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.
1 Early the next morning, Gideon and his army got up and moved their camp to Fear Spring. The Midianite camp was to the north, in the valley at the foot of Moreh Hill.
2 The Lord said, “Gideon, your army is too big. I can't let you win with this many soldiers. The Israelites would think that they had won the battle all by themselves and that I didn't have anything to do with it. 3 So call your troops together and tell them that anyone who is really afraid can leave Mount Gilead and go home.”
Twenty-two thousand men returned home, leaving Gideon with only 10,000 soldiers.
4 “Gideon,” the Lord said, “you still have too many soldiers. Take them down to the spring and I'll test them. I'll tell you which ones can go along with you and which ones must go back home.”
5 When Gideon led his army down to the spring, the Lord told him, “Watch how each man gets a drink of water. Then divide them into two groups—those who lap the water like a dog and those who kneel down to drink.”
6 Three hundred men scooped up water in their hands and lapped it, and the rest knelt to get a drink. 7 The Lord said, “Gideon, your army will be made up of everyone who lapped the water from their hands. Send the others home. I'm going to rescue Israel by helping you and your army of 300 defeat the Midianites.”
8 Then Gideon gave these orders, “You 300 men stay here. The rest of you may go home, but leave your food and trumpets with us.”
Gideon's army camp was on top of a hill overlooking the Midianite camp in the valley.
9 That night, the Lord said to Gideon. “Get up! Attack the Midianite camp. I am going to let you defeat them, 10 but if you're still afraid, you and your servant Purah should sneak down to their camp. 11 When you hear what the Midianites are saying, you'll be brave enough to attack.”
Gideon and Purah worked their way to the edge of the enemy camp, where soldiers were on guard duty. 12 The camp was huge. The Midianites, Amalekites, and other eastern nations covered the valley like a swarm of locusts. And it would be easier to count the grains of sand on a beach than to count their camels. 13 Gideon overheard one enemy guard telling another, “I had a dream about a flat loaf of barley bread that came tumbling into our camp. It hit the headquarters tent, and the tent flipped over and fell to the ground.”
14 The other soldier answered, “Your dream must have been about Gideon, the Israelite commander. It means God will let him and his army defeat the Midianite army and everyone else in our camp.”
15 As soon as Gideon heard about the dream and what it meant, he bowed down to praise God. Then he went back to the Israelite camp and shouted, “Let's go! The Lord is going to let us defeat the Midianite army.”
16 Gideon divided his little army into three groups of 100 men, and he gave each soldier a trumpet and a large clay jar with a burning torch inside. 17-18 Gideon said, “When we get to the enemy camp, spread out and surround it. Then wait for me to blow a signal on my trumpet. As soon as you hear it, blow your trumpets and shout, ‘Fight for the Lord! Fight for Gideon!’ ”
19 Gideon and his group reached the edge of the enemy camp a few hours after dark, just after the new guards had come on duty. Gideon and his soldiers blew their trumpets and smashed the clay jars that were hiding the torches. 20 The rest of Gideon's soldiers blew the trumpets they were holding in their right hands. Then they smashed the jars and held the burning torches in their left hands. Everyone shouted, “Fight with your swords for the Lord and for Gideon!”
21 The enemy soldiers started yelling and tried to run away. Gideon's troops stayed in their positions surrounding the camp 22 and blew their trumpets again. As they did, the Lord made the enemy soldiers pull out their swords and start fighting each other.
The enemy army tried to escape from the camp. They ran to Acacia Tree Town, toward Zeredah, and as far as the edge of the land that belonged to the town of Abel-Meholah near Tabbath.
23 Gideon sent word for more Israelite soldiers to come from the tribes of Naphtali, Asher, and both halves of Manasseh to help fight the Midianites. 24 He also sent messengers to tell all the men who lived in the hill country of Ephraim, “Come and help us fight the Midianites! Put guards at every spring, stream, and well, as far as Beth-Barah before the Midianites can get to them. And guard the Jordan River.”
Troops from Ephraim did exactly what Gideon had asked, 25 and they even helped chase the Midianites on the east side of the Jordan River. These troops captured Raven and Wolf, the two Midianite leaders. They killed Raven at a large rock that has come to be known as Raven Rock, and they killed Wolf near a wine-pit that has come to be called Wolf Wine-Pit.
The men of Ephraim brought the heads of the two Midianite leaders to Gideon.
