1 Early the next morning, Gideon and his army got up and moved their camp to Fear Spring. The Midianite camp was to the north, in the valley at the foot of Moreh Hill.
2 The Lord said, “Gideon, your army is too big. I can't let you win with this many soldiers. The Israelites would think that they had won the battle all by themselves and that I didn't have anything to do with it. 3 So call your troops together and tell them that anyone who is really afraid can leave Mount Gilead and go home.”
Twenty-two thousand men returned home, leaving Gideon with only 10,000 soldiers.
4 “Gideon,” the Lord said, “you still have too many soldiers. Take them down to the spring and I'll test them. I'll tell you which ones can go along with you and which ones must go back home.”
5 When Gideon led his army down to the spring, the Lord told him, “Watch how each man gets a drink of water. Then divide them into two groups—those who lap the water like a dog and those who kneel down to drink.”
6 Three hundred men scooped up water in their hands and lapped it, and the rest knelt to get a drink. 7 The Lord said, “Gideon, your army will be made up of everyone who lapped the water from their hands. Send the others home. I'm going to rescue Israel by helping you and your army of 300 defeat the Midianites.”
8 Then Gideon gave these orders, “You 300 men stay here. The rest of you may go home, but leave your food and trumpets with us.”
Gideon's army camp was on top of a hill overlooking the Midianite camp in the valley.
9 That night, the Lord said to Gideon. “Get up! Attack the Midianite camp. I am going to let you defeat them, 10 but if you're still afraid, you and your servant Purah should sneak down to their camp. 11 When you hear what the Midianites are saying, you'll be brave enough to attack.”
Gideon and Purah worked their way to the edge of the enemy camp, where soldiers were on guard duty. 12 The camp was huge. The Midianites, Amalekites, and other eastern nations covered the valley like a swarm of locusts. And it would be easier to count the grains of sand on a beach than to count their camels. 13 Gideon overheard one enemy guard telling another, “I had a dream about a flat loaf of barley bread that came tumbling into our camp. It hit the headquarters tent, and the tent flipped over and fell to the ground.”
14 The other soldier answered, “Your dream must have been about Gideon, the Israelite commander. It means God will let him and his army defeat the Midianite army and everyone else in our camp.”
15 As soon as Gideon heard about the dream and what it meant, he bowed down to praise God. Then he went back to the Israelite camp and shouted, “Let's go! The Lord is going to let us defeat the Midianite army.”
16 Gideon divided his little army into three groups of 100 men, and he gave each soldier a trumpet and a large clay jar with a burning torch inside. 17-18 Gideon said, “When we get to the enemy camp, spread out and surround it. Then wait for me to blow a signal on my trumpet. As soon as you hear it, blow your trumpets and shout, ‘Fight for the Lord! Fight for Gideon!’ ”
19 Gideon and his group reached the edge of the enemy camp a few hours after dark, just after the new guards had come on duty. Gideon and his soldiers blew their trumpets and smashed the clay jars that were hiding the torches. 20 The rest of Gideon's soldiers blew the trumpets they were holding in their right hands. Then they smashed the jars and held the burning torches in their left hands. Everyone shouted, “Fight with your swords for the Lord and for Gideon!”
21 The enemy soldiers started yelling and tried to run away. Gideon's troops stayed in their positions surrounding the camp 22 and blew their trumpets again. As they did, the Lord made the enemy soldiers pull out their swords and start fighting each other.
The enemy army tried to escape from the camp. They ran to Acacia Tree Town, toward Zeredah, and as far as the edge of the land that belonged to the town of Abel-Meholah near Tabbath.
23 Gideon sent word for more Israelite soldiers to come from the tribes of Naphtali, Asher, and both halves of Manasseh to help fight the Midianites. 24 He also sent messengers to tell all the men who lived in the hill country of Ephraim, “Come and help us fight the Midianites! Put guards at every spring, stream, and well, as far as Beth-Barah before the Midianites can get to them. And guard the Jordan River.”
Troops from Ephraim did exactly what Gideon had asked, 25 and they even helped chase the Midianites on the east side of the Jordan River. These troops captured Raven and Wolf, the two Midianite leaders. They killed Raven at a large rock that has come to be known as Raven Rock, and they killed Wolf near a wine-pit that has come to be called Wolf Wine-Pit.
The men of Ephraim brought the heads of the two Midianite leaders to Gideon.
Gideon ta sindi Aamidiana
1 Esiku limwe Gideon okwa meneka ongula onene pamwe netanga lye e ta yungu ontanda ontega noluthithiya lwaHarod. Ontanda yAamidiana oya li mesilu kuumbugantu wawo pondundu More.
2 Omuwa okwa ti kuGideon: “Ou na aalumentu oyendji unene mokusinditha Aamidiana. Otaa ningi ya tye, oya sindi kuyo yene yo itaa simaneke ndje. 3 Lombwela aantu to ti: ‘Shaa ngoka a tila, na shune kegumbo, notatu kala mpaka pondundu Gilead.’ ” Omayuvi omilongo mbali nagaali oga shuna, ihe opwa kala omayuvi omulongo.
4 Nena Omuwa okwa lombwele Gideon ta ti: “Natango ou na aalumentu oyendji. Inda nayo kedhiya notandi ku yoololelemo yamwe. Ngoka tandi ku lombwele, u ye naye, oye inda naye. Ngoka tandi ti, ino ya naye, na kale po, ino ya naye.” 5 Gideon okwa fala aalumentu kedhiya, nOmuwa okwa ti kuye: “Yoolola mo aalumentu mboka taa shakumine omeya mumboka taa kotamene, ya nwe.” 6 Okwa li aalumentu omathele gatatu mboka ya shakumine. Yalwe oya kotamene ya tsa oongolo, ya nwe. 7 Omuwa okwa ti kuGideon: “Otandi ku hupitha noku ku sinditha Aamidiana kaalumentu mbaka omathele gatatu mboka ya shakumine. Lombwela yalwe, ya shune komagumbo. 8 Osho ngaaka Gideon okwa shunitha Aaisraeli ayehe komagumbo kakele kaamboka omathele gatatu, mboka ya li ye na onguta yomondjila noombenda. Ontanda yAamidiana oya li komeho gawo mesilu.”
9 Uusiku mbwiyaka Omuwa okwa lombwele Gideon: “Thikama, matukila ontanda; otandi ku sinditha. 10 Ihe ngele owa tila oku yi matukila, inda ko kuyo nomupiya gwoye Pura. 11 Oto ku uva shoka taa ti, e to kala wa nyatipala oku yi matukila.” Gideon nomupiya gwe oya kuluka ya yi popepi nontanda yaatondi. 12 Aamidiana, Aayamaleki naantu yokombuga oya li ya gumbakana nesilu ya fa oshapapa noye na oongamelo odhindjidhindji, oto ti ehekevi lyopooha dhefuta.
13 Gideon sho a thiki ko, oku uvu omulumentu ta hokololele kuume ke ondjodhi. Okwa li ta ti: “Onda yaguma oshikwiila shiishokelya sha galangatele montanda yetu e tashi dhenge otenda yimwe. Otenda oya ongotele pevi e tayi yalalala.”
14 Kuume ke okwa yamukula: “Ndyoka egonga lyOmuisraeli Gideon, omuna gwaJoas. Kashi shi sha shilwe. Kalunga okwa gandja Midian miikaha ye netangakwiita lyetu alihe.”
15 Gideon sho u uvu ondjodhi yomulumentu naashoka tayi ti, okwa tsu oongolo e ta hambelele Kalunga. Nena okwa galukile kontanda yAaisraeli e ta ti: “Thikameni! Omuwa okwa gandja etangakwiita lyaMidian miikaha yeni.” 16 Okwa topola aalumentu ye omathele gatatu momatanga gatatu nokwa pe omulumentu kehe ombenda noshiyuma shi na onyeka meni. 17 Okwe ya lombwele: “Shimpa nda thiki kooha dhontanda, talii ndje nawa, ne mu ninge shoka te ningi. 18 Uuna tatu hiki oombenda pamwe netanga lyandje, nane wo hikeni dheni mwa kunduka ontanda ne tamu igidha tamu ti: ‘OmolwOmuwa nomolwa Gideon.’ ”
19 Mokati kuusiku Gideon netanga lye lyaalumentu ethele oye ya popepi nontanda, naanaa konima aatonateli aape sho ye ya miilonga. Nena oya hiki oombenda e taa tatula iiyuma mbyoka ya li nayo, 20 nomatanga gaali ongashikwawo. Oya yelutha oonyeka nomalumoho gawo noombenda okomalulyo gawo noyi igidha taa ti: “Egonga lyOmuwa nolyaGideon!” 21 Aalumentu ayehe oya thikama ya dhingilila ontanda, etangakwiita lyaatondi nolya yi ondapo tali kaluluka. 22 Manga aantu yaGideon taa hiki oombenda dhawo, Omuwa okwa vundakanitha aatondi, ya pilukilathana nomagonga gawo ga tagananenathana. Oya fadhukile kuSaretan, sigololo oBet Shitta nandongo oshilando Abel Mehola popepi naTabbat.
23 Nena aalumentu yomezimo lyaNaftali, lyaAser nolyiitopolwa ayihe iyali yAamanasse oyi ithanwa noya tidha Aamidiana. 24 Gideon okwa tumu aatumwa nevi alihe lyokoondundu dhaEfraim ta ti: “Londolokeni, tu kondjeni nAamidiana. Tonateleni omulonga Jordan noompanalonga, sigo oBet-Bara, mu keelele Aamidiana, yaa taaguluke.” Aaefraim oya hiywa noya tonatele omulonga Jordan noompanalonga, sigo oBetbara. 25 Oya kwata aakwaniilwa yaali yAamidiana, Oreb naSeeb. Oya dhipaga Oreb pemanya lyaOreb naSeeb poshikolelo shoomviinu shaSeeb. Oya tsikile okutidhagana Aamidiana noye eta omitse dhaOreb naSeeb kuGideon, ngoka a li kuuzilo waJordan.
