Gideonni
1 Israelǁîn ge ǁkhawa ǃKhūb ǃoagu gere ǁore, ob ge ǁîba ge dī în Israelǁîna Midianǁîn xa hûdisi kuriga gaoǂamhe. 2 Midianǁîn ge Israelǁîn xa ge ǀgaisa i tsîn ge Israelǁîna ǃhomgu ai ǁhoagu tsî ǀnî sâusenǃkhain ǃnâ sī ge gaugausen. 3 Israelǁîn ga ǃkhomna a tsoro, on ge Midianǁîna Amalekǁîn tsî aiǂoas ǁaedi tsîn ǀkha ǁîna hā gere ǁnāǂam. 4 ǁÎn ge ǁnāpa hâǃkhaiba ǂnaumâi tsî ǃhanaǂûna Gasas tawas kōse gere hîkākā. ǁÎn ge ǁkhāti hoaraga gūn, goman tsî dâukin tsîna gere ū tsî ǀgui ûitsama xū-i tsîna Israelǁîna ge ǁnāxūba tama hâ i. 5 ǁÎn ge ǁîn di ǂgarib tsî tentdi tsîn ǀkha ǂhomn khami ǂguise gere hā. ǁÎn tsî ǁîn di ǃnain tsîn ge ǃgôahe ǁoan ase ge ǂgui i, tsîn ge ǃhūba hā gere hîkākā.ǃNain 6 Israelǁîn ge ǁîn ǃoagu ge huisen ǁoa i.
7 On ge Israelǁîna ǃKhūb ǃoa ge ǂgai Midianǁîna xun nî huihese, 8 tsîb ge ǁîba nē ǂhôas, ǃKhūb Israeli di Elob disa ge ǁîna a hā-ūba kēbo-aoba ge sîba: “Tita ge sado Egipteb ǃnâ du ge hâǃnâ i khobosisa xu ge ǃnoraǃnora. 9 Tita ge Egipteǁîn tsî sadu ǃoagu ge nē ǃhūb ǃnâ gere ǃkham khoen tsîna xu ge huiǂui du. Tita ge sadu ǃaroma ǁîna nēpa xu doeǁgaǂui tsî ǁîn di ǃhūba sado ge mā. 10 Tsî ta ge ‘Tita ge ǃKhūta, sadu Elota; tā Amorǁîn, ǁîn di ǃhūb ǃnâ du ǁan hân di elona ǀgoreǀî’ ti ge mîba du, xawe du ge tita ǃgâ ǂgao tama ge i.”
11 ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge ǃKhūb di ǀhomǃgāba Ofras tawa sī tsî Abieserǁîb, Joasi di ge i aikehais ǃnaka sī ge ǂnû. ǁÎb di ôab Gideonni ge Midianǁîn xab mûhe tidega ǃhoroba ǂauxûib ǀāǃnâǃkhais ǃnâ gere ǂnauǂui. 12 Ob ge ǃKhūb di ǀhomǃgāba ǁîba ǁnāpa ǂhai tsî ge mî: “ǃKhūb ge hâǀkhā tsi, ǁkhoaǂgaoxa ǃgari-aotse.”
13 Ob ge Gideonna ǁîb ǃoa ge mî: “ǃGôahesatse toxopa mîba te re, ǃKhūb ga sida ǀkha hâo, tare xū-i ǃaroman kha ǁnâi nē xūn hoana sida ǀkha go ī? Mâpa gu ǁnâi hâ ǁnā buruxa dīgu sida aboxagu ge ǁîgu xa mîba da tsî ‘ǃKhūb ge Egipteba xu ge ǂgaeǂguiǂui da’ ti a mîga? ǃKhūb ge nēsi ǁnāxūǃgâ da tsî Midianǁîn di ǀgaib ǃnâ go māǁnâ da.”
14 Ob ge ǃKhūba ǁîba ge mîmā: “Sa kai ǀgaib ǀkha ǃgû, îts Israelǁîna Midianǁîna xu sī huiǂui. Tita ǂûta ge ra sî tsi.”
15 Ob ge Gideonna ge mî: “ǃKhūtse, mâti ta Israelǁîna nî huiǂui? Ti ǀaokhoen ge hoan xa Manaseb ǃhaos ǃnâ a ǂkhabusa khoena, tsî tita ge ti ǀaokhoen mûǁae xū tama khoeta.”
16 Ob ge ǃKhūba ge ǃeream: “Sats ge ǁnāsa nî dī ǁkhā, tita sats ǀkha hâ xui-ao. Sats ge Midianǁîna ǀgui khoeba dans ǁkhās khami nî dan.”
