1 And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? And they did chide with him sharply. 2 And he said unto them, What have I done now in comparison of you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abi-ezer? 3 God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison of you? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.
4 ¶ And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing them . 5 And he said unto the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me; for they be faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.
6 ¶ And the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thine army? 7 And Gideon said, Therefore when the LORD hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.
8 ¶ And he went up thence to Penuel, and spake unto them likewise: and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered him . 9 And he spake also unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.
10 ¶ Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men , all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the east: for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword.
11 ¶ And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host: for the host was secure. 12 And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued after them, and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the host.
13 ¶ And Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle before the sun was up , 14 And caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and enquired of him: and he described unto him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, even threescore and seventeen men. 15 And he came unto the men of Succoth, and said, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom ye did upbraid me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thy men that are weary? 16 And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth. 17 And he beat down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.
18 ¶ Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art , so were they; each one resembled the children of a king. 19 And he said, They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother: as the LORD liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you. 20 And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth. 21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels’ necks.
22 ¶ Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian. 23 And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you.
24 ¶ And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) 25 And they answered, We will willingly give them . And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey. 26 And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels’ necks. 27 And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house.
28 ¶ Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon.
29 ¶ And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house. 30 And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives. 31 And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.
32 ¶ And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites. 33 And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baal-berith their god. 34 And the children of Israel remembered not the LORD their God, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side: 35 Neither shewed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, namely , Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had shewed unto Israel.
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.