Yefta Bɛyɛ Israel So Temmufo
1Gileadni Yefta yɛ ɔkofo kɛse. Nʼagya din de Gilead. Nanso ne na yɛ ɔbea guamanfo. 2Gilead yere woo mmabarima bebree, na saa mmabarima no nyinyinii no, wɔpam Yefta fii asase no so. Wɔka kyerɛɛ no se, “Worennya yɛn agya agyapade biara, efisɛ woyɛ ɔbea guamanfo bi ba.” 3Enti Yefta guan fii ne nuanom nkyɛn kɔtenaa Tob asase so. Ankyɛ, onyaa atuatewfo bebree bedii nʼakyi.
4Bere koro yi ara, Amonfo de ɔko bɛkaa Israel. 5Bere a Amonfo tow hyɛɛ Israelfo so no, Gilead mpanyimfo soma kɔfaa Yefta fii Tob asase so bae. Wɔka kyerɛɛ no se, 6“Bra na bɛyɛ yɛn so ɔsahene! Boa yɛn ma yɛne Amonfo nko.”
7Yefta bisaa wɔn se, “Ɛnyɛ mo na motan me, pam me fii mʼagya fi no? Adɛn nti na afei a mowɔ ɔhaw mu no, morebɛfrɛ me?”
8Gilead mpanyimfo no ka kyerɛɛ Yefta se, “Wo ho hia yɛn. Sɛ wudi yɛn anim ma yɛko tia Amonfo a, yɛbɛyɛ wo Gileadfo nyinaa sodifo.”
9Yefta buae se, “Sɛ me ne mo kɔ na Awurade ma midi Amonfo so nkonim a, ampa ara sɛ mode me bɛyɛ nnipa no nyinaa sodifo ana?”
10Gilead ntuanofo no buaa no se, “Awurade ne yɛn dansefo. Yɛbɛyɛ sɛnea woka biara.” 11Enti Yefta ne ntuanofo no kɔɔ Gilead. Na wɔde no yɛɛ wɔn sodifo ne ɔsahene. Na Yefta tii nsɛm no nyinaa mu wɔ Mispa wɔ Awurade anim.
12Afei, Yefta somaa abɔfo kɔɔ Amonfo hene nkyɛn se wonkobisa no nea enti a ɔrebɛtow ahyɛ Israel so. 13Amonfo hene buaa Yefta abɔfo no se, “Bere a Israel fii Misraim bae no, wɔfaa mʼasase a efi Asubɔnten Arnon de kosi Asubɔnten Yabok, toa so kosi Yordan. Enti san fa mʼade ma me asomdwoe mu.”
14Na Yefta san somaa abɔfo kɔɔ Amonfo hene hɔ se,
15“Sɛnea Yefta se ni: Israel amfa Moab asase anaa Amonfo asase biara. 16Bere a Israelfo tuu kwan fii Misraim, twaa Po Kɔkɔɔ na woduu Kades no, 17wɔsomaa abɔfo kɔɔ Edomhene hɔ sɛ ɔmma wɔn kwan na wɔmfa nʼasase no so. Nanso Edomhene ampene. Wɔsoma ma wɔkɔɔ Moabhene hɔ, nanso ɔno nso ampene. Enti, Israelfo tenaa Kades.
18“Ne korakora ne sɛ, wɔnam sare so twa faa Edom ne Moab ho hyiae. Wɔfaa Edom apuei fam hye so kyeree nsraban wɔ Asubɔnten Arnon fa hɔ. Nanso wɔantwa Asubɔnten Arnon ankɔ Moab asase so.
19“Afei, Israelfo somaa abɔfo kɔɔ Amorihene Sihon a odii ade fi Hesbon na wɔsrɛɛ kwan sɛ wɔpɛ sɛ wɔfa nʼasase so kɔ baabi a wɔrekɔ no. 20Nanso esiane sɛ na ɔhene Sihon nni Israelfo mu gyidi nti ɔboaboaa ne dɔm ano wɔ Yahas ma wɔtow hyɛɛ wɔn so.
21“Na Awurade, Israel Nyankopɔn, maa ne nkurɔfo dii ɔhene Sihon so. Enti Israelfo faa Amorifo asase a na wɔte so wɔ ɔmantam no mu, 22fi Asubɔnten Arnon de kosi Asubɔnten Yabok, fi sare no so de kosi Yordan nyinaa dii so.
