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.
Midianǁîn ge ra danǃarihe
1 O gu ge Efraimǁîga Gideonna ge dî: “Tare-i ǃaromats Midianǁîgu ǃoaguts go ǃkhamǃgû, o go ǂgai ge tama hâ i? Tare xū-i ǃaromats ǁnāti sige ǀkha go dī?” Tsî gu ge kaise ǁîb ǀkha ge ǂnoagu.
2 Xaweb ge ǁîba ge mî: “Tita go dī ǁkhā in ge sago ge dīn ǃoagu xū tama hâ. Sago Efraimǁîgo ge dī ǂkhari xūro-i tsîn ge ti hoaraga ǃhaos ge dīn xa a ǃnāsa. 3 Sago ge Eloba xu go ge ǃkhōǃoa ǀgaib ǀkha Midianǁîn ǂgaeǂgui-aokha, Oreb tsî Seeb tsîkha ge ǃgam. Tita ge sago ge dīna dīsa ge ǁkhāba tama hâ i.” Nēsab ge mî, o gu ge ǁîb ǀkha ǃaruǀî ǁaixa tama ge i.
4 Gideonni tsî ǁîb di ǃnonakaidisi khoegu tsîn ge Jordanni tawa sī tsî ǁîba ge ǃgâu. ǁÎgu ge tsau gu ge hâ i, xawe noxopa khākhoega gere ǃgôaǃgon. 5 Sukots tawa gu ge sī, ob ge Gideonna ǃās di khoen ǃoa ge mî: “Ti khoega toxopa pere-e mā re. ǁÎgu ge kaise tsau hâ, tsî tita ge Midianǁî gao-aokha, Sebab tsî Salmunab tsîkha ra ǃgôaǃgon.”
6 Xawe gu ge ǃās di ǂgaeǂgui-aoga ge mî: “Tare-i ǃaroma da sa toroǃkhamaoga pere-e nî mā? Sago kom noxopa Sebab tsî Salmunab tsîkha ǃkhō tamao.”
7 Ob ge Gideonna ge mî: “ǃKhūb ga Sebab tsî Salmunab tsîkha ti ǃomǁae mā teo, o ta ge sago ǁkhūgu tsî ǁkhūxa hain ǃgaroǃhūb din ǀkha nî ǂnau.” 8 Gideonni ge Penuels kōse ǃkharu tsî ǁîn tsîn ai ǁkhā ǂgans ǁkhāsa ge ǂgan, xawe gu ge Penuels aogu tsîna Sukots digu ǁkhāgu khami ge ǃeream. 9 Ob ge ǁîgu ǃoa ge mî: “Danaose ta ga oaǀkhī, o ta ge sadu ǂgō-omma nî khôaǁnâ.”
10 Sebab tsî Salmunab tsîkha ge ǁîkha di toroǂnubis ǀkha Karkors tawa ge hâ i. Aiǂoas ǃhaodi di toroǃkhamaogu xa gu ge disikoroǀaǀoadisigu ǀguiga ge ǃgau hâ i; ǀguikaidisi tsî ǀgamdisiǀoadisigu hoagu ge ge ǃgamhe. 11 Gideonni ge ǃgaroǃhūbamǃgâ, Nobas tsî Jogbehas tsîra aiǂoas ǃnâ ǁgoe daob ǀkha ǃgû tsî khākhoen di toroǂnubisa ǃâubasen tama gu hâ hîa ge ǁnāǂam. 12 Midianǁî gao-aokha, Sebab tsî Salmunab tsîkha ge ge ǃkhoeni; xaweb ge Gideonna ǁîkha ǃgôaǃgon tsî ǃkhō, tsî hoaraga toroǂnubisa kaise ge ǃhuriǃhuriǃnâ.
13 Gideonni ge Heres ǃgâu-aisa-ub toroǃkhamsa xu ra oaǀkhī hîa, 14 Sukots di ǂkham khoeba ǃkhō tsî ge dîǃnâ. Ob ge ǁnā ǂkham khoeba hûdisihûǀa ǂamkhoegu Sukots digu di ǀonde ge xoamâiba bi. 15 Ob ge Gideonna Sukots di aogu tawa sī tsî ge mî: “Tita go ge hui ǂgao tama i ǃkhaisa ǂâis ǃnâ ū go hâ? Sago kom tsau hâ toroǃkhamaogu tiga go, noxopa ta Sebab tsî Salmunab tsîkha ǃkhō tama xui-ao ǂû-i xare-e mā tide ti ge mîo. Kō re, nēkha ge a ǁîkha.” 16 Tsîb ge ǁkhūgu tsî ǁkhūxa hain ǃgaroǃhūb dina ū tsî Sukots ǂgaeǂgui-aoga ǁîn ǀkha ge ǁkhara. 17 ǁKhātib ge Penuels di ǂgō-omma khôaǁnâ tsî ǃās di aoga ge ǃgam.
