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.
Okusindwa kwahugunina kwAamidiana
1 Nena Aaefraim oya lombwele Gideon ya ti: “Oshike inoo tu lombwela, sho wa ka homona Aamidiana? Omolwashike we tu ningile ngeyi?” Oye shi tamaneke noonkondo.
2 Ihe Gideon okwa ti: “Shoka nda li te vulu okuninga, kashi shi sha nokuyelekwa naashoka mwe shi ningi. Nokuli oshishona shoka mwe shi ningi, oshi vule shoka ezimo lyandje alihe lye shi ningi. 3 Sho shene, okoonkondo dhaKalunga mwa dhipaga aawa yaali yAamidiana, Oreb naSeeb. Oshike nda ningi, shi tukule shino?” Sho a ti ngeyi, oya gololoka.
4 Gideon netanga lye lyaalumentu omathele gatatu oye ya komulonga Jordan noye gu taaguluka. Oya li ya loloka nayi, ihe oya landula ngaa aatondi yawo. 5 Sho ye ya kuSukkot, okwa lombwele aantu yomoshilando: “Peni wo aantu yandje iikwiila yimwe. Oya loloka, nangame onda landula Seba naZalmunna, aakwaniilwa yAamidiana.”
6 Ihe aakuluntu yaSukkot oya ti: “Omolwashike tu na okupa aakwiita yoye iikulya? Ndishi inamu kwata natango Seba naZalmunna.”
7 Gideon okwa ti: “Eewa ano! Omuwa ngele okwa gandja Seba naZalmunna miikaha yandje, nena otii ke mu takula nomano nomapokolo gokombuga!” 8 Gideon okwa yi kuPenuel nokwe ya hehela ngaashi puSukkot, ihe aantu mbaka oya yamukula ngaashi Aasukkot. 9 Okwa ti kuyo: “Ote yi, ihe otii ka galuka ondjolowele nonda ndjanga, nongele nda galuka, otii ka hanagula po epopilongulu lyeni.”
10 Seba naZalmunna oya li puKarkor pamwe netangakwiita lyawo. Maakwiita ayehe yomazimo gokombuga omwa li mwa hupu ashike 15 000; aakwiita 120 000 oya dhipagwa. 11 Gideon okwa yi nondjila yokooha dhombuga kuuzilo waNobak naJogbeha e ta koloka ta matukile etangakwiita. 12 Aakwaniilwa mbeyaka yaali yAamidiana, Seba naZalmunna, oya yi ontuku, ihe okwe ya landula e te ya kwata e ta shoshomeke etanga lyawo alihe.
13 Gideon sho a li ta galuka kolugodhi ta piti metaulilo lyaHeres, 14 okwa kwata omumati Omusukkot e te mu pula. Omumati okwe mu nyolele omadhina gaakuluntu omilongo heyali yaSukkot. 15 Nena Gideon okwa yi kaantu yaSukkot nokwa ti: “Dhimbulukweni, nkene mwa tindile okukwatha ndje. Omwa tile, itamu pe aakwiita yandje ya loloka iikulya, oshoka onda li manga inaandi kwata Seba naZalmunna. Eewa, oyo mbaka nduno!” 16 Opo ihe okwa kutha omano nomapokolo gokombuga e ta takula nago aakuluntu yaSukkot. 17 Okwa hanagula po wo epopilongulu puPenuel nokudhipaga aalumentu yomoshilando shoka.
18 Nena Gideon okwa pula Seba naZalmunna: “Ongiini kombinga yaantu mbeya mwa dhipagele puTabor?” Oya yamukula: “Oye ku fa, shaa ngoka okwa fa munyembala.”
19 Gideon okwa ti: “Oya li aamwameme yomekoto, ndele ote gana naanaa kutya ando omwa li inaamu ya dhipaga, ando itandi mu dhipaga.” 20 Nena okwa lombwele osheeli she Jeter: “Ila, u ya dhipage!” Ihe omumati ina pweya mo nande egongamwele lye. Okwa li ta kakama, oshoka oye omputu natango.
21 Nena Seba naZalmunna oya ti kuGideon: “Ila, u tu dhipage ngoye mwene, oshoka ngoye omulumentu gwomatha.” Osho Gideon e ya dhipaga nokwa kutha po iiwengendje ya li moothingo dhoongamelo dhawo.
22 Konima yaambika Aaisraeli oya ti kuGideon: “Ninga omuleli gwetu — ongoye noluvalo lwoye. Owe tu yululula miikaha yAamidiana.”
23 Gideon okwa yamukula: “Itandi ningi nando omuleli gweni, nohamumwandje. Omuwa oye omuleli gweni.” 24 Ihe okwa tsikile ta ti: “Nandi mu pule oshinima shimwe. Shaa ngoka gwomune na pe ndje omagola ngoka a hakana.” (Aamidiana naambuga oya li haa zala omagola giingoli.)
25 Aantu oya yamukula: “Otatu nyanyukilwa oku ge ku pa.” Oya yala ekumbyatha pevi noshaa ngoka oku umbile po omagola ngoka a hakana. 26 Omagola giingoli ngoka Gideon a taamba, oge na uudhigu u thike konyala pookilograma omilongo mbali, inaamu yalulilwa omitsuhu nomakwilika noonguwo oombwilili, ndhoka hadhi zalwa kaakwaniilwa yAamidiana, niiwengendje mbyoka ya li moothingo dhoongamelo dhawo. 27 Gideon okwe yi tungitha ondjatha ya nyeleketela e te yi tula moshilando shaandjawo Ofra. Aaisraeli oya gamuka ko kuKalunga kawo noye yi simaneke ya ningi oshikalunga shawo. Osha ningi epundukitho kuGideon noluvalo lwe.
28 Osho Aamidiana ya sindwa kAaisraeli nokapwa li we omahindo. Oshilongo osha li shi na ombili omimvo omilongo ne, sigo okeso lyaGideon.
Eso lyaGideon
29 Gideon okwa shuna kaandjawo noko a kala. 30 Okwa li e na oyana aamati omilongo heyali, oshoka okwa li a hokana ombanda. 31 Okwa li e na ohonda muShekem; noye mu valele okamati e te ka luku Abimelek. 32 Gideon yaJoas okwa si muukokele wa tya ko nokwa fumvikwa mombila yahe Joas puOfra, oshilando shezimo lyaAbieser.
33 Konima yeso lyaGideon oshigwana shaIsrael inashi dhiginina Kalunga; osha longele ooBaal. Oya ningi Baal-Berit oshimenka shawo 34 yo inaa tsikila we okulongela Omuwa Kalunga kawo, ngoka e ya mangulula miikaha yaatondi yawo ye ya kunduka. 35 Inaa sila ohenda egumbo lyaGideon moluuwanawa mboka e u ningile Israel.
