1 Ke kaloku uYifeta, umGiliyadi, ebeligorha elinobukroti; ke ubengunyana wenkazana elihenyukazi. UGiliyadi wazala uYifeta.
2 UmkaGiliyadi wamzalela oonyana; bakhula oonyana bomkakhe, bamgxotha uYifeta, bathi kuye, Akuyi kudla lifa endlwini kabawo, ngokuba ungunyana wankazana yimbi wena.
3 Wabaleka uYifeta phambi kwabazalwana bakhe, wahlala ezweni laseTobhi. Kwathuthelana kuYifeta amadoda angenabuntu, aphuma naye.
4 Kwathi, kwakuba ntsuku, balwa oonyana baka-Amon noonyana bakaSirayeli.
5 Kwathi, bakuba besilwa oonyana baka-Amon namaSirayeli, amadoda amakhulu aseGiliyadi aya kumthabatha uYifeta ezweni laseTobhi;
6 athi kuYifeta, Yiza ube ngumphathi wethu, silwe noonyana baka-Amon.
7 Wathi uYifeta kumadoda amakhulu aseGiliyadi, Asinini yini na abandithiyayo, bandigxotha endlwini kabawo? Kungani na ukuba nize kum kaloku, nakuba nibandezelekile?
8 Athi amadoda amakhulu aseGiliyadi kuYifeta, Kukho kaloku le nto sibuyela kuwe, ukuba uhambe nathi, ulwe noonyana baka-Amon, ube yintloko kuthi, kubemi bonke baseGiliyadi.
9 Wathi uYifeta kumadoda amakhulu aseGiliyadi, Ukuba nithe nandibuyisa, ukuze ndilwe noonyana baka-Amon, uYehova wabanikela kum, mna ndoba yintloko kuni na?
10 Athi amadoda amakhulu aseGiliyadi kuYifeta, UYehova makabe lingqina phakathi kwethu; inene siya kwenjenjalo ngokwelizwi lakho.
11 Wahamba ke uYifeta namadoda amakhulu aseGiliyadi; abantu bammisa phezu kwabo, waba yintloko nomphathi. Wawathetha uYifeta onke amazwi akhe phambi koYehova eMizpa.
12 UYifeta wasusa abathunywa, baya kukumkani woonyana baka-Amon, wathi, Yintoni na enam nawe, uze kum nje ukuba ulwe nelizwe lam?
13 Wathi ukumkani woonyana baka-Amon kubathunywa bakaYifeta, Kungokuba amaSirayeli alithabathayo ilizwe lam, ukunyuka kwawo eYiputa, athabathela eArnon, esa eYabhoki, esa eYordan; libuyise ngoxolo kalokunje.
14 UYifeta waphinda wathuma abathunywa kukumkani woonyaka baka-Amon, wathi kuye,
15 Utsho uYifeta ukuthi, AmaSirayeli akalithabathanga ilizwe lakwaMowabhi, nelizwe loonyana baka-Amon;
16 ngokuba ekunyukeni kwawo eYiputa amaSirayeli ahamba ngentlango, eza eLwandle oluBomvu, eza eKadeshe;
17 amaSirayeli athuma abathunywa kukumkani wakwaEdom, esithi, Makhe ndicande ezweni lakho. Ke ukumkani wakwaEdom akaphulaphulanga. Athuma nakukumkani wakwaMowabhi, naye akavumanga. Ahlala amaSirayeli eKadeshe.
18 Ahamba entlango, alijikela ilizwe lakwaEdom nelizwe lakwaMowabhi, evela ekuphumeni kwelanga; aya ezweni lakwaMowabhi, amisa ngaphesheya kweArnon, akangena emdeni wakwaMowabhi, ngokuba iArnon ngumda wakwaMowabhi.
19 AmaSirayeli athuma abathunywa kuSihon, ukumkani wama-Amori, ukumkani waseHeshbhon; athi amaSirayeli kuye, Makhe ndicande ezweni lakho, ndiye endaweni yam.
20 Ke uSihon akakholwa ngamaSirayeli, ukuba acande emdeni wakhe. Wabahlanganisa uSihon bonke abantu bakhe, bamisa eYatsa, walwa namaSirayeli.
