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.
Ovamidian mave yandekwa
1 Ovaefraim va pura nai ku Gideon: “Okutjavi tji u he tu isanene, indu tji wa rwisa Ovamidian? We tu tjitira tjike nai?” Nowo ve mu posisa tjinene.
2 Nungwari eye wa zira nai ku wo: “Nambano ami mba tjita tjike tji mamu sasaneke imbi ovyandje na imbi mbi mwa tjita? Nangarire imbi oviṱiṱi eṋe Ovaefraim mbi mwa tjita ovyo ovinanḓengu tjinene pu imbi onganda yandje aihe mbi ya tjita. 3 Ndjambi wa yandja ozombara zOvamidian, ooOreb na Seeb, momake weṋu. Ami mba tjita tjike tji mamu sasaneke imbi ovyandje na imbi mbi mwa tjita?” Eye tja za nokuhungira omambo nga omapindi wawo otji ya wa pehi.
4 Gideon wa vaza konḓonḓu Jordan ne i kondo puna ovarumendu ve omasere yetatu, ava urwa nava ṱondjara. 5 Neye otja tja kovature va Sukot: “Arikaneye, yandjeye ozomboroto ozombomba tjiva kovarumendu mba mbu mave ndji kongorere, tjinga ava urwa tjinene, nami ame tezere Seba na Salmuna, ozombara zOvamidian.”
6 Nungwari imba ovanane va Sukot va pura ave tja: “Matu yandjere tjike ozomboroto kotjimbumba tjoye tjovita, ngunda au hiya kambura Seba na Salmuna?”
7 Gideon opa tjera nai: “Osemba, Muhona tje ndji pe ooSeba na Salmuna meke randje, ami me mu tono nomakuiya wokuti onguza.” 8 Okuzambo eye wa ya kOpenuel na kaningira otjiṋa tjingetjo kovature vatjo; nungwari ovature va Penuel ve mu zira otja imba ova Sukot. 9 Eye wina opa hungirira kovature va Penuel a tja: “Ami tji mba kotoka nondoṋeno me teya oruhungu rweṋu.”
10 Seba na Salmuna va ri puna ovimbumba vyawo vyovita mOkarkor. Imba mba hupa kovimbumba avihe vyomihoko vyokomuhuka va ri ovarumendu mangara omayovi omurongo na yetano; nungwari imba mba ṱa va ri omayovi esere rimwe nomirongo vivari, avehe ovarwe wovita. 11 Nu Gideon wa ya nondjira yomokuti onguza kuṱa komuhuka wa Nobak na Jogboha, na karwisa otjimbumba tjovita ngunda atji hiya tjiza. 12 Nozombara nḓa mbari zOvamidian otji za taura, nungwari eye we ze tezera ne kezekambura. Neye wa piza otjimbumba atjihe tjovita.
13 Nu Gideon, omuzandu wa Joas, wa kotoka okuza komarwiro nondjira yomakapitiro wondundu Heres. 14 Neye wa kambura omuzandu omutanda wovature va Sukot ne mu pura okukonḓonona; nu ingwi we mu tjangera omana wovahona nowovanane va Sukot, ovandu omirongo hambombari na hambombari. 15 Gideon tje ya povandu va Sukot wa tja: “Seba na Salmuna owo mba, mbuyamu ndji nyekerere amamu tja: ‘Matu yandjere tjike ozomboroto kotjimbumba tjoye tjovita ngunda au hiya kambura ooSeba na Salmuna?’ ” 16 Tjazumba eye otja kambura ovanane votjihuro Sukot na toora omakuiya wokuti onguza, narire tje ve tono na wo. 17 Nu indwi oruhungu rwa Penuel wa nakaurira pehi, narire tja zepa ovature votjihuro.
18 Neye wa pura ooSeba na Salmuna a tja: “Ovarumendu mbu mwa zepera kOtabor va sanene pi?” Nowo ve mu zira nai: “Owo va ri tjimuna ove; auhe wa ri nombunikiro yomuzandu wombara.”
