Bamidiyani banokundigwa tjatjose
1 Ngono balume be Ifureimi bakadwa Gidiyoni beti, “Ini utibhata uyijali? Ini wabe usatidana uyenda kunogwa ne Midiyani?” Ngono bakansapula kunogwadza. 2 Ngono kabadwa kati, “Ini tjandathama ha ndifanidzanyiwa namwi? Apa mamburumburu e zhambi dza Ifureimi aatoyita pa zhambi dzakatjegwa dza Abiyeza kene? 3 Ndzimu balonga batungamili babili be Bamidiyani mu maboko enyu, Orebu na Zibi, imi ndakathamani tjingafanidziwa namwi?” Bakati behwa ikoku, gwadzamoyo kwabo kukatebama.
4 Gidiyoni ne balume bali mazana matatu bakaswika ku Jorodani, bakatjuluka nenguba bakabe banyala bakadwilila ne tatamila. 5 Ndizo kadwa balume be Sukoti kati, “Ipa ngwa yangu tjiwunga ngoti banyala ngono ndakatatana na Zebha na Zalimuna bomambo be Bamidiyani.” 6 Ngono batungamili ba Sukoti bakandwa bakati, “Apa Zebha na Zalimuna batjibe mu maboko awo kale kwatingapa ngwa iyo tjiwunga kene?” 7 Ngono Gidiyoni kashandula eti, “Kwakalulwama, hapa Yahwe bangalonga Zebha na Zalimuna mu luboko gwangu, ndowopalulanya nyama dzenyu nge mimiwa ye tjilambanyika ne tjing'ang'a.” 8 Ngono kudwa ipapo katathila ku Penuweli, ngono naibo kabakumbila. Ngono balume be Penuweli bakadabila koga se be Sukoti. 9 Ngono kadwa balume be Penuweli kati, “Apa ndishanduka nge mbakiso, ndowoliga thungamakole iyeyi.”
10 Ipapo Zebha na Zalimuna bakabe bali mu Karikori nge ngwa yabo, ana balume bangabhata zwiwulu zwili gumi lina bushanu (15 000) kuli bose bakabe basala bengwa ye bathu be kubhezhuba, ngoti kwakabe kwa wa balume bali zwiwulu zwili zana lina makumi mabili (120 000) banosenga thumo. 11 Ngono Gidiyoni kabhuda nge zila ye bagali be mishasha, kunobhuda zhuba kwe Nobha ne Jogibheha ngono kanginilila ngwa ngoti yakabe itjakafala. 12 Ngono Zebha na Zalimuna bomambo babili be Midiyani bakatizha, kabatatamila kababhata kabatapa, ngono ngwa yose ikashangashangana.
13 Gidiyoni nkololo wa Joashi kashanduka ku ngwa nge nkoto we Heresi. 14 Ngono kabhata nzhuzha we Sukoti ngono kanbhuzwa, ngono nzhuzha kankwalila mazina e batungamili be Sukoti bali makumi ali kutendeka ana kutendeka (77). 15 Ndizo Gidiyoni kazha kubalume be Sukoti kabadwa kati, “Bonani, Zebha na Zalimuna ibo bamakandi gongobola ngekwabo muti, ‘Apa Zebha na Zalimuna batjibe mu maboko awo kale kwatingapa ngwa iyo yakanyala tjiwunga kene?’ ” 16 Ngono katola bakulu be nzi nkulu ngono katola mimiwa ye tjilambanyika ne tjing'ang'a ngono kabadiya ndizo. 17 Ngono kaliga thungamakole ye Penuweli ngono kabulaya balume be nzi.
