Gideon Defeats the Midianites
1 One day Gideon and all his men got up early and camped beside Harod Spring. The Midianite camp was in the valley to the north of them by Moreh Hill.
2 The Lord said to Gideon, “The men you have are too many for me to give them victory over the Midianites. They might think that they had won by themselves, and so give me no credit. 3 Announce to the people, ‘Anyone who is afraid should go back home, and we will stay here at Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand went back, but ten thousand stayed.
4 Then the Lord said to Gideon, “You still have too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will separate them for you there. If I tell you a man should go with you, he will go. If I tell you a man should not go with you, he will not go.” 5 Gideon took the men down to the water, and the Lord told him, “Separate everyone who laps up the water with his tongue like a dog, from everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.” 6 There were three hundred men who scooped up water in their hands and lapped it; all the others got down on their knees to drink. 7 The Lord said to Gideon, “I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites with the three hundred men who lapped the water. Tell everyone else to go home.” 8 So Gideon sent all the Israelites home, except the three hundred, who kept all the supplies and trumpets. The Midianite camp was below them in the valley.
9 That night the Lord commanded Gideon, “Get up and attack the camp; I am giving you victory over it. 10 But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah. 11 You will hear what they are saying, and then you will have the courage to attack.” So Gideon and his servant Purah went down to the edge of the enemy camp. 12 The Midianites, the Amalekites, and the desert tribesmen were spread out in the valley like a swarm of locusts, and they had as many camels as there are grains of sand on the seashore.
13 When Gideon arrived, he heard a man telling a friend about a dream. He was saying, “I dreamed that a loaf of barley bread rolled into our camp and hit a tent. The tent collapsed and lay flat on the ground.”
14 His friend replied, “It's the sword of the Israelite, Gideon son of Joash! It can't mean anything else! God has given him victory over Midian and our whole army!”
15 When Gideon heard about the man's dream and what it meant, he fell to his knees and worshiped the Lord. Then he went back to the Israelite camp and said, “Get up! The Lord is giving you victory over the Midianite army!” 16 He divided his three hundred men into three groups and gave each man a trumpet and a jar with a torch inside it. 17 He told them, “When I get to the edge of the camp, watch me, and do what I do. 18 When my group and I blow our trumpets, then you blow yours all around the camp and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’”
19 Gideon and his one hundred men came to the edge of the camp a while before midnight, just after the guard had been changed. Then they blew the trumpets and broke the jars they were holding, 20 and the other two groups did the same. They all held the torches in their left hands, the trumpets in their right, and shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 Every man stood in his place around the camp, and the whole enemy army ran away yelling. 22 While Gideon's men were blowing their trumpets, the Lord made the enemy troops attack each other with their swords. They ran toward Zarethan as far as Beth Shittah, as far as the town of Abel Meholah near Tabbath.
23 Then men from the tribes of Naphtali, Asher, and both parts of Manasseh were called out, and they pursued the Midianites. 24 Gideon sent messengers through all the hill country of Ephraim to say, “Come down and fight the Midianites. Hold the Jordan River and the streams as far as Bethbarah, to keep the Midianites from crossing them.” The men of Ephraim were called together, and they held the Jordan River and the streams as far as Bethbarah. 25 They captured the two Midianite chiefs, Oreb and Zeeb; they killed Oreb at Oreb Rock, and Zeeb at the Winepress of Zeeb. They continued to pursue the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was now east of the Jordan.
Gideon ma havere Ovamidian
1 Kombunda yanao Jerubbaal, okutja oGideon, wa kumuka menyunguhuka puna ovarwe wovita mba ri puna ye nave katona ozondanda poruharwi rwa Harod, inḓa ozondanda zOvamidian ngunda aze ri komukuma wokeyuva kokunene kwainḓa oze morutjandja kuṱa kondunda More.
2 Muhona wa tja ku Gideon: “Ovarumendu wovita mbe ri pove ovengi tjinene ku ami okuyandja Ovamidian momake wawo; tjaa Ovaisrael mave rihivi amave tja: ‘Eṱe twe riyama oveni nokuhinombatero ya Muhona.’ 3 Ravaera kovarumendu wovita nu itja: ‘Auhe ngu ma tira na ngu ma mumapara nga yarukire pozondundu za Gilead.’ ” Pa yaruka ovarwe wovita omayovi omirongo vivari na yevari, nu pa sewa omayovi omurongo.
4 Muhona opa tjera ku Gideon: “Ovarumendu wovita inga ovengi tjinene. Ve pundisa koruharwi, nami me kevetoororera ove ngo. Ingwi ami ngu me ku raere kutja nga yende, eye nga yende; nungwari ingwi ami ngu me ku raere kutja a i puna ove, eye a ha i ko.” 5 Gideon wa pundisa ovarwe wovita komeva, nu Muhona wa tja ku ye: “Auhe ngu ma tjaka omeva neraka otja ombwa mu kuramisa komunda umwe; nu auhe ngu ma woro ozongoro okunwa mu kuramisa komunda warwe.” 6 Nu otjivaro tjaimba mba tjakere omeva momake wawo tja ri omasere yetatu, nu imba avehe varwe va wora ozongoro okunwa omeva. 7 Muhona opa tjera nai ku Gideon: “Ami me ku yama nombatero yovarumendu mba omasere yetatu, mba tjaka omeva neraka; nOvamidian me yandja meke roye. Nungwari ovarumendu mba varwe avehe ngave yaruke kozoyawo.” 8 Gideon opa toorera onguta yovarwe wovita puna ozohiva zawo; tjazumba otja isa Ovaisrael avehe ve yaruke kozoyawo posi yaimba ovarumendu omasere yetatu omba ṱakamisira pu ye. Nu inḓa ozondanda zOvamidian za ri kehi morutjandja.
9 Nu mouṱuku mbo Muhona wa tja ku Gideon: “Sekama u punde kozondanda zOvamidian, orondu ami me ze yandja meke roye. 10 Nungwari tji mo tira okupunda kozondanda puna otjimbumba atjihe, rutenga twende ngo puna omukarere woye Pura. 11 Ove mo kazuva imbi ovandu mbi mave hungire; nu tjazumba mo hara omasa okuverwisa.” Eye opa pundira kehi puna omukarere we Pura nga poruteto indwi orutenga rwovatjevere vozondanda. 12 NOvamidian nOvaamalek noviwaṋa avihe vyokomuhuka va rimbara morutjandja tjimuna ovimbumba vyozombahu, nouingi wozongamero zawo kaau sora okuvarwa, wa ri tjimuna eheke pomukuro wokuvare.
13 Nu Gideon tja kavaza ngo, omurumendu worive tjandje ma serekarere oruroto komukwao ama tja: “Tara, ami mba roto kutja pa ri omboroto ndja terekwa povirya, nu ndjaa i kunguzuka okutuurunga ozondanda zOvamidian, ai vete ondanda imwe, ai wisa nai tungunyuna yo; nondanda otji ya sewa nao.”
14 Ingwi omukwao wa zira a tja: “Oruroto ndwi karu nokuheya otjiṋa tjarwe; oro maru hee engaruvyo ra Gideon, Omuisrael, omuzandu wa Joas; Ndjambi wa yandja Ovamidian notjimbumba tjawo atjihe meke re.”
15 Gideon tja za nokuzuva omaserekarerero woruroto nomazengururiro warwo arire tja wora ozongoro ne rikotamene ku Ndjambi. Tjazumba otja yaruka kozondanda zOvaisrael na katja nai: “Sekameye, orondu Muhona me mu pe outoṋi kombanda yOvamidian.” 16 Neye wa haṋa ovarumendu mba omasere yetatu movimbumba vitatu, nu ku wo avehe wa yandja ko ozohiva novitjuma mu mwa ri ovimunine. 17 Neye wa tja nai ku wo: “Tareye ku ami, nu mu tjite otja tji me tjiti. Ami tji mba kavaza kotjikoro tjozondanda tjopendje, eṋe otji mamu tjiti otja ami tji me tjiti. 18 Ami na imba avehe mbe ri pu ami tji twa posisa ozohiva, eṋe wina otji mamu posisa ozohiva kominda avihe vyozondanda, amamu ravaere nai: ‘Ku Muhona na ku Gideon!’ ”
19 Nu Gideon novarumendu esere rimwe mba ri puna ye ve ya kotjikoro tjozondanda tjopendje mokati kouṱuku ovatjevere varwe tji va za nokuuta okutjevera; owo va posisa ozohiva nave nyanyaura ovitjuma, mbi va ri na vyo momake. 20 Novimbumba mbi ovikwao vivari vya posisa ozohiva, avi nyanyaura ovitjuma navi ṱiza omamunine momake wawo omamuho, nozohiva momake wawo wokunene okuposisa amave ravaere nai: “Ku Muhona na ku Gideon!” 21 Nowo va kurama, auhe poruveze rwe, kominda avihe vyozondanda. Ovamidian avehe mozondanda opu va purukutira pendje, tjandje mave uru nokutupuka. 22 Imba omasere yetatu ngunda amave posisa ozohiva, Muhona tjandje wa tjiti kutja omunavita auhe a toorere omukwao engaruvyo. Owo avehe va tupuka nga kObet-Sita kuṱa kOsereda nga komukuro wa Abel-Mehola kOtabat.
23 Ovaisrael ovarwe wovita vomuhoko wa Naftali nowa Aser nowa Manasse avehe va raerwa kutja ve tezere Ovamidian. 24 Wina Gideon wa tuma ovahindwa kehi rozondundu ra Efraim arihe, nomaraerero nga: “Herukeye mu karwise Ovamidian, nu mu ve tjaere konḓonḓu Jordan na komeva nga kObet-Bara.” Tjazumba ovarumendu wovita avehe vomuhoko wa Efraim arire tji va worongana, nave tjaere Ovamidian konḓonḓu Jordan na komeva nga kObet-Bara. 25 Nowo wina va kambura ozombara mbari zOvamidian, ooOreb na Seeb; Oreb ve mu zepera kOruuwa rwa Oreb, nu Seeb ve mu zepera kOtjikameno tja Seeb; tjazumba otji va kara pokutezera Ovamidian nave eta otjiuru tja Oreb notja Seeb ku Gideon, koutjiro wa Jordan.