23“Enti moahu, ɛyɛ Awurade, Israel Nyankopɔn na ogyee asase no fii Amorifo nsam na ɔde maa Israel. Adɛn na ɛsɛ sɛ yɛde ma mo? 24Nea mo nyame Kemos de maa mo no momfa, na yɛn nso, nea Awurade, yɛn Nyankopɔn de maa yɛn biara no yɛafa. 25So wosen Mosen, Sipor babarima Balak a na ɔyɛ Moabhene no? Ɔne Israel hamee anaa koe ana? 26Na afei, mfe ahaasa akyi na woama saa asɛm yi so? Israel atena ha saa bere tenten yi, wɔatrɛw afi Hesbon asase so, akosi Aroer ne nkurow no nyinaa so, akɔfa Asubɔnten Arnon ano. Adɛn nti na mmere sann yi moanyɛ mo adwene sɛ mubegye asase yi? 27Menyɛɛ mo bɔne. Mmom, mo na moayɛ me bɔne sɛ motow hyɛɛ me so. Momma Awurade a ɔyɛ otemmufo no mmua nnɛ, sɛ yɛn mu hena na nʼasɛm yɛ dɛ? Israel anaa Amon.”
28Nanso Amonhene amfa Yefta asɛm no asɛnhia.
Yefta Ntam
29Saa bere no, Awurade Honhom baa Yefta so maa ɔkɔɔ Gilead ne Manase nsase nyinaa so a, Mispa a ɛwɔ Gilead ka ho. Na odii asraafo anim tow hyɛɛ Amonfo so. 30Na Yefta hyɛɛ Awurade bɔ. Ɔkae se, “Sɛ woma midi Amonfo so a, 31mede ade a ebedi kan afi me fi abehyia me bere a mede nkonimdi reba no, bɛma Awurade. Mede bɛma no sɛ ɔhyew afɔre.”
32Ɛnna Yefta dii nʼakofo anim tiaa Amonfo, na Awurade ma odii nkonim. 33Odii Amonfo so pasaa, sɛee nkurow bɛyɛ aduonu, fii Aroer de kosii baabi a ɛbɛn Minit, kɔe ara kosii Abel-Keramim. Saa kwan yi so na Israelfo fa kaa Amonfo hyɛe.
34Bere a Yefta fi akono kɔɔ ne fi wɔ Mispa no, ne babea, a ɔyɛ ne ba koro no, tuu mmirika behyiaa no a ɔrebɔ akasae, na anigye nti, ɔresaw. 35Yefta huu no no, ɔde awerɛhow sunsuan ne ntade mu, teɛɛ mu se, “Ao, me ba! Woabrɛ me ase na matetew apansam. Na maka Awurade ntam na merentumi mmu so.”
36Ne babea no buae se, “Mʼagya, woahyɛ Awurade bɔ. Yɛ me sɛnea woahyɛ bɔ no, efisɛ Awurade ama woadi wʼatamfo a wɔyɛ Amonfo no so nkonim. 37Nanso nea edi kan no, ma memforo mmepɔw nkokyinkyin so na me ne me nnamfonom nsu asram abien, efisɛ mewu sɛ ababaa a minhuu ɔbarima da.”
38Yefta ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Wutumi kɔ.” Enti ɔmaa no kɔ kodii asram abien. Ɔne ne nnamfonom kɔɔ mmepɔw no so kosui, efisɛ ɔrennya mma. 39Bere a ɔsan baa fie no, nʼagya dii ne bɔhyɛ so. Enti owui sɛ ababaa a onhuu ɔbarima da.
Eyi abɛyɛ amanne wɔ Israel 40ama Israel mmabun sɛ afe biara wɔbɛkɔ baabi akodi nnaanan na wɔakosu Yefta babea no nkrabea.
1Jephthah was a mighty warrior. He was from the land of Gilead. His father’s name was Gilead. Jephthah’s mother was a prostitute. 2Gilead’s wife also had sons by him. When they had grown up, they drove Jephthah away. “You aren’t going to get any share of our family’s property,” they said. “You are the son of another woman.” 3So Jephthah ran away from his brothers. He made his home in the land of Tob. A group of men who weren’t good for anything gathered around him there. And they followed him.
4Some time later, the Ammonites were fighting against Israel. 5So the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. 6“Come with us,” they said. “Be our commander. Then we can fight against the Ammonites.”
7Jephthah said to them, “Didn’t you hate me? Didn’t you drive me away from my father’s house? Why are you coming to me only when you are in trouble?”
8The elders of Gilead replied to him. “You are right,” they said. “That’s why we’re turning to you now. Come with us and fight against the Ammonites. Then you will rule over all of us who live in Gilead.”
9Jephthah said, “Suppose you take me back to fight against the Ammonites. And suppose the Lord gives me victory over them. Then will I really be your leader?”
10The elders of Gilead replied, “The Lord is our witness. We’ll certainly do as you say.” 11So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead. And the people made him their leader and commander. He went to Mizpah. There he repeated to the Lord everything he had said.
12Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of Ammon. They asked, “What do you have against me? Why have you attacked my country?”
13The king of Ammon answered Jephthah’s messengers. He said, “Israel came up out of Egypt. At that time they took my land away. They took all the land between the Arnon River and the Jabbok River. It reached all the way to the Jordan River. Now give it back. Then there will be peace.”
14Jephthah sent messengers back to the king of Ammon. 15They said,
“Here is what Jephthah says to you. Israel didn’t take the land of Moab. They didn’t take the land of Ammon. 16When Israel came up out of Egypt, they went through the desert to the Red Sea. From there they went on to Kadesh. 17Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom. They said, ‘Please let us go through your country.’ But the king of Edom wouldn’t listen to them. They sent the same message to the king of Moab. But he refused too. So Israel stayed at Kadesh.
18“Next, they traveled through the desert. They traveled along the borders of the lands of Edom and Moab. They passed along the east side of the country of Moab. They camped on the other side of the Arnon River. They didn’t enter the territory of Moab. The Arnon River was Moab’s border.
19“Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon. He was the king of the Amorites. He ruled in Heshbon. They said to him, ‘Let us pass through your country to our own land.’ 20But Sihon didn’t trust Israel to pass through his territory. Instead, he gathered all his troops together. They camped at Jahaz. And they fought against Israel.
21“Then the Lord, the God of Israel, handed Sihon and his whole army over to Israel. Israel won the battle over them. Amorites were living in the country at that time. And Israel took over all their land. 22Israel captured all the land between the Arnon River and the Jabbok River. It reached from the desert all the way to the Jordan River.
23“The Lord, the God of Israel, has driven the Amorites out to make room for his people. So what right do you have to take it over? 24You will take what your god Chemosh gives you, won’t you? In the same way, we will take over what the Lord our God has given us. 25Are you any better than Balak, the son of Zippor? Balak was the king of Moab. Did he ever argue with Israel? Did he ever fight against them? 26For 300 years Israel has been living in Heshbon and Aroer. They have been living in the settlements around those cities. They have also been living in all the towns along the Arnon River. Why didn’t you take those places back during that time? 27I haven’t done anything wrong to you. But you are doing something wrong to me. You have gone to war against me. The Lord is the Judge. So let him decide our case today. Let him settle matters between the Israelites and the Ammonites.”
28But the king of Ammon didn’t pay any attention to the message Jephthah sent him.
29Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah. He went across the territories of Gilead and Manasseh. He passed through Mizpah in the land of Gilead. From there he attacked the people of Ammon. 30Jephthah made a promise to the Lord. Jephthah said, “Hand the Ammonites over to me. 31If you do, here’s what I’ll do when I come back from winning the battle. Anything that comes out the door of my house to meet me will belong to the Lord. I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”
32Then Jephthah went over to fight against the Ammonites. The Lord handed them over to him. 33Jephthah destroyed 20 towns between Aroer and the area of Minnith. He destroyed them all the way to Abel Keramim. So Israel brought Ammon under their control.
34Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah. And guess who came out to meet him. It was his daughter! She was dancing to the beat of tambourines. She was his only child. He didn’t have any other sons or daughters. 35When Jephthah saw her, he was so upset that he tore his clothes. He cried out, “Oh no, my daughter! You have filled me with trouble and sorrow. I’ve made a promise to the Lord. And I can’t break it.”
36“My father,” she replied, “you have given your word to the Lord. So do to me just what you promised to do. The Ammonites were your enemies. And the Lord has paid them back for what they did to you. 37But please do one thing for me,” she continued. “Give me two months to wander around in the hills. Let me weep there with my friends. I want to do that because I’ll never get married.”
38“You may go,” he said. He let her go for two months. She and her friends went into the hills. They were filled with sadness because she would never get married. 39After the two months were over, she returned to her father. He did to her just what he had promised to do. And she was a virgin.
So that became a practice in Israel. 40Each year the young women of Israel go away for four days. They do it in honor of the daughter of Jephthah. He was from the land of Gilead.
