¹Zvino Jefuta muGiriyadhi, wakange ari munhu ane simba noumhare, asi wakange ari mwanakomana wechifeve; Giriyadhi ndiye wakabereka Jefuta.

¹Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, and he was the son of a prostitute: and Gilead became the father of Jephthah.

²Mukadzi waGiriyadhi akamuberekera vanakomana; zvino vanakomana vomukadzi wake vakati vakura, vakadzinga Jefuta, vakati kwaari, Haungadyi nhaka mumba mababa vedu, nekuti uri mwanakomana womumwe mukadzi.

²Gilead’s wife bore him sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove out Jephthah, and said to him, “You shall not inherit in our father’s house; for you are the son of another woman.”

³Ipapo Jefuta akatiza vanin'ina vake, akandogara panyika yeTobhi; varume vakaipa vakaunganira kuna Jefuta, vakasibuda naye kundorwa.

³Then Jephthah fled from his brothers, and lived in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain fellows to Jephthah, and they went out with him.

⁴Zvino nguva yakati yapfuura, vana vaAmoni vakandorwa navalsiraeri,

⁴It happened after a while, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel.

⁵Zvino vana vaAmoni vakati vorwa navaIsiraeri, vakuru veGiriyadhi vakandotora Jefuta panyika yeTobhi.

⁵It was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah out of the land of Tob;

⁶Vakati kuna Jefuta, Uya, uve ishe wedu, kuti tindorwa navana vaAmoni.

⁶and they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our chief, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.”

⁷Jefuta akati kuvakuru veGiriyadhi, Hamuna kundivenga mukandidzinga mumba mababa vangu here? Zvino mauyireiko kwandiri, zvamava munjodzi?

⁷Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Didn’t you hate me, and drive me out of my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in distress?”

⁸Vakuru veGiriyadhi vakati kuna Jefuta, Naizvozvo tadzokera kwauri, kuti uende nesu kundorwa navana vaAmoni, iwe ugova mukuru wedu nowavose vagere Giriyadhi.

⁸The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “Therefore we have turned again to you now, that you may go with us, and fight with the children of Ammon; and you shall be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

⁹Jefuta akati kuvakuru veGiriyadhi, Kana muchindidzosa kuti ndirwe navana vaAmoni, kana Jehovha akavaisa mumaoko angu, ndichava mukuru wenyu here?

⁹Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you bring me home again to fight with the children of Ammon, and Yahweh deliver them before me, shall I be your head?”

¹⁰Vakuru veGiriyadhi vakati kuna Jefuta, Jehovha unoteerera pakati pedu; zvirokwazvo tichaita sezvawataura iwe.

¹⁰The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “Yahweh shall be witness between us; surely according to your word so will we do.”

¹¹Zvino Jefuta akaenda navakuru veGiriyadhi, vanhu vakamuita mukuru nashe wavo; Jefuta akataura mashoko ake ose pamberi paJehovha paMizipa.

¹¹Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them: and Jephthah spoke all his words before Yahweh in Mizpah.

¹²Zvino Jefuta akatuma nhume kuna mambo wavana vaAmoni, akati, Mhosva yako ndeyeiko, zvawauya kuzorwa neni nenyika yangu?

¹²Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon, saying, “What have you to do with me, that you have come to me to fight against my land?”

¹³Mambo wavana vaAmoni akapindura nhume dzaJefuta, akati: Nekuti vaIsiraeri vakatora nyika yangu, nguva yavakabva Egipita, kubva paArinoni kusvikira paJabhoki neJoridhani, saka zvino chidzosai nyika idzo norugare.

¹³The king of the children of Ammon answered to the messengers of Jephthah, “Because Israel took away my land, when he came up out of Egypt, from the Arnon even to the Jabbok, and to the Jordan: now therefore restore that territory again peaceably.”

