Ovamidian mave yandekwa
1 Ovaefraim va pura nai ku Gideon: “Okutjavi tji u he tu isanene, indu tji wa rwisa Ovamidian? We tu tjitira tjike nai?” Nowo ve mu posisa tjinene.
2 Nungwari eye wa zira nai ku wo: “Nambano ami mba tjita tjike tji mamu sasaneke imbi ovyandje na imbi mbi mwa tjita? Nangarire imbi oviṱiṱi eṋe Ovaefraim mbi mwa tjita ovyo ovinanḓengu tjinene pu imbi onganda yandje aihe mbi ya tjita. 3 Ndjambi wa yandja ozombara zOvamidian, ooOreb na Seeb, momake weṋu. Ami mba tjita tjike tji mamu sasaneke imbi ovyandje na imbi mbi mwa tjita?” Eye tja za nokuhungira omambo nga omapindi wawo otji ya wa pehi.
4 Gideon wa vaza konḓonḓu Jordan ne i kondo puna ovarumendu ve omasere yetatu, ava urwa nava ṱondjara. 5 Neye otja tja kovature va Sukot: “Arikaneye, yandjeye ozomboroto ozombomba tjiva kovarumendu mba mbu mave ndji kongorere, tjinga ava urwa tjinene, nami ame tezere Seba na Salmuna, ozombara zOvamidian.”
6 Nungwari imba ovanane va Sukot va pura ave tja: “Matu yandjere tjike ozomboroto kotjimbumba tjoye tjovita, ngunda au hiya kambura Seba na Salmuna?”
7 Gideon opa tjera nai: “Osemba, Muhona tje ndji pe ooSeba na Salmuna meke randje, ami me mu tono nomakuiya wokuti onguza.” 8 Okuzambo eye wa ya kOpenuel na kaningira otjiṋa tjingetjo kovature vatjo; nungwari ovature va Penuel ve mu zira otja imba ova Sukot. 9 Eye wina opa hungirira kovature va Penuel a tja: “Ami tji mba kotoka nondoṋeno me teya oruhungu rweṋu.”
10 Seba na Salmuna va ri puna ovimbumba vyawo vyovita mOkarkor. Imba mba hupa kovimbumba avihe vyomihoko vyokomuhuka va ri ovarumendu mangara omayovi omurongo na yetano; nungwari imba mba ṱa va ri omayovi esere rimwe nomirongo vivari, avehe ovarwe wovita. 11 Nu Gideon wa ya nondjira yomokuti onguza kuṱa komuhuka wa Nobak na Jogboha, na karwisa otjimbumba tjovita ngunda atji hiya tjiza. 12 Nozombara nḓa mbari zOvamidian otji za taura, nungwari eye we ze tezera ne kezekambura. Neye wa piza otjimbumba atjihe tjovita.
13 Nu Gideon, omuzandu wa Joas, wa kotoka okuza komarwiro nondjira yomakapitiro wondundu Heres. 14 Neye wa kambura omuzandu omutanda wovature va Sukot ne mu pura okukonḓonona; nu ingwi we mu tjangera omana wovahona nowovanane va Sukot, ovandu omirongo hambombari na hambombari. 15 Gideon tje ya povandu va Sukot wa tja: “Seba na Salmuna owo mba, mbuyamu ndji nyekerere amamu tja: ‘Matu yandjere tjike ozomboroto kotjimbumba tjoye tjovita ngunda au hiya kambura ooSeba na Salmuna?’ ” 16 Tjazumba eye otja kambura ovanane votjihuro Sukot na toora omakuiya wokuti onguza, narire tje ve tono na wo. 17 Nu indwi oruhungu rwa Penuel wa nakaurira pehi, narire tja zepa ovature votjihuro.
18 Neye wa pura ooSeba na Salmuna a tja: “Ovarumendu mbu mwa zepera kOtabor va sanene pi?” Nowo ve mu zira nai: “Owo va ri tjimuna ove; auhe wa ri nombunikiro yomuzandu wombara.”