17 Ob ge Gideonna ge mî: “Tita ǀkhats ga ǂkhîǂâixao, ǃKhūts a ǃkhais di ǁgauǁgau-e mā te re. 18 Tā nēpa xu ǃgû re, ǁguiba-e ta hā-ūba tsis kōse.”
Ob ge ǁîba “Oaǀkhīts nîs kōse ta ge nî ǃâu” ti ge mî.
19 Gideonni ge oms ǃnâ ǂgâ tsî piriro-e sī ǁanǁan tsî khūkhūsa tama pere-e disi kiloxram mel-i ǀkha ge dī. Tsîb ge ǁgan-e ǀharus ǃnâ ǂgā, sīro-e sūs ǃnâ ǂnâ tsî ǁîna aikehais tawa sī ǃKhūb di ǀhomǃgāba ge mā. 20 Elob di ǀhomǃgāb ge “ǁGan-i tsî pere-i tsîna ǃhaob ai ǂnûi, î sīro-e ǁîn ai ǂnâ” ti a mî, ob ge Gideonna ǁnāti ge dī. 21 Ob ge ǃKhūb di ǀhomǃgāba ǃomǁaeb ge ūhâ i haib di ǀams ǀkha ǁgan-i tsî pere-i tsîna ge tsâǀkhā. ǀAes ge ǃhaoba xu ǂoaxa tsî ǁgan-i tsî pere-i tsîna ge ǂhubiǂui. ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge ǀhomǃgāba ge bē.
22 Ob ge Gideonna ǃKhūb di ǀhomǃgābab go mû ǃkhaisa hōǃâ tsî ge ǂgaiǂui: “ǃKhū Elotse, sa ǀhomǃgāba ta ge aisa xu ais ǁga go mû.”
23 Xaweb ge ǃKhūba ǁîb ǃoa ge mî: “ǂKhîǂâixa! Tā ǃao, ǁōts tide xuige.” 24 Ob ge Gideonna ǁnāpa ǃKhūba altarsa ǂnubiba tsî ǁîsa “ǃKhūb ge a ǂkhî” ti ge ǀonǂgai. (ǁÎs ge noxopa Abieserǁîn di ǃās Ofras ǃnâ mâ.)
25 ǁNā tsuxub ǃnâb ge ǃKhūba Gideonna ge mîba: “Sa îb di ǁgōb tsî ǀnî ǁgōb hû kurixab tsîkha ū, îts sa îb ge Baala dība altarsa khôaǁnâ tsî ǁgôa-elos Aseras di īb ǁîs xōǀkhā mâb tsîna ǁhāǁnâ. 26 Îts ǃamkuse kurusa altarsa ǃKhūb sa Eloba ǀgapib ai ǂnubiba. ǁNās khaoǃgâ ǀgamǁî ǁgōba ū, î ǁîba khauǁguibase ǁguiba, Aseras di īb hîats go ǁhāǁnâb di ǀaen ǀkha.” 27 Ob ge Gideonna ǁîb ǃgāga xu disiga ū tsî ǃKhūb go mîba bi khami ge dī. ǁÎb ge ǁîb îb di ǀaokhoen tsî ǃās di khoen tsîn xab gere ǃao xui-ao, nēsa tsēa di tama i tsî tsuxuba ge dī.
28 ǁNā ǃās di khoen ge sao ra tsēs ǃnauǁgoagan ge khâimâ, o Baali di altars tsî Aseras di īb tsîra khôaǁnâhe hâ, tsîb ǀgamǁî ǁgōba ǂnubihe ge altars ai khauǁguibase ǁguibahe hâ ǃkhaisa ge mû. 29 On ge ǁîǃnābe gere dîgu: “Tari-e nēti go dī?” Tsî dîǃgâ tsîn ge ǂanǂui Joasi ôab Gideonni ge nē ǃkhaisa dīsa, 30 on ge Joasi ǃoa ge mî: “Sa ôaba ǂoaxa-ū, î da ǃgam bi. ǁÎb ge Baali di altarsa khôaǁnâ tsî Aseras di īb altars xōǀkhā go mâ ib tsîna go ǁhāǁnâ.”
31 Xaweb ge Joasa ǁîb ǃoagu ge khâimân hoan ǃoa ge mî: “Baala du ra ǀkhaoba ǂgao? ǁÎba du ra ǂnoaguba? ǁÎba ga khâiba khoe-i hoa-i ge ǁgoas aiǃâ nî ǃgamhe-e. ǁÎb nî elos karao, ab aitsama ǀkhaobasen, ǁîb di altars komo nē go khôaǁnâhesao.” 32 ǁNā tsēsa xub ge Gideