1 UJefta wakwaGileyadi wayeyiqhawe elinamandla; wayeyindodana yesifebe; uGileyadi wamzala uJefta.
2 UmkaGileyadi wamzalela amadodana; esekhulile amadodana omkakhe amxosha uJefta, athi kuye: “Awuyikulidla ifa endlini kababa, ngokuba uyindodana yomunye owesifazane.”
3 UJefta wabalekela abafowabo, wahlala ezweni laseThobi; kwabuthana kuJefta amayiyane, aphuma naye.
4 Kwathi emva kwesikhashana abantwana bakwa-Amoni balwa no-Israyeli.
5 Bathi abantwana bakwa-Amoni belwa no-Israyeli, amalunga akwaGileyadi aya amlanda uJefta ezweni laseThobi.
6 Athi kuJefta: “Woza ube ngumholi wethu, silwe nabantwana bakwa-Amoni.”
7 UJefta wathi kumalunga akwaGileyadi: “Aningizondanga yini, nangixosha endlini kababa na? Nizelani kimi manje nisekuhluphekeni na?”
8 Amalunga akwaGileyadi athi kuJefta: “Sibuyele kuwe manje ngalokhu ukuba uhambe nathi, ulwe nabantwana bakwa-Amoni, ube yinhloko phezu kwabo bonke abakhe kwaGileyadi.”
9 Wayesethi uJefta kumalunga akwaGileyadi: “Uma ningibuyisa ukulwa nabantwana bakwa-Amoni, uJehova abanikele phambi kwami, ngiyakuba yinhloko yenu.”
10 Amalunga akwaGileyadi athi kuJefta: “UJehova makabe ngufakazi wethu; impela siyakwenza njengezwi lakho.”
11 UJefta wayesehamba namalunga akwaGileyadi; abantu bamenza inhloko nomholi phezu kwabo; uJefta wakhuluma onke amazwi akhe phambi kukaJehova eMispa.
12 UJefta wathuma izithunywa enkosini yabantwana bakwa-Amoni, wathi: “Unamsebenzi muni nami ukuba uze kimi ukulwa nezwe lakithi na?”
13 Inkosi yabantwana bakwa-Amoni yathi kuzo izithunywa zikaJefta: “Ngokuba u-Israyeli walithatha izwe lakithi ekukhuphukeni kwakhe eGibithe, kusukela e-Arinoni kuze kube seJaboki naseJordani, buyisani lawo mazwe ngokuthula.”
14 UJefta wabuye wathuma izithunywa enkosini yabantwana bakwa-Amoni,
15 wathi kuyo: “Usho kanje uJefta, uthi: U-Israyeli akathathanga izwe lakwaMowabi nezwe labantwana bakwa-Amoni.
16 Ngokuba ekukhuphukeni kwabo eGibithe, u-Israyeli ehamba ehlane waze wafika eLwandle Olubomvu, wafika naseKadeshi,
17 u-Israyeli wathuma izithunywa enkosini yakwa-Edomi, wathi: ‘Ake ngidabule izwe lakho;’ kepha inkosi yakwa-Edomi ayilalelanga; nasenkosini yakwaMowabi wathuma kanjalo; kepha ayivumanga; u-Israyeli wayesehlala eKadeshi.
18 “Wayesehamba ehlane, wazungeza izwe lakwa-Edomi nezwe lakwaMowabi, weza ngasempumalanga kwezwe lakwaMowabi, wamisa ngaphesheya kwe-Arinoni; kepha abangenanga emkhawulweni wakwaMowabi, ngokuba i-Arinoni lalingumkhawulo wakwaMowabi.
19 “U-Israyeli wayesethuma izithunywa kuSihoni inkosi yama-Amori, inkosi yaseHeshiboni; u-Israyeli wathi kuye: ‘Ake sidabule izwe lakho, siye endaweni yethu.’
20 Kodwa uSihoni akamethembanga u-Israyeli ukuba adabule emkhawulweni wakhe; kepha uSihoni wabutha bonke abantu bakhe, wamisa eJahasi, walwa no-Israyeli.
21 “UJehova uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli wanikela uSihoni nabo bonke abantu bakhe esandleni sakwa-Israyeli, bababulala; u-Israyeli wadla izwe lonke lama-Amori, abantu balelo zwe.
22 Badla izwe lonke lama-Amori, kusukela e-Arinoni kuze kube seJakobi, kusukela ehlane kuze kube seJordani.
23 “Manje uJehova uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli uwaxoshile ama-Amori phambi kwabantu bakhe u-Israyeli; wena uyakulidla izwe na?
24 Awuyikudla lelo uKemoshi unkulunkulu wakho akunika lona ukuba ulidle na? Kanjalo bonke uJehova, uNkulunkulu wethu, abaxosha phambi kwethu, siyalidla elabo.
25 Pho, ungcono yini kunoBalaki indodana kaSipori, inkosi yakwaMowabi, na? Wake waphikisana no-Israyeli, wake walwa nabo na?
26 U-Israyeli esahlala eHeshiboni nasemizaneni yalo, nase-Aroweri nasemizaneni yalo, nasemizini yonke engaseceleni kwe-Arinoni iminyaka engamakhulu amathathu, anisaphucanga ngani yona ngaleso sikhathi na?
27 Mina angikonanga, kepha wena wenza okubi kimi ngokulwa nami; uJehova uMahluleli makahlulele namuhla phakathi kwabantwana bakwa-Israyeli nabantwana bakwa-Amoni.”
28 Kodwa inkosi yabantwana bakwa-Amoni ayilalelanga amazwi kaJefta awathuma kuyo.
29 Khona uMoya kaJehova wafika kuJefta, wadlula kwaGileyadi nakwaManase, wadlula naseMispa lakwaGileyadi; esuka eMispa lakwaGileyadi wadlulela kubantwana bakwa-Amoni.
30 UJefta wenza isithembiso kuJehova, wathi: “Uma uyakunikela impela abantwana bakwa-Amoni esandleni sami,
31 kuyakuthi noma yikuphi okuphuma eminyango yendlu yami ukungihlangabeza, lapho ngibuya ngokuthula kubantwana bakwa-Amoni, kube ngokukaJehova, nginikele ngakho kube ngumnikelo wokushiswa.”
32 UJefta wayesedlulela kubantwana bakwa-Amoni ukulwa nabo; uJehova wabanikela esandleni sakhe.
33 Wababulala kusukela e-Aroweri kuze kufike eMiniti, imizi engamashumi amabili, nase-Abela Keramimi ngokuceka okukhulu kakhulu. Kanjalo abantwana bakwa-Amoni banqotshwa phambi kwabantwana bakwa-Israyeli.
34 UJefta weza eMispa endlini yakhe; bheka, indodakazi yakhe yaphuma ukumhlangabeza, iza nezigubhu nokusina; yayingumntwana oyedwa; ngaphandle kwakhe wayengenandodana nandodakazi.
35 Kwathi lapho eyibona, waklebhula izingubo zakhe, wathi: “Hawu, mntanami, ungithobisile kakhulu, ungomunye wabangihluphayo, ngokuba ngivulile umlomo kuJehova, angisenakubuya.”
36 Wathi kuye: “Baba, uvulile umlomo wakho kuJehova; yenza kimi njengokuphumileyo emlonyeni wakho, lokhu uJehova ekuphindisele ezitheni zakho, abantwana bakwa-Amoni.”
37 Yathi kuyise: “Mangenzelwe lokhu: ngiyeke izinyanga ezimbili ukuba ngiye, ngehlele ezintabeni, ngililele ubuntombi bami, mina nabangane bami.”
38 Wathi: “Hamba.” Wayimukisa izinyanga ezimbili; yamuka yona nabangane bayo, yalilela ubuntombi bayo ezintabeni.
39 Kwathi ngasekupheleni kwezinyanga ezimbili, yabuyela kuyise owenza kuyo njengokwesithembiso sakhe asethembisileyo; ayiyazanga indoda.
40 Kwaba yisimiso kwa-Israyeli ukuba amadodakazi akwa-Israyeli aye yonke iminyaka ukuyitusa indodakazi kaJefta wakwaGileyadi izinsuku ezine ngomnyaka.