18 ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge Gideonna Sebab tsî Salmunab tsîkha ge dî: “Mâti ī khoega sakho ge Tabors tawa ǃgamga?”
O kha ge ǁîkha ge ǃeream: “Sats khami gere mûsen; mâb hoab ge gaoǀgôa-i khami gere mûsen.”
19 Ob ge Gideonna ge mî: “ǁNāgu ge ti ǃgâsaga ge iga, ti îs di ôaga. ǃKhūb ǀons ǃnâ ta ra nūba go, ǁîga go ga ǃgam tama hâ, o ta ga sago tsîna ǃgam tama hâ.” 20 Tsîb ge ǁîb di ǂguro ǀgôab Jetera ǃoa ge mî: “Hā, îts ǁîkha ǃgam.” Xaweb ge ǀgôaba gôab âba ǂgaeǂui tama ge i. Noxopab axas ǀguisa i tsîb gere ǃao xui-ao.
21 O kha ge Sebab tsî Salmunab tsîkha Gideonna ge mî: “Satsa aitsama hā ǃgam khom. Aots nîs kao aitsama sa sîsenna dī.” Ob ge Gideonna ǁîkha ǃgam tsî ǁîkha ǃnaira ǃaokha ai ge hâ i anixūna ge ūǁnâ.
22 ǁNās khaoǃgâ gu ge Israelǁîga Gideonni ǃoa ge mî: “Satsa sida di gao-ao kai re; sats tsî satsa xu ra sao ôananôagub tsîdo. Sats ge sida Midianǁîna xu go huiǂui.”
23 Xaweb ge Gideonna ǁîga ge ǃeream: “Tita ge sadu ǂama gao tide tsî ti ôab tsîn ge ǁnāsa dī tide. ǃKhūb ge nî sadu di gao-ao.” 24 ǃAruǀîb ge Gideonna ge mî: “ǀGui xū-e ta ge ra ǂgan go ǂgao. Ab mâb sago dib hoaba ǃhuniǀuri ǂgaeradi hîab go ūde mā te.” (Midianǁîn ge nau khoen ǃgaroǃhūb din ǁkhān khami ǃhuniǀuri ǂgaerade gere ǂnûi.)
25 O gu ge Israelǁîga “ǁÎde ge ge nî mā tsi” ti ge ǃeream. Tsî gu ge ǃkhaiba khoraǁgui tsî mâb hoaba ūb ge hâ i ǂgaerade ge ǁîb ai ge aoǂnûi. 26 Gideonni ge ǃkhōǃoa ǃhuniǀuri ǂgaeradi ge ǁaubexa ǀgamdisi kiloxramga ge ǃgom i. Nēs ge ǃhuniǀuri anisenxūn, karagu tsî ǂhoaǀapa saran Midianǁî gao-aogu gere anan tsî ǃnain di ǃaogu di ananxūn tsîna ge ǃkhōǂgā tama hâ i. 27 Gideonni ge ī-e ǁnā ǃhuniǀurib ǀkha kuru tsî ǁîb di ǃās Ofras ǃnâ ge mâi. On ge hoaraga Israelǁîna Eloba ǁnāxū tsî ǁnāǀî ge ǃgû, īban sī nî ǀgoreǀîse. ǁNā īb ge Gideonni tsî ǁîb di ǀaokhoena ǁnoase ge ība.
28 Midianǁîn ge Israelǁîn xa ge danhe hâ i tsî Israelǁîna ǃaruǀî ǃaorosasi-e ge ǃkhōǂgāba tama hâ i. Tsîb ge ǂkhîba ǃhūb ǃnâ hakadisi kuriga ge hâ, Gideonni ge ǁōs kōse.
Gideonni di ǁōb
29 Gideonni ge ǁîb di oms ǂûs ǁga oa tsî ǁnāpa sī ge ǁan. 30 ǁÎb ge hûdisi ǀgôaga ge ūhâ i, ǂgui taradeb ge ūhâ i xui-ao. 31 ǁÎb ge Sexems tsîn ǃnâ xōǀkhātarasa ge ūhâ i; ǁîs on ge ǀgôaba ge ǁoraba bi, Abimelex tib ge ǀonǂgaiba. 32 Joasi ôab Gideonni ge kaiseb kaira hâse ge ǁō, tsîb ge ǁîb îb Joasi di ǀhobas ǃnâ Abieserǁîn di ǃās Ofras tawa ge ǁkhōhe.
33 Gideonni di ǁōb khaoǃgân ge Israelǁîna ǁkhawa Elob ǃoagu ǁore tsî Baalga gere ǀgoreǀî. ǁÎn ge Baal-Berita elose dībasen 34 tsî ǃKhūb ǁîn di Elob, ǁîna ge ǁîn ǂnamipe hâ khākhoen hoana xu a huiǂuiba ge ǃoabaǀû. 35 ǁKhātin ge Gideonni, nētikō ǃgâina ge Israelǁîna dībab di ǀaokhoen ǃoagu ge ganganoǃnâ.
