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 ta sindi Aamidiana
1 Esiku limwe Gideon okwa meneka ongula onene pamwe netanga lye e ta yungu ontanda ontega noluthithiya lwaHarod. Ontanda yAamidiana oya li mesilu kuumbugantu wawo pondundu More.
2 Omuwa okwa ti kuGideon: “Ou na aalumentu oyendji unene mokusinditha Aamidiana. Otaa ningi ya tye, oya sindi kuyo yene yo itaa simaneke ndje. 3 Lombwela aantu to ti: ‘Shaa ngoka a tila, na shune kegumbo, notatu kala mpaka pondundu Gilead.’ ” Omayuvi omilongo mbali nagaali oga shuna, ihe opwa kala omayuvi omulongo.
4 Nena Omuwa okwa lombwele Gideon ta ti: “Natango ou na aalumentu oyendji. Inda nayo kedhiya notandi ku yoololelemo yamwe. Ngoka tandi ku lombwele, u ye naye, oye inda naye. Ngoka tandi ti, ino ya naye, na kale po, ino ya naye.” 5 Gideon okwa fala aalumentu kedhiya, nOmuwa okwa ti kuye: “Yoolola mo aalumentu mboka taa shakumine omeya mumboka taa kotamene, ya nwe.” 6 Okwa li aalumentu omathele gatatu mboka ya shakumine. Yalwe oya kotamene ya tsa oongolo, ya nwe. 7 Omuwa okwa ti kuGideon: “Otandi ku hupitha noku ku sinditha Aamidiana kaalumentu mbaka omathele gatatu mboka ya shakumine. Lombwela yalwe, ya shune komagumbo. 8 Osho ngaaka Gideon okwa shunitha Aaisraeli ayehe komagumbo kakele kaamboka omathele gatatu, mboka ya li ye na onguta yomondjila noombenda. Ontanda yAamidiana oya li komeho gawo mesilu.”
9 Uusiku mbwiyaka Omuwa okwa lombwele Gideon: “Thikama, matukila ontanda; otandi ku sinditha. 10 Ihe ngele owa tila oku yi matukila, inda ko kuyo nomupiya gwoye Pura. 11 Oto ku uva shoka taa ti, e to kala wa nyatipala oku yi matukila.” Gideon nomupiya gwe oya kuluka ya yi popepi nontanda yaatondi. 12 Aamidiana, Aayamaleki naantu yokombuga oya li ya gumbakana nesilu ya fa oshapapa noye na oongamelo odhindjidhindji, oto ti ehekevi lyopooha dhefuta.
13 Gideon sho a thiki ko, oku uvu omulumentu ta hokololele kuume ke ondjodhi. Okwa li ta ti: “Onda yaguma oshikwiila shiishokelya sha galangatele montanda yetu e tashi dhenge otenda yimwe. Otenda oya ongotele pevi e tayi yalalala.”
14 Kuume ke okwa yamukula: “Ndyoka egonga lyOmuisraeli Gideon, omuna gwaJoas. Kashi shi sha shilwe. Kalunga okwa gandja Midian miikaha ye netangakwiita lyetu alihe.”
15 Gideon sho u uvu ondjodhi yomulumentu naashoka tayi ti, okwa tsu oongolo e ta hambelele Kalunga. Nena okwa galukile kontanda yAaisraeli e ta ti: “Thikameni! Omuwa okwa gandja etangakwiita lyaMidian miikaha yeni.” 16 Okwa topola aalumentu ye omathele gatatu momatanga gatatu nokwa pe omulumentu kehe ombenda noshiyuma shi na onyeka meni. 17 Okwe ya lombwele: “Shimpa nda thiki kooha dhontanda, talii ndje nawa, ne mu ninge shoka te ningi. 18 Uuna tatu hiki oombenda pamwe netanga lyandje, nane wo hikeni dheni mwa kunduka ontanda ne tamu igidha tamu ti: ‘OmolwOmuwa nomolwa Gideon.’ ”
19 Mokati kuusiku Gideon netanga lye lyaalumentu ethele oye ya popepi nontanda, naanaa konima aatonateli aape sho ye ya miilonga. Nena oya hiki oombenda e taa tatula iiyuma mbyoka ya li nayo, 20 nomatanga gaali ongashikwawo. Oya yelutha oonyeka nomalumoho gawo noombenda okomalulyo gawo noyi igidha taa ti: “Egonga lyOmuwa nolyaGideon!” 21 Aalumentu ayehe oya thikama ya dhingilila ontanda, etangakwiita lyaatondi nolya yi ondapo tali kaluluka. 22 Manga aantu yaGideon taa hiki oombenda dhawo, Omuwa okwa vundakanitha aatondi, ya pilukilathana nomagonga gawo ga tagananenathana. Oya fadhukile kuSaretan, sigololo oBet Shitta nandongo oshilando Abel Mehola popepi naTabbat.
23 Nena aalumentu yomezimo lyaNaftali, lyaAser nolyiitopolwa ayihe iyali yAamanasse oyi ithanwa noya tidha Aamidiana. 24 Gideon okwa tumu aatumwa nevi alihe lyokoondundu dhaEfraim ta ti: “Londolokeni, tu kondjeni nAamidiana. Tonateleni omulonga Jordan noompanalonga, sigo oBet-Bara, mu keelele Aamidiana, yaa taaguluke.” Aaefraim oya hiywa noya tonatele omulonga Jordan noompanalonga, sigo oBetbara. 25 Oya kwata aakwaniilwa yaali yAamidiana, Oreb naSeeb. Oya dhipaga Oreb pemanya lyaOreb naSeeb poshikolelo shoomviinu shaSeeb. Oya tsikile okutidhagana Aamidiana noye eta omitse dhaOreb naSeeb kuGideon, ngoka a li kuuzilo waJordan.