19 Gideon opa tjera nai: “Owo va ri omarumbi wandje, ovazandu mba za mu mama. Tjiri, tjimbe tja Muhona omunamuinyo, andakuzu eṋe mwe ve hupisa hetje mu zepa.” 20 Nu Gideon wa rakiza nai ku Jeter, otjiveri tje: “Sekama u ve zepe!” Nungwari ingwi omuzandu ka nanene engaruvyo re, orondu aa tira, tjinga a ri omuṱiṱi.
21 Seba na Salmuna arire tji va tja ku Gideon: “Sekama u tu zepe omuini, orondu omurumendu otja tjinga e ri, omasa we otjinga aye ri wina.” Gideon otja sekama na zepa Seba na Salmuna na kambura ousanekero womueze mbwa ri mozosengo zozongamero zawo.
22 Tjazumba Ovaisrael va tja nai ku Gideon: “Tu honaparera, ove omuini nozondekurona zoye, orondu ove we tu kutura kOvamidian.”
23 Nungwari Gideon wa zira a tja: “Ami hi nokuvanga okurira omuhona weṋu, nomuzandu wandje wina ke nakuhonaparera eṋe. Muhona ongu ma rire omuhona weṋu.” 24 Gideon wa hungira komurungu a tja nai: “Ami me vanga okuningira otjiṋa tjimwe ku eṋe. Auhe weṋu nge ndji pe ongoho movihuurwa vye.” Ovamidian aave zara ozongoho zongoldo tjimuna Ovaismael mbaa ve tura mokuti onguza.
25 Ovaisrael va zira nai: “Eṱe matu vanga okukupa nomutima auhe.” Nowo va yara ongwava, nu auhe wa yumba po ongoho yovihuurwa vye. 26 Indji ondjinda yozongoho zongoldo nḓa ningira ya ri nozokirograma mangara omirongo vivari. Ondjinda ndji kai sanekerwe kumwe na indji yousanekero womueze, noyozongoho zomomatwi, noyozombanda ozoserarovazu nḓaa ze kara nozombara za Midian, na wina kai sanekerwe pamwe nondjinda ndji yozongoho zomozosengo zozongamero zawo. 27 Nu poviṋa mbi avihe Gideon wa ungura po otjiserekarera tjotjisenginina, ne tji ziki motjihuro Ofra. NOvaisrael avehe va isa Ndjambi nave kakarera otjisenginina hi. Notjo tja rira ombate ku Gideon neṱunḓu re.
28 Ovamidian va ṋiṋikiziwa i Ovaisrael nga tji ve ha yenenene okurwisa Ovaisrael rukwao. Nehi ra kara nohange oure wozombura omirongo vine, Gideon ngunda e nomuinyo.
Onḓiro ya Gideon
29 Okuzambo Jerubbaal, okutja oGideon, omuzandu wa Joas, wa katura monganda ye omuini. 30 Gideon wa ri novazandu omirongo hambombari, tjinga a ri novakazendu ovengi. 31 Nu momukazendu we omumbanda ngwa turire mOsikem wa muna mo omuzandu ngwa rukirwe Abimelek. 32 Nu Gideon, omuzandu wa Joas, wa koka a kurupa tjinene, na pakwa meyendo ra ihe Joas mOofra, tji tji ri omaturiro wOvaabiesri.
33 Kombunda yonḓiro ya Gideon Ovaisrael va karera ovisenginina rukwao puna ooBaal nave tjiti Baal-Beret okurira omukuru wawo wotjisenginina. 34 Ovaisrael kaave zemburuka Muhona rukwao, Ndjambi wawo, ngwe ve yama kovanavita na wo avehe kominda nominda. 35 Nowo kaave raisa ouwa keṱunḓu ra Gideon nangarire kutja eye wa tjitira Ovaisrael oviṋa avihe oviwa.
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.
