Gideon
1 Once again the people of Israel sinned against the Lord, so he let the people of Midian rule them for seven years. 2 The Midianites were stronger than Israel, and the people of Israel hid from them in caves and other safe places in the hills. 3 Whenever the Israelites would plant their crops, the Midianites would come with the Amalekites and the desert tribes and attack them. 4 They would camp on the land and destroy the crops as far south as the area around Gaza. They would take all the sheep, cattle, and donkeys, and leave nothing for the Israelites to live on. 5 They would come with their livestock and tents, as thick as locusts. They and their camels were too many to count. They came and devastated the land, 6 and Israel was helpless against them.
7 Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help against the Midianites, 8 and he sent them a prophet who brought them this message from the Lord, the God of Israel: “I brought you out of slavery in Egypt. 9 I rescued you from the Egyptians and from the people who fought you here in this land. I drove them out as you advanced, and I gave you their land. 10 I told you that I am the Lord your God and that you should not worship the gods of the Amorites, whose land you are now living in. But you have not listened to me.”
11 Then the Lord's angel came to the village of Ophrah and sat under the oak tree that belonged to Joash, a man of the clan of Abiezer. His son Gideon was threshing some wheat secretly in a wine press, so that the Midianites would not see him. 12 The Lord's angel appeared to him there and said, “The Lord is with you, brave and mighty man!”
13 Gideon said to him, “If I may ask, sir, why has all this happened to us if the Lord is with us? What happened to all the wonderful things that our fathers told us the Lord used to do—how he brought them out of Egypt? The Lord has abandoned us and left us to the mercy of the Midianites.”
14 Then the Lord ordered him, “Go with all your great strength and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I myself am sending you.”
15 Gideon replied, “But Lord, how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least important member of my family.”
16 The Lord answered, “You can do it because I will help you. You will crush the Midianites as easily as if they were only one man.”
17 Gideon replied, “If you are pleased with me, give me some proof that you are really the Lord. 18 Please do not leave until I bring you an offering of food.”
He said, “I will stay until you come back.”
19 So Gideon went into his house and cooked a young goat and used a bushel of flour to make bread without any yeast. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot, brought them to the Lord's angel under the oak tree, and gave them to him. 20 The angel told him, “Put the meat and the bread on this rock, and pour the broth over them.” Gideon did so. 21 Then the Lord's angel reached out and touched the meat and the bread with the end of the stick he was holding. Fire came out of the rock and burned up the meat and the bread. Then the angel disappeared.
22 Gideon then realized that it was the Lord's angel he had seen, and he said in terror, “Sovereign Lord! I have seen your angel face-to-face!”
23 But the Lord told him, “Peace. Don't be afraid. You will not die.” 24 Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and named it “The Lord is Peace.” (It is still standing at Ophrah, which belongs to the clan of Abiezer.)
25 That night the Lord told Gideon, “Take your father's bull and another bull seven years old, tear down your father's altar to Baal, and cut down the symbol of the goddess Asherah, which is beside it. 26 Build a well-constructed altar to the Lord your God on top of this mound. Then take the second bull and burn it whole as an offering, using for firewood the symbol of Asherah you have cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did what the Lord had told him. He was too afraid of his family and the people in town to do it by day, so he did it at night.
28 When the people in town got up early the next morning, they found that the altar to Baal and the symbol of Asherah had been cut down, and that the second bull had been burned on the altar that had been built there. 29 They asked each other, “Who did this?” They investigated and found out that Gideon son of Joash had done it. 30 Then they said to Joash, “Bring your son out here, so that we can kill him! He tore down the altar to Baal and cut down the symbol of Asherah beside it.”
31 But Joash said to all those who confronted him, “Are you arguing for Baal? Are you defending him? Anyone who argues for him will be killed before morning. If Baal is a god, let him defend himself. It is his altar that was torn down.” 32 From then on Gideon was known as Jerubbaal, because Joash said, “Let Baal defend himself; it is his altar that was torn down.”
33 Then all the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the desert tribes assembled, crossed the Jordan River, and camped in Jezreel Valley. 34 The spirit of the Lord took control of Gideon, and he blew a trumpet to call the men of the clan of Abiezer to follow him. 35 He sent messengers throughout the territory of both parts of Manasseh to call them to follow him. He sent messengers to the tribes of Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they also came to join him.
36 Then Gideon said to God, “You say that you have decided to use me to rescue Israel. 37 Well, I am putting some wool on the ground where we thresh the wheat. If in the morning there is dew only on the wool but not on the ground, then I will know that you are going to use me to rescue Israel.” 38 That is exactly what happened. When Gideon got up early the next morning, he squeezed the wool and wrung enough dew out of it to fill a bowl with water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, “Don't be angry with me; let me speak just once more. Please let me make one more test with the wool. This time let the wool be dry, and the ground be wet.” 40 That night God did that very thing. The next morning the wool was dry, but the ground was wet with dew.