18 Ngono kabhuzwa Zebha na Zalimuna eti, “Bangayi balume bamaka bulaya ku Tabori?” Bakashandula beti, “Sekwa uli iko koga, mmwe ne mmwe wakabe elingika se nkololo wa mambo.” 19 Gidiyoni kashandula eti, “Kwakabe kuli bakulu bangu, bana ba mme. Ndotuna na Yahwe banotjila nditi, alobe makabemabatjidza ndabendisowomubulaya.” 20 Ngono kadwa Jetha mbano iye kati, “Milika ubabulaye.” Koga Jetha kasishomole thumo lile ngoti wakabe etja ngobe atji ntjetjana. 21 Ipapo Zebha na Zalimuna bakandwa bakati, “Milika utibulaye ngekuko, ngoti simba le nlume lolizana nge mbubiko iye.” Ngono Gidiyoni kamilika kabulaya Zebha na Zalimuna, katola ndalama dzakabe dzili mu mitshiba ye kamela dzabo.
22 Ngono Baiziraela bakadwa Gidiyoni bakati, “Uti buse, iwe ne nkololo uwo ne mwana we mwana uwo, ngoti watitjidza mu luboko gwe Bamidiyani.” 23 Gidiyoni kabadwa kati, “Anditowomubusa, ne nkololo wangu aatowomubusa. Yahwe banowomubusa.” 24 Gidiyoni kabadwa kati, “Ndoshaka kumukumbila tjimwe, mmwe ne mmwe wenyu andipe ng'ina mu thundu iye yatapiwa.” Ngobe kwakabe kuna mang'ina e golide ngoti bakabebali Baishimaeli. 25 Ngono bakashandula beti, “Towokupa ngekushatha.” Ndizo bakawala jila ngono mmwe ne mmwe kalashila ng'ina kudwa mu thundu ya atapa. 26 Ngono bulemo gwe mang'ina aakakumbila gukabe shekele dzili tjiwulu tjina mazana ali kutendeka (1 700), kuzhe kwe ndalama ne zwinonakisa zebe ne zwiambalo zwe bushaba gwakabondelela zwinombagwa na mambo we Bamidiyani, na kuzhe kwe ketani dzakabe dzili mu mitshiba ye kamela dzabo. 27 Ngono Gidiyoni kathama Efodi ye golide kaibiga mu nzi uwe mu Ofira. Ngono Baiziraela bakathama bupombgwe ngokuithigamila se ndzimwana, ngono kukabe bhuzhu kuna Gidiyoni ne bensha uwe.
Lufu gwa Gidiyoni
28 Ndizo Bamidiyani bakayisiwa pasi mbeli kwe Baiziraela ngono bakasitjaduse nsholo kakale. Shango ikabe nge kunyalala kwe makole ali makumi manna mu mazhuba a Gidiyoni.
29 Shule kwe ngwa, Jerubhaale iye Gidiyoni nkololo wa Joashi kayenda kanogala mu ng'umba iye. 30 Gidiyoni wakabe ana bakololo bali makumi ali kutendeka (70) kuli bana babe, ngoti wakabe ana bakadzi banjinji. 31 Tjamba tjitje tjakabe tjigala mu Shekemu tjakanzwalilabo nkololo ngono kandana eti Abimeleki. 32 Gidiyoni nkololo wa Joashi kafa atjikwegula ngono kabiganyiwa mu ikumbu tja tate babe Joashi ku Ofira we Baabiyezeri.
33 Kwakati koga Gidiyoni atjambofa, bathu be Iziraela bakashanduka kakale bakathama bupombgwe na bo Bhaale. Bakabiga Bhaaleberiti kube ndzimu wabo. 34 Ngono bathu be Iziraela bakasitjakumbule Yahwe Ndzimu wabo iye wakabasunungula mu maboko e zwita zwabo kudwa mu midzibo yose. 35 Bakakong'wa lakidza lubu kuna bensha wa Jerubhaale iye Gidiyoni mu zwithu zwakanaka zwaakathamila Iziraela.
1 But the men were really upset with Gideon and complained, “When you went to war with Midian, you didn't ask us to help! Why did you treat us like that?”
2 Gideon answered:
Don't be upset! Even though you came later, you were able to do much more than I did. It's just like the grape harvest: The grapes your tribe doesn't even bother to pick are better than the best grapes my family can grow. 3 Besides, God chose you to capture Raven and Wolf. I didn't do a thing compared to you.
By the time Gideon had finished talking, the men of Ephraim had calmed down and were no longer angry with him.
Gideon Finishes Destroying the Midianite Army
4 After Gideon and his 300 troops had chased the Midianites across the Jordan River, they were exhausted. 5 The town of Succoth was nearby, so he went there and asked, “Please give my troops some food. They are worn out, but we have to keep chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the two Midianite kings.”
6 The town leaders of Succoth answered, “Why should we feed your army? We don't know if you really will defeat Zebah and Zalmunna.”
7 “Just wait!” Gideon said. “After the Lord helps me defeat them, I'm coming back here. I'll make a whip out of thorns and rip the flesh from your bones.”
8 After leaving Succoth, Gideon went to Penuel and asked the leaders there for some food. But he got the same answer as he did at Succoth. 9 “I'll come back safe and sound,” Gideon said, “but when I do, I'm going to tear down your tower!”
10 Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with an army of 15,000 troops. They were all that was left of the army of the eastern nations, because 120,000 of their warriors had been killed in the battle.
11 Gideon reached the enemy camp by going east along Nomad Road past Nobah and Jogbehah. He made a surprise attack, 12 and the enemy panicked. Zebah and Zalmunna tried to escape, but Gideon chased and captured them.
13 After the battle, Gideon set out for home. As he was going through Heres Pass, 14 he caught a young man who lived in Succoth. Gideon asked him who the town officials of Succoth were, and the young man wrote down 77 names.
15 Gideon went to the town officials and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna. Remember how you made fun of me? You said, ‘We don't know if you really will defeat those two Midianite kings. So why should we feed your worn-out army?’ ”
16 Gideon made a whip from thorn plants and used it to beat the town officials. 17 Afterwards he went to Penuel, where he tore down the tower and killed all the town officials.
18 Then Gideon said, “Zebah and Zalmunna, tell me about the men you killed at Tabor.”
“They were a lot like you,” the two kings answered. “They were dignified, almost like royalty.”
19 “They were my very own brothers!” Gideon said. “I swear by the living Lord that if you had let them live, I would let you live.”
20 Gideon turned to Jether, his oldest son. “Kill them!” Gideon said.
But Jether was young, and he was too afraid to even pull out his sword.
21 “What's the matter, Gideon?” Zebah and Zalmunna asked. “Do it yourself, if you're not too much of a coward!”
Gideon jumped up and killed them both. Then he took the gold ornaments from the necks of their camels.
The Israelites Ask Gideon To Be Their King
22 After the battle with the Midianites, the Israelites said, “Gideon, you rescued us! Now we want you to be our king. Then after your death, your son and then your grandson will rule.”
23 “No,” Gideon replied, “I won't be your king, and my son won't be king either. Only the Lord is your ruler. 24 But I will ask you to do one thing: Give me all the earrings you took from the enemy.”
The enemy soldiers had been Ishmaelites, and they wore gold earrings.
25 The Israelite soldiers replied, “Of course we will give you the earrings.” Then they spread out a robe on the ground and tossed the earrings on it. 26 The total weight of this gold was nearly 20 kilograms. In addition, there was the gold from the camels' ornaments and from the beautiful jewelry worn by the Midianite kings. Gideon also took their purple robes.
27-29 Gideon returned to his home in Ophrah and had the gold made into a statue, which the Israelites soon started worshiping. They were unfaithful to God, and even Gideon and his family were trapped into worshiping the statue.
The Midianites had been defeated so badly that they were no longer strong enough to attack Israel. And so Israel was at peace for the remaining 40 years of Gideon's life.
Gideon Dies
30 Gideon had many wives and 70 sons. 31 He even had a wife who lived at Shechem. They had a son, and Gideon named him Abimelech.
32 Gideon lived to be an old man. And when he died, he was buried in the family tomb in his hometown of Ophrah, which belonged to the Abiezer clan.
33 Soon after Gideon's death, the Israelites turned their backs on God again. They set up idols of Baal and worshiped Baal Berith as their god. 34 The Israelites forgot that the Lord was their God, and that he had rescued them from the enemies who lived around them. 35 Besides all that, the Israelites were unkind to Gideon's family, even though Gideon had done so much for Israel.