21 UYehova, uThixo kaSirayeli, wamnikela uSihon nabantu bakhe bonke, esandleni samaSirayeli. Ababulala, alihlutha amaSirayeli lonke ilizwe lama-Amori abehleli kweli lizwe.
22 Awuhlutha wonke umda wama-Amori, athabathela eArnon esa eYabhoki, athabathela entlango esa eYordan.
23 Kaloku uYehova, uThixo kaSirayeli, uwagqogqile ama-Amori phambi kwabantu bakhe amaSirayeli. Uya kulihlutha na ke wena?
24 Akuhluthi elo na, akuhluthele lona uKemoshe uthixo wakho? Nathi sihluthe lonke asihluthele lona uYehova uThixo wethu ebusweni bethu?
25 Ngoku wena ulunge ngaphezu koBhalaki unyana kaTsipore, ukumkani wakwaMowabhi, yini na? Wakha wabambana nokubambana na yena namaSirayeli, wakha walwa nokulwa na yena nawo?
26 Ekuhlaleni kwamaSirayeli eHeshbhon nasemagxamesini ayo, naseArohere nasemagxamesini ayo, nasemizini yonke esemacaleni eArnon iminyaka emakhulu mathathu, ibiyini na ukuba ningayihlanguli ngelo xesha?
27 Mna andikonanga; nguwe ondenza into embi ngokulwa nam. UYehova uMgwebi makagwebe namhla phakathi koonyana bakaSirayeli noonyana baka-Amon.
28 Ukumkani woonyana baka-Amon akawaphulaphula amazwi kaYifeta awawathumela kuye.
29 UMoya kaYehova wamfikela uYifeta, wacanda eGiliyadi nakwaManase, wacanda naseMizpa yaseGiliyadi; wesuka eMizpa yaseGiliyadi, wabangenela oonyana baka-Amon.
30 UYifeta wabhambathisa kuYehova isibhambathiso, wathi, Ukuba uthe wabanikela kanye oonyana baka-Amon esandleni sam,
31 wothi, osukuba ephuma emnyango wendlu yam, eza kundikhawulela ekubuyeni kwam ngoxolo koonyana baka-Amon, abe ngokaYehova; ndimnyuse abe lidini elinyukayo.
32 Wagqitha ke uYifeta, waya koonyana baka-Amon ukuba alwe nabo. Wabanikela uYehova esandleni sakhe.
33 Wababulala kakhulu kunene, kwathabathela eArohere kwada kwaya eMiniti, imizi emashumi mabini, kwesa eAbhele-keramim. Bathotywa oonyana baka-Amon phambi koonyana bakaSirayeli.
34 Wafika uYifeta eMizpa endlwini yakhe; nantso intombi yakhe iphuma iza kumkhawulela, inengqongqo ingqungqa; yaye ikuphela komntwana wakhe, ngaphandle kwayo wayengenanyana nantombi.
35 Kwathi akuyibona, wazikrazulu iingubo zakhe, wathi, Yini na le, ntombi yam! Undithobile kakhulu wena ungowabandihlisele intlekele! Mna ndiwuvulile umlomo wam kuYehova; andinakubuya umva.
36 Yathi kuye, Bawo, uwuvulile umlomo wakho kuYehova; yenza kum njengoko kuphume emlonyeni wakho; okunje uYehova akwenzele impindezelo ezintshabeni zakho, oonyana baka-Amon.
37 Yathi kuyise, Mandenzelwe le ndawo; ndiyeke iinyanga zibe mbini, ndihambe ndihle ndiye ezintabeni, ndililele ubuntombi bam, mna nabalingane bam.
38 Wathi, Yiya. Wayindulula, yaya iinyanga ezimbini. Yaya yona nabalingane bayo, yabulilela ubuntombi bayo ezintabeni.
39 Kwathi, ekupheleni kweenyanga ezimbini, yabuya yeza kuyise, wasenzela kuyo isibhambathiso sakhe, awayesibhambathisile; ke yona yayingazani nandoda. Yaba lisiko kwaSirayeli ukuthi,
40 imihla kamihla, iintombi zakwaSirayeli ziye ziyibonge intombi kaYifeta umGiliyadi, imihla emine ngomnyaka.