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.
Ovaisraeli omafele atatu tava taataa Ovamidian
1 Opo nee Jerubbaal nokutya, Gideon, nomatanga aeshe ovakwaita ava va li puye, ova meneka, ndele va onga onhanda polufifiya Harod, fimbo onhanda yOvamidian ya li ye mu ama koumbangalanhu okudja koshikulundu More kepumbu. 2 Opo nee Omwene ta lombwele Gideon: “Omatanga ovakwaita aa e li pwoove, omahapu unene, opo ndi yandje Ovamidian momake avo, opo Ovaisraeli vehe linenepekele nge tava ti: Eke lange mwene la xupifa nge! 3 Ingidila omatanga ovakwaita u tye: ‘Ou ta tila ndele ta kakama, na piluke a shune keumbo, ndele fye ohatu kala apa pomhunda yaGilead.’ ” Opo nee ovakwaita omayovi omilongo mbali nomayovi avali va piluka, nomayovi omulongo a fyaala po.
4 Opo nee Omwene a lombwela Gideon ta ti: “Natango tuu ovakwaita ve li po vahapu. Va twala komeva, opo nee Ame ohandi ke ve ku hoololela mo. Ndee Ame handi ti kwoove nokutya: Inda naye, na ye naave. Ndelenee keshe ou handi ti kwoove: Ou ina ya naave, ye ina ya naave.” 5 Opo nee ye ta twala omatanga ovakwaita komeva. NOmwene ta ti kuGideon: “Keshe umwe ou ta shakumwine ngaashi ombwa tai shakumwine, ove u noku mu likaleka kombinga imwe; ndele keshe ou ta kotamene ta tu eengolo, na ame kombinga imwe.” 6 Ndelenee omuvalu waava va shakumwina neke, wa li ovalumenhu omafele atatu. Ndelenee ovakwaita aveshe vamwe va kotamena va twa eengolo va nwe omeva. 7 Opo nee Omwene ta ti kuGideon: “Novalumenhu ava omafele atatu ava va shakumwina, Ame ohandi ke mu xupifa nokuyandja Ovamidian meke loye. Ndelenee ovakwaita aveshe vamwe nava shune komaumbo avo. 8 Opo nee va kufa onghuta yovakwaita nomanghuma avo momake avo. Ndele ye okwa lekela ovakwaita aveshe va kotamena, keshe umwe a shune ketwali laye. Ndelenee ovalumenhu omafele atatu, ye e va kaleka puye, fimbo onhanda yOvamidian ya li mefilu lepumbu.”
9 Ndele oufiku tuu winya Omwene okwe mu lombwela ta ti: “Fikama, inda konhanda, osheshi Ame ohandi va yandje meke loye. 10 Ndele ove ngeenge wa tila okuya ko, inda hano konhanda pamwe nomupiya woye Pura, 11 u pwilikine eshi tava popi.” Opo nee omake oye taa ka pamekwa ndele ove to ka ya monhanda. Ye okwa ya hano pamwe nomupiya waye Pura fiyo okovanangeli vokomunghuloelela wonhanda, 12 NOvamidian nOvaamaleki novanhu aveshe vokoushilo va nangala monhanda ngaashi ouhapu woshipaxu neengamelo davo da li dihapu da nyengwa okuvalwa ngaashi edu momunghulo wefuta. 13 Ndele Gideon eshi e uya, omulumenhu umwe okwa hepaululila mukwao pefimbo tuu olo ondjodi ndele ta ti: “Tala, ame nda twa ondjodi. Omungome woilya wa li wa kukuta wa alangatela monhanda yOvamidian, ndele we uya fiyo we lidenga kofaila, yo ya wila po, ndele we i pilula, nofaila ya wila po.” 14 Nomukwao okwa nyamukula ta ti: “oyo kai na shimwe, oyo eongamukonda laGideon yaJoas, Omuisraeli. Kalunga okwa yandja onhanda aishe meke laye.” 15 Gideon eshi a uda ondjodi nefatululo layo, okwe linyongamena ta indile. Ndele okwa shuna konhanda yOvaisraeli ndele ta ti: “Fikameni, osheshi Omwene ta yandje onhanda yOvamidian momake eni.” 16 Ndele ye okwa tukula ovalumenhu omafele atatu eengudu nhatu, nokwe va pa aveshe omanghuma eedi noitoo mu neenyika momake avo, 17 nokwe va lombwela: “Talei nge ndele ningeni ngaashi ame; ndele taleni, ame ngeenge nda fika kovanangeli vokomunghuloelela, nye mu nokuninga naanaa ngaashi ame. 18 Ndele ngeenge ame naaveshe ava ve li pwaame hatu shiki omanghuma, nanye yo mu nokushika omanghuma keembinga adishe donhanda, ndele mu nokutya: ‘MolwOmwene nomolwaGideon!’ ”
19 Opo nee Gideon novalumenhu efele limwe ava va li puye va fika kovanangeli vokomunghuloelela wonhanda pehovelo lenangelo lopokati koufiku, ovanangeli eshi va tulwa po, vo ova shika omanghuma eedi ndele va tatula oitoo ya li momake avo. 20 Opo nee eengudu nhatu da shika omanghuma eedi ndele va tatula oitoo ndele va kwata eenyika momake okolumosho nomake okolulyo va kwata omanghuma eedi oku a shika fimbo tava ingida: “Eongamukonda lOmwene nolaGideon.” 21 Ndele vo ova kanghama va kala ofika keshe umwe ponhele yaye keembinga adishe donhanda. Opo nee onhanda aishe ya dongakana, va mbuyaana nokuya onhapo. 22 Ndele venya omafele atatu eshi va shika omanghuma eedi deemhedi, Omwene okwa alulilafana omaongamukonda ovakwao novakwao monhanda aishe. Naaveshe vomonhanda va ya onhapo kuBet-Sitta nokuSerera, fiyo okominghulo daAbel-Mehola puTabbat. 23 Novakwaita Ovaisraeli vomuNaftali novomuAsser novomuManasse va shivwa ko, ndele va shikula Ovamidian. 24 Gideon okwa tuma ovatumwa keemhunda daEfraim ndele ta ti: “Londolokeni mu shakeneke Ovamidian, ndele teteni ondjila yavo vaha hange omeva fiyo okuBet-Bara naJordan.” Osho hano ovakwaita aveshe va ongala ndele va nangela pomeva fiyo okuBet-Bara naJordan. 25 Ndele va kwata eehamba mbali dOvamidian Oreb naSeeb. Ndele va dipaa Oreb pemanya laOreb, ndele Seeb ve mu dipaela poshikolelo sheeviinyu, ndele va shikula Ovamidian. Ndele omutwe waOreb nomutwe waSeeb ve di twala kuGideon langhele kwinya yaJordan.