19 Gideon opa tjera nai: “Owo va ri omarumbi wandje, ovazandu mba za mu mama. Tjiri, tjimbe tja Muhona omunamuinyo, andakuzu eṋe mwe ve hupisa hetje mu zepa.” 20 Nu Gideon wa rakiza nai ku Jeter, otjiveri tje: “Sekama u ve zepe!” Nungwari ingwi omuzandu ka nanene engaruvyo re, orondu aa tira, tjinga a ri omuṱiṱi.
21 Seba na Salmuna arire tji va tja ku Gideon: “Sekama u tu zepe omuini, orondu omurumendu otja tjinga e ri, omasa we otjinga aye ri wina.” Gideon otja sekama na zepa Seba na Salmuna na kambura ousanekero womueze mbwa ri mozosengo zozongamero zawo.
22 Tjazumba Ovaisrael va tja nai ku Gideon: “Tu honaparera, ove omuini nozondekurona zoye, orondu ove we tu kutura kOvamidian.”
23 Nungwari Gideon wa zira a tja: “Ami hi nokuvanga okurira omuhona weṋu, nomuzandu wandje wina ke nakuhonaparera eṋe. Muhona ongu ma rire omuhona weṋu.” 24 Gideon wa hungira komurungu a tja nai: “Ami me vanga okuningira otjiṋa tjimwe ku eṋe. Auhe weṋu nge ndji pe ongoho movihuurwa vye.” Ovamidian aave zara ozongoho zongoldo tjimuna Ovaismael mbaa ve tura mokuti onguza.
25 Ovaisrael va zira nai: “Eṱe matu vanga okukupa nomutima auhe.” Nowo va yara ongwava, nu auhe wa yumba po ongoho yovihuurwa vye. 26 Indji ondjinda yozongoho zongoldo nḓa ningira ya ri nozokirograma mangara omirongo vivari. Ondjinda ndji kai sanekerwe kumwe na indji yousanekero womueze, noyozongoho zomomatwi, noyozombanda ozoserarovazu nḓaa ze kara nozombara za Midian, na wina kai sanekerwe pamwe nondjinda ndji yozongoho zomozosengo zozongamero zawo. 27 Nu poviṋa mbi avihe Gideon wa ungura po otjiserekarera tjotjisenginina, ne tji ziki motjihuro Ofra. NOvaisrael avehe va isa Ndjambi nave kakarera otjisenginina hi. Notjo tja rira ombate ku Gideon neṱunḓu re.
28 Ovamidian va ṋiṋikiziwa i Ovaisrael nga tji ve ha yenenene okurwisa Ovaisrael rukwao. Nehi ra kara nohange oure wozombura omirongo vine, Gideon ngunda e nomuinyo.
Onḓiro ya Gideon
29 Okuzambo Jerubbaal, okutja oGideon, omuzandu wa Joas, wa katura monganda ye omuini. 30 Gideon wa ri novazandu omirongo hambombari, tjinga a ri novakazendu ovengi. 31 Nu momukazendu we omumbanda ngwa turire mOsikem wa muna mo omuzandu ngwa rukirwe Abimelek. 32 Nu Gideon, omuzandu wa Joas, wa koka a kurupa tjinene, na pakwa meyendo ra ihe Joas mOofra, tji tji ri omaturiro wOvaabiesri.
33 Kombunda yonḓiro ya Gideon Ovaisrael va karera ovisenginina rukwao puna ooBaal nave tjiti Baal-Beret okurira omukuru wawo wotjisenginina. 34 Ovaisrael kaave zemburuka Muhona rukwao, Ndjambi wawo, ngwe ve yama kovanavita na wo avehe kominda nominda. 35 Nowo kaave raisa ouwa keṱunḓu ra Gideon nangarire kutja eye wa tjitira Ovaisrael oviṋa avihe oviwa.