Omaisaneno wa Gideon okukutura Ovaisrael kOvamidian
1 NOvaisrael tji va za nokutjita ouvi rukwao komurungu wa Muhona, eye otje ve yandja momake wOvamidian oure wozombura hambombari. 2 NOvamidian va ṋiṋikiza Ovaisrael nomasa tjinene; nu mena rokutira Ovamidian, Ovaisrael va kaṱara motupoko twozondundu, mozondimba na moviṱunga. 3 Aruhe Ovaisrael tjaave kunu, Ovamidian nOvaamalek nomihoko vyokomuhuka tjandje mave ve hingire ovita. 4 Owo aave tono ozondanda mehi rOvaisrael nave nyono ovinikora mehi arihe nga kOgasa. Owo kave syere mo oviparure mOisrael, nandarire onyanda poo ongombe poo okasino. 5 Owo ve ya notupanda twawo twovinamuinyo nozondanda zawo tjimuna ovimbumba vyozombahu; owo nozongamero zawo kaave sora okuvarwa. Komuhingo mbwi opu va hitira mehi nave nyono ro. 6 Ovaisrael va muna ouzeu tjinene kOvamidian; nowo va ura ku Muhona.
7 NOvaisrael tji va ura ku Muhona mena rokutatumisiwa i Ovamidian, 8 Muhona otje ve hindira omuprofete ngwa tjere ku wo: “Muhona, Ndjambi wa Israel, ma tja: ‘Owami omuini ngu mbe mu pitisire mouhuura mOengipte. 9 Ami mbe mu yama momake wOvaengipte, nowovemuṋiṋikize avehe, ne ve ramba komurungu weṋu, nehi rawo mba yandja ku eṋe. 10 Ami mbe mu raera kutja owami Muhona, Ndjambi weṋu; amu rikotamene koomukuru vOvaamori, imba vehi mu mwa tura. Nungwari kamu puratenene ko keraka randje.’ ”
11 Omuengeri wa Muhona weya na kahaama kehi yomumborombonga motjirongo tja Ofra mbwa ri owa Joas, Omuabiesri, omuzandu we Gideon ngunda ama tondo ovikokotwa motjitondero kutja e vi horeke kOvamidian. 12 Nomuengeri wa Muhona we rimunikisa ku ye a tja: “Muhona u ri puna ove, mbanḓe ombangaṋe!”
13 Gideon we mu pura a tja: “Arikana, muhona wandje, Muhona tje ri puna eṱe okutjavi oviṋa mbi avihe tji mavi tjitwa ku eṱe? Nu imbi ovitjitwa vye ovihimise vi ri pi ootate mbi ve tu raera, indu tji va tja Muhona we tu pitisire mOengipte? Nambano Muhona we tu imbirahi, nu we tu yandja momake wOvamidian.”
14 Muhona opa rakiza ku ye na tja: “Nambano kawondje nomasa woye aehe ngu u na wo u kakuture Ovaisrael meke rOvamidian! Owami Muhona ngu me ku hindi.”
15 Nungwari Gideon we mu pura a tja: “Arikana, Muhona, Ovaisrael meve kutura na tjike? Tara, onganda yandje ondji ri otjingundi tjinene momuhoko wa Manasse, nami omuini owami omuhinanḓengu tjinene meṱunḓu randje.”
16 Muhona wa tja ku ye: “Ami me kara puna ove kutja u nyone Ovamidian aayo owo omurumendu umwe uriri.”
17 Gideon we mu zira na tja: “Ove ndoovazu u notjari na ami, ndji pa otjiraisiro tjokutja oove ngu mo hungire puna ami. 18 Arikana, o zu po mba nga tji mba kotoka kove okukuetera otjiyandjewa tjandje.”
Neye opa tjera nai: “Ami me kara nga ove tji wa kotoka.”
19 Okuzambo Gideon wa hita mondjuwo, a katereka okangombona na ungura omavanda nge hi nosurise wozokirograma omurongo; indji onyama wa twa motjimbamba nomanyuṋe wayo wa twa monyungu; tjazumba e vi pitisa pendje ku ye kehi yomumborombonga, ne kevitwa pehi momurungu we. 20 Nomuengeri wa Ndjambi wa rakiza a tja ku ye: “Toora onyama ndji na inga omavanda nge hi nosurise u vi twe koruuwa ndwi nu inga omanyuṋe u tirire kombanda yavyo.” Nu Gideon wa tjita nao. 21 Omuengeri wa Muhona opa yerera okati ke ka ri na ko meke, na ṱunu na ko onyama nomavanda nge hi nosurise; mwa za omuriro moruuwa au seseta onyama ndji nomavanda nga. Nomuengeri wa Muhona wa zenga momeho we.
22 Nu Gideon tja muna kutja ingwi wa ri omuengeri wa Muhona, arire tja tja: “Owee, Muhona Ndjambi! Ami mba munasana nomuengeri wa Muhona omurungu nomurungu!”
23 Nungwari Muhona wa tja ku ye: “Ohange ngai kare na ove! O tira! Ove komoo ṱu!” 24 Poṋa mbo Gideon wa tungira Muhona otjipunguhiro ne tji ruku kutja: “Muhona eye ohange.” Otjipunguhiro hi nga mba tja kurama mOofra tjOvaabiesri.
25 Nu mouṱuku tjingewo Muhona wa tja nai ku Gideon: “Kambura ondwezu yongombe oitjavari yaiho yozombura hambombari, nu u teye otjipunguhiro tja Baal tji tji ri otjaiho, nu u ke ongunḓe yomukuru wotjisenginina oserekaze Asera, ndji ri meṋe yatjo. 26 Okuzambo tungira Muhona, Ndjambi woye, otjipunguhiro tjomawe nga tendekasana, kondomba yondundu, nu u kambure ondwezu ndji oitjavari, u i punguhe okurira ombunguhiro oningiririsiwa, nu u twe ko ozonguṋe zongunḓe yotjisenginina, indji ndji mo ke, komuriro.” 27 Gideon wa toora ovarumendu omurongo mokati kovakarere ve na tjiti otja Muhona pe mu raerere; nungwari tjinga a tira ovandu veṱunḓu re novarumendu votjihuro okutjita otjiṋa hi mutenya, eye ope tji tjitira ouṱuku.
28 Novature votjihuro tji va penduka omuhuka omunene wependukirwa raindo, arire tji va munu kutja otjipunguhiro tja Baal tja teyerwa pehi, nokutja indji ongunḓe yotjiraisiro tja Asera ndja kuramene meṋe yatjo ya kewa, nokutja ondwezu ndji oitjavari ya punguhirwa kotjipunguhiro tji tja tungirwe mbo. 29 Nowo otji va purasana ave tja: “Owaṋi ngwa tjiti otjiṋa hi?” Nowo tji va za nokukonḓonona nokupura arire tji kwa zu: “Gideon, omuzandu wa Joas, ongwe tji tjiti.” 30 Novature votjihuro va tja ku Joas: “Pitisa omuzandu woye, eye ma sokuṱa, tjinga a teya otjipunguhiro tja Baal, na ke ongunḓe yotjisenginina tja Asera ndja kuramene meṋe yatjo.”
31 Nungwari Joas wa tja nai ku imba avehe mba kuramene puna ye: “Eṋe mamu vanga okurwira Baal are? Poo mamu vanga okumuvatera? Ingwi ngu me mu rwire ma ṱu omuhuka mbunombwi. Tjinangara Baal onguri mukuru nge rirwire omuini, otjipunguhiro tji tja nyanyaurwa tjinga atji ri otje.” 32 Meyuva ndo, Gideon opa rukirwa ena Jerubbaal, Joas tjinga a tja nai: “Baal nge rirwire omuini mena rotjipunguhiro tje tji tja nyanyaurwa.”
33 Ovamidian nOvaamalek avehe nomihoko avihe vyokomuhuka ve rikuta kumwe, ave kondo onḓonḓu Jordan nave katona ozondanda morutjandja rwa Jesreel. 34 Nombepo ya Muhona ya hita mu Gideon; neye wa posisa ohiva, nOvaabieser otji ve mu kongorera. 35 Tjazumba eye wa tuma ovahindwa mehi arihe romuhoko wa Manasse, nowo ve mu kongorera; neye wa tuma ovahindwa komuhoko wa Aser nowa Sebulon nowa Naftali, novyo wina vya sekama okukemuvatera.
36 Gideon wa hungira ku Ndjambi a tja: “Ove, tjiri, tji movanga okukutura Ovaisrael neke randje otja pu wa hungira, 37 osemba uri, ami me yara omukova wonḓu kotjitondero; tji mu nomueme momukova auyerike uriri, indi ehi meṋe yawo ngunda ara kukuta, ami otji me tjiwa kutja ove movanga okukutura Ovaisrael neke randje otja pu wa hungira.” 38 Nu pa tjitwa nao. Gideon tja penduka menyunguhuka wa kama omueme momukova na pitisa mo omeva otjitjuma okuura. 39 Gideon wa hungira ku Ndjambi a tja: “O ṱomazenge na ami, nu ndji yandjera okuhungira rumwe rukwao. Arikana, ndji pa oruveze okurora rumwe uri nomukova mbwi. Tjita kutja omukova auyerike u rire omukukutu, indi ehi arihe meṋe yawo ngunda ari nomueme.” 40 Ndjambi wa tjita nao ouṱuku mbo. Omukova auyerike ombwa kukuta, nungwari imba apehe pehi meṋe yawo pa ri nomueme.
