1 Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley. 2 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. 3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. 4 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. 5 So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. 6 And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. 7 And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place. 8 So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.
9 ¶ And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand. 10 But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host: 11 And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host. 12 And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude. 13 And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along. 14 And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.
15 ¶ And it was so , when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.
16 And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers. 17 And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that , as I do, so shall ye do. 18 When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.
19 ¶ So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands. 20 And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. 21 And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled. 22 And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Beth-shittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abel-meholah, unto Tabbath.
23 And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites.
24 ¶ And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites, and take before them the waters unto Beth-barah and Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the waters unto Beth-barah and Jordan. 25 And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan.
Gidiyoni unokunda Bamidiyani
1 Kukati kutji mangwanana, Jerubhaale, iye Gidiyoni kose ne bathu bose bakanokotokela ku tshime le Harodi. Ngono bukotokelo gwe Bamidiyani gwakabe guli ku bunandzwa gwabo pa duthu le More mu nkuku.
2 Yahwe bakadwa Gidiyoni bakati, “Bathu baunabo banjisa kundili kuti ndilonge Bamidiyani mu maboko abo, kusiti pamwe Baiziraela bedwa bezwikudza beti, ‘Tazwitjidza ngekwedu.’ 3 Ndizo ngweno zibisa bathu uti, ‘Iye unotja ngotetema ungashanduka kabhuda mu Dombo le Giliyadi.’ ” Ndizo kukashanduka bathu bali zwiwulu zwili makumi mabili ana zwibili (22 000), kukasala bali zwiwulu zwili gumi (10 000).
4 Koga Yahwe bakadwa Gidiyoni bakati, “Bathu batji banji kwazo, ubayise ku vula ndowobatapudza ikoko. Ha nditi, ‘Iwoyu wakafanila yenda nawe, ngaayende,’ koga ha nditi, ‘Iwoyu aazofanila yenda nawe,’ ngaasiyende.”
5 Ndizo Gidiyoni kadelusila bathu ku vula, ngono Yahwe bakadwa Gidiyoni bakati, “Uthubukanye banokaswa vula nge lilimi se mbgwa ne banothigama pasi be ng'wa vula.” 6 Balume bali mazana matatu (300) bakang'wa vula nge maboko bekaswa se mbgwa, ngono bose koga bakang'wa vula bakathigama. 7 Ngono Yahwe bakadwa Gidiyoni bakati, “Nge balume bali mazana matatu (300) bakaswa ndowokusunungula ndikalonga Bamidiyani mu maboko awo. Letja bamwe bose babgwilile, mmwe ne mmwe kanyi kukwe.” 8 Ndizo Gidiyoni katola zwija zwe bathu mu bali ne manyanga abo ngono kashandusila bose ku mishasha yabo. Kasala nge bali mazana matatu. Bukotokelo gwe Bamidiyani gwakabe guli kusi kukwe mu nkuku.
9 Mu busiku igogo Yahwe bakandwa bakati, “Milika, delukila pasi unonginilila bukotokelo, ngoti ndagulonga mu maboko awo. 10 Koga ha utja kudelukila, delukila pasi ku bukotokelo na Pura nlanda uwo, 11 ngono muteedze tjabanoleba. Shule kwa ipapo mowobe makasima kudelukila pasi munonginilila bukotokelo.” Ipapo kadelukila pasi na Pura nlanda uwe ku bukotokelo gwe balume bakadedela zwibhayano. 12 Bamidiyani ne Baamaleki ne bathu bose bekubhezhuba, bakabe baligele mu nkuku, balibanji se phashu, ne kamela dzabo dzisingabalike se nsetje we tjekelo dze gungwa. 13 Kwakati Gidiyoni ezha, kawana nlume atjaleba woloto lile ku nzwalani uwe eti, “Bona, ndakawolota tjiwunga tje bhali tjikungulukila mu bukotokelo gwe Bamidiyani. Tjakaloba nshasha nge simba gulu ngono nshasha ukawa ukakolomoka.”
14 Ngono nzwalani uwe kanshandula eti, “Ikoku akungabetjimwe kuzhe kwe thumo la Gidiyoni nkololo wa Joashi we N'iziraela. Ndzimu balonga Bamidiyani ne mbunga wose mu maboko awe.” 15 Kwakati Gidiyoni ehwa woloto kose ne tjeneso yalo, kanamata Ndzimu. Kabgwilila ku bukotokelo gwe Iziraela ngono kadana eti, “Milikani, ngoti Yahwe balonga mbunga we Bamidiyani mu maboko enyu.” 16 Ngono kathubukanya balume bali mazana matatu nge makupo matatu, kabiga manyanga ne majegwa asina tjimwe mu maboko abo bose, kuna mavone mu majegwa. 17 Ngono kabadwa kati, “Mundilinge, muthame tjandinothama. Ha ndiswika pa ndzibo we bukotokelo, muthame sekwa ndinothama. 18 Ha ndilidza lunyanga kose naibabo bandinabo, namwibo mulidzebo ku midzibo yose ye bukotokelo, ngono mumimile muti, ‘Ngwa ya Yahwe ne ngwa ya Gidiyoni.’ ”
19 Ndizo Gidiyoni ne balume bali zana (100) bakabe banaye bakaswika ku ndzibo we bukotokelo kutja bigiwa balindi be busiku, bakati batjibiga balindi, bakalidza nyanga dzabo bakapkhwanya majegwa akabe ali mu maboko abo. 20 Ngono makupo matatu akalidza nyanga dzawo bakapkhwanya majegwa, bakabhata mavone nge maboko abo e lumeshwe, nyanga bakadzibhata nge maboko abo e luji kudzilidza, ngono bakamimila beti, “Thumo la Yahwe ne la Gidiyoni.” 21 Bakama, nlume mmwe ne mmwe pa magalo awe bakakomba bukotokelo, ngono ngwa yose ikalabuka, bakalila bakatizha. 22 Kwakati belidza nyanga dzili mazana matatu, Yahwe bakathama kuti balume bamubukotokelo bamukilane batemane nge mathumo abo. Ngwa ikatizhila ku Bhetishita kulingisana ne Zerera kunoti ku ngathu we Abelimehola hwunde ye Tabhati. 23 Ngono balume be Iziraela bakadang'wa kudwa ku Nafutali ne Asheri ne Manase yose ngono bakatatamila Bamidiyani.
24 Ngono Gidiyoni katumila batumwa mu shango ye matuthu yose ye Ifureimi eti, “Delukilani pasi ngeno mudzibilidze Bamidiyani mubakilile vula kunoti tjose ku Bhetibhara ne Jorodani.” Ndizo balume bose be Ifureimi bakadang'wa ngono bakabakilila vula kunoti tjose ku Bhetibhara ne ku Jorodani. 25 Bakatapa batungamili babili be Bamidiyani, kuli Orebu na Zibi. Bakabulayila Orebu ku shongwe ya Orebu, ngono Zibi bakambulayila ku tjiswinilo tje nkumbi tja Zibi. Bakatatamila Bamidiyani ngono bakabuya ne nsholo wa Orebu ne wa Zibi kuna Gidiyoni seli ye Jorodani.