¹⁴Ipapo Jefuta akatumazve nhume kuna mambo wavana vaAmoni,

¹⁴Jephthah sent messengers again to the king of the children of Ammon;

¹⁵akati kwavari, Zvanzi naJefuta, VaIsiraeri havana kutora nyika yaMoabhu, kana nyika yavana vaAmoni;

¹⁵and he said to him, “Thus says Jephthah: Israel didn’t take away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon,

¹⁶asi panguva yakakwira valsiraeri vachibva Egipita, vakafamba murenje kusvikira paGungwa Dzvuku, vakasvika paKadheshi,

¹⁶but when they came up from Egypt, and Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea or, Sea of Reeds , and came to Kadesh;

¹⁷vaIsiraeri vakatuma nhume kuna mambo waEdhomu, vachiti, Nditenderei henyu kupfuura napanyika yenyu; asi mambo waEdhomu wakaramba kunzwa. Saizvozvo akatumawo nhume kuna mambo waMoabhu; asi iye wakaramba; zvino vaIsiraeri vakagara paKadheshi.

¹⁷then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Please let me pass through your land;’ but the king of Edom didn’t listen. In the same way, he sent to the king of Moab; but he would not: and Israel stayed in Kadesh.

¹⁸Ipapo vakafamba nomurenje, vakapota nyika yaEdhomu nenyika yaMoabhu, vakaenda nokumabvazuva enyika yaMoabhu, vakadzika matende avo nechemhiri kwaArinoni; asi havana kudarika muganhu waMoabhu, nekuti Arinoni waiva muganhu waMoabhu.

¹⁸Then they went through the wilderness, and went around the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and they encamped on the other side of the Arnon; but they didn’t come within the border of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab.

¹⁹Ipapo vaIsiraeri vakatuma nhume kuna Sihoni, mambo wavaAmori, mambo weHeshibhoni; vaIsiraeri vakati kwaari, Titenderei henyu kupfuura napanyika yenyu, kusvikira panzvimbo yedu.

¹⁹Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said to him, ‘Please let us pass through your land to my place.’

²⁰Asi Sihoni haana kutenda vaIsiraeri kuti vadarike muganhu wake; Sihoni akaunganidza vanhu vake vose, akandodzika matende ake paJahazi, akarwa navalsiraeri.

²⁰But Sihon didn’t trust Israel to pass through his border; but Sihon gathered all his people together, and encamped in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.

²¹Zvino Jehovha Mwari wavaIsiraeri akaisa Sihoni navanhu vake vose mumaoko avaIsiraeri vakavauraya; naizvozvo vaIsiraeri vakatora nyika yose yavaAmori, vakanga vagere munyika ivo, ikava yavo.

²¹Yahweh, the God of Israel, delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they struck them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.

²²Nyika yose yavaAmori ikava yavo, kubva paArinoni kusvikira paJabhoki, kubva kurenje, kusvikira paJoridhani.

²²They possessed all the border of the Amorites, from the Arnon even to the Jabbok, and from the wilderness even to the Jordan.

²³Saka zvino Jehovha Mwari wavaIsiraeri ndiye wakatorera vaAmori nyika yavo pamberi pavanhu vake vaIsiraeri, zvino imwi moda kuvatorerazve here?

²³So now Yahweh, the God of Israel, has dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and should you possess them?

²⁴Ko imwi hamungatori izvo zvamunopiwa namwari wenyu Kemoshi here, nesuwo titore nyika yavose vanodzingwa pamberi pedu naJehovha Mwari wedu?

²⁴Won’t you possess that which Chemosh your god gives you to possess? So whoever Yahweh our God has dispossessed from before us, them will we possess.

²⁵Ko zvino imwi makanaka kupfuura Bharaki mwanakomana waZipori, mambo waMoabhu here? Iye wakatongopopotera vaIsiraeri, kana kurwa navo here?

²⁵Now are you anything better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them?

²⁶Nguva yakagara vaIsiraeri paHeshibhoni nemisha yaro, napaAroeri nemisha yaro, napamaguta ose ari parutivi rwaArinoni, makore ana mazana matatu, makaregereiko kuvatorera nyika iyo nenguva iyo?

²⁶While Israel lived in Heshbon and its towns, and in Aroer and its towns, and in all the cities that are along by the side of the Arnon, three hundred years; why didn’t you recover them within that time?

²⁷Naizvozvo ini handina kukutadzira, asi ndiwe unondiitira zvakaipa, uchida kurwa neni; Jehovha, iye Mutongi, ngaatonge nhasi pakati pavana vaIsiraeri navana vaAmoni.

²⁷I therefore have not sinned against you, but you do me wrong to war against me. Yahweh, the Judge, be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.”

²⁸Asi mambo wavana vaAmoni haana kuteerera mashoko aJefuta, aakatuma kwaari.

²⁸However the king of the children of Ammon didn’t listen to the words of Jephthah which he sent him.

²⁹Zvino Mweya waJehovha wakauya pamusoro paJefuta, akapfuura kunyika yaGiriyadhi neyaManase, akapfuurawo napaMizipa paGiriyadhi, akabva paMizipa paGiriyadhi, akapfuura kuvana vaAmoni.

²⁹Then the Spirit of Yahweh came on Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over to the children of Ammon.

³⁰Jefuta akapikira Jehovha mhiko, akati, Kana mukaisa vana vaAmoni mumaoko angu,

³⁰Jephthah vowed a vow to Yahweh, and said, “If you will indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand,

³¹ipapo ani naani unobuda pamikova yeimba yangu kuzosongana neni, musi wandinodzoka norugare ndichibva kuvana vaAmoni, uchava waJehovha; ndichauya naye, chive chipiriso chinopiswa.

³¹then it shall be, that whatever comes forth from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, it shall be Yahweh’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.”

³²Ipapo Jefuta akapfuurira kuvana vaAmoni, akandorwa navo; Jehovha akavaisa mumaoko ake.

³²So Jephthah passed over to the children of Ammon to fight against them; and Yahweh delivered them into his hand.

³³Akavaparadza nokuparadza kukuru kwazvo, kubva paAroeri kusvikira paMiniti, maguta anamakumi maviri, nokusvikira paAbherikeramimi. Vana vaAmoni vakakundwa saizvozvo pamberi pavana vaIsiraeri.

³³He struck them from Aroer until you come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and to Abelcheramim, with a very great slaughter. So the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

³⁴Jefuta akasvika paMizipa paimba yake, zvino tarira, mukunda wake akabuda kuzosangana naye namakandira, nokupembera. Iye wakange ari mwana wake mumwe chete, wakange asina mumwe mwana kunze kwake, kana mwanakomana, kana mwanasikana.

³⁴Jephthah came to Mizpah to his house; and behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances: and she was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter.

³⁵Zvino wakati achimuona, akabvarura nguvo dzake, akati, Haiwa! Mukunda wangu! Iwe wandionesa nhamo kwazvo, iwe uri pakati pavanondiisa panjodzi; nekuti ndakashamisa muromo wangu kuna Jehovha, handingagoni kudzoka.

³⁵It happened, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you are one of those who trouble me; for I have opened my mouth to Yahweh, and I can’t go back.”

³⁶Iye akati, Baba vangu, makashamisa muromo wenyu kuna Jehovha; ndiitirei henyu sezvamakataura, nekuti Jehovha wakakutsivirai kwazvo vavengi venyu, ivo vana vaAmoni.

³⁶She said to him, “My father, you have opened your mouth to Yahweh; do to me according to that which has proceeded out of your mouth, because Yahweh has taken vengeance for you on your enemies, even on the children of Ammon.”

³⁷Akati kuna baba vake, Nditenderei henyu chinhu ichi: Nditenderei mwedzi miviri, ndiende, ndiburukire kumakomo, ndicheme umhandara hwangu, ini neshamwari dzangu.

³⁷She said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may depart and go down on the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my companions.”

³⁸Ivo vakati, Chienda hako. Akamutendera mwedzi miviri; akaenda, iye neshamwari dzake, akandochema umhandara hwake kumakomo.

³⁸He said, “Go.” He sent her away for two months: and she departed, she and her companions, and mourned her virginity on the mountains.

³⁹Zvino mwedzi miviri yakati yapera, akadzokera kuna baba vake, ivo vakamuitira sezvavakanga vapika; wakange asina kuziva murume. Ikazova tsika pakati pavaIsiraeri,

³⁹It happened at the end of two months, that she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she was a virgin. It was a custom in Israel,

⁴⁰kuti vakunda vaIsiraeri vaende makore ose mazuva mana pagore kundochema mukunda waJefuta muGiriyadhi.

⁴⁰that the daughters of Israel went yearly to celebrate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.