeshibhoni lasemadolobheni aseduze kwayo,+ lase-Aroweri lasemadolobheni aseduze kwayo kanye lasemadolobheni wonke aduze lomfula u-Arinoni. Pho kungani lihlale iminyaka yonke le lingazithathanga indawo lezi?+ 27 Angikonelanga lutho kodwa nguwe ophambanisayo ngokungihlasela. UJehova uMahluleli+ kahlulele lamuhla phakathi kwama-Israyeli lama-Amoni.’”
28 Kodwa inkosi yama-Amoni kayizange ililalele ilizwi eyayilithunyelwe nguJeftha.
29 Umoya kaJehova wehlela phezu kukaJeftha+ wasedabula elizweni leGiliyadi lelakoManase esiya eMizipha yaseGiliyadi,+ wadlulela phambili esiyakulwa lama-Amoni.
30 UJeftha wafunga+ kuJehova wathi: “Nxa unganikela ama-Amoni esandleni sami, 31 ngizakupha loba ngubani ozakuba ngowokuqala ukuphuma endlini yami engihlangabeza sengivela nqoba ama-Amoni. Uzakuba ngowakho Jehova+ futhi ngizanikela ngaye, abe ngumnikelo wokutshiswa.”+
32 UJeftha wasuka-ke wayakulwa lama-Amoni njalo uJehova wawanikela esandleni sakhe. 33 Wabulala ama-Amoni amanengi kusukela e-Aroweri kuze kuyefika eMinithi futhi wathumba lamadolobho angu-20 waze wayafika e-Abheli-kheramimi. Abako-Israyeli bawanqoba njalo ama-Amoni.
34 Ngemva kwalokho uJeftha wabuyela emzini wakhe eMizipha.+ Uthe efika nje indodakazi yakhe yaphuma yamhlangabeza, itshaya ithamborini futhi igida. Wayelomntwana oyedwa zwi, engela enye indodakazi loba indodana. 35 Wathi eyibona wadabula izembatho zakhe wathi: “Awu ndodakazi yami! Sungidabule inhliziyo ngoba sengizakwehlukana* lawe. Ngifungile kuJehova, ngeke ngephule isithembiso sami.”+
36 Kodwa indodakazi yakhe yathi: “Baba, nxa ufungile kuJehova yenza kimi njengoba uthembisile+ ngoba uJehova usekuphindiselele ezitheni zakho ama-Amoni.” 37 Yaqhubeka yathi kuyise: “Kulento eyodwa nje engiyicelayo. Ngicela ungivumele ngiye ezintabeni okwenyanga ezimbili ngiyelilela ubuntombi bami ngilabangane bami.”*
38 UJeftha wasesithi endodakazini yakhe: “Kulungile.” Wayivumela ukuthi iye ezintabeni labangane bayo ukuze iyelilela ubuntombi bayo. 39 Ngemva kwenyanga ezimbili yabuyela kuyise, uJeftha wasegcwalisa isifungo ayesenzile ngendodakazi yakhe.+ Kayizange ilale lendoda okwempilo yayo yonke. Kwaba ngumkhuba ko-Israyeli 40 ukuthi minyaka yonke amadodakazi aseJerusalema ahambe ayekhuthaza* indodakazi kaJeftha waseGiliyadi. Lokhu ayekwenza okwensuku ezine ngomnyaka.