The Final Defeat of the Midianites
1 Then the people of Ephraim said to Gideon, “Why didn't you call us when you went to fight the Midianites? Why did you treat us like this?” They complained bitterly about it.
2 But he told them, “What I was able to do is nothing compared with what you have done. Even the little that you people of Ephraim did is worth more than what my whole clan has done. 3 After all, through the power of God you killed the two Midianite chiefs, Oreb and Zeeb. What have I done to compare with that?” When he said this, they were no longer so angry.
4 By this time Gideon and his three hundred men had come to the Jordan River and had crossed it. They were exhausted, but were still pursuing the enemy. 5 When they arrived at Sukkoth, he said to the men of the town, “Please give my men some loaves of bread. They are exhausted, and I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the Midianite kings.”
6 But the leaders of Sukkoth said, “Why should we give your army any food? You haven't captured Zebah and Zalmunna yet.”
7 So Gideon said, “All right! When the Lord has handed Zebah and Zalmunna over to me, I will beat you with thorns and briers from the desert!” 8 Gideon went on to Penuel and made the same request of the people there, but the men of Penuel gave the same answer as the men of Sukkoth. 9 So he said to them, “I am going to come back safe and sound, and when I do, I will tear this tower down!”
10 Zebah and Zalmunna were at Karkor with their army. Of the whole army of desert tribesmen, only about 15,000 were left; 120,000 soldiers had been killed. 11 Gideon went on the road along the edge of the desert, east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and attacked the army by surprise. 12 The two Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna, ran away, but he pursued them and captured them, and caused their whole army to panic.
13 When Gideon was returning from the battle by way of Heres Pass, 14 he captured a young man from Sukkoth and questioned him. The young man wrote down for Gideon the names of the seventy-seven leading men of Sukkoth. 15 Then Gideon went to the men of Sukkoth and said, “Remember when you refused to help me? You said that you couldn't give any food to my exhausted army because I hadn't captured Zebah and Zalmunna yet. Well, here they are!” 16 He then took thorns and briers from the desert and used them to punish the leaders of Sukkoth. 17 He also tore down the tower at Penuel and killed the men of that city.
18 Then Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What about the men you killed at Tabor?”
They answered, “They looked like you—every one of them like the son of a king.”
19 Gideon said, “They were my brothers, my own mother's sons. I solemnly swear that if you had not killed them, I would not kill you.” 20 Then he said to Jether, his oldest son, “Go ahead, kill them!” But the boy did not draw his sword. He hesitated, because he was still only a boy.
21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, “Come on, kill us yourself. It takes a man to do a man's job.” So Gideon killed them and took the ornaments that were on the necks of their camels.
22 After that, the Israelites said to Gideon, “Be our ruler—you and your descendants after you. You have saved us from the Midianites.”
23 Gideon answered, “I will not be your ruler, nor will my son. The Lord will be your ruler.” 24 But he went on to say, “Let me ask one thing of you. Every one of you give me the earrings you took.” (The Midianites, like other desert people, wore gold earrings.)
25 The people answered, “We'll be glad to give them to you.” They spread out a cloth, and everyone put on it the earrings that he had taken. 26 The gold earrings that Gideon got weighed over forty pounds, and this did not include the ornaments, necklaces, and purple clothes that the kings of Midian wore, nor the collars that were around the necks of their camels. 27 Gideon made an idol from the gold and put it in his hometown, Ophrah. All the Israelites abandoned God and went there to worship the idol. It was a trap for Gideon and his family.
28 So Midian was defeated by the Israelites and was no longer a threat. The land was at peace for forty years, until Gideon died.
The Death of Gideon
29 Gideon went back to his own home and lived there. 30 He had seventy sons, because he had many wives. 31 He also had a concubine in Shechem; she bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech. 32 Gideon son of Joash died at a ripe old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash, at Ophrah, the town of the clan of Abiezer.
33 After Gideon's death the people of Israel were unfaithful to God again and worshiped the Baals. They made Baal-of-the-Covenant their god, 34 and no longer served the Lord their God, who had saved them from all their enemies around them. 35 They were not grateful to the family of Gideon for all the good that he had done 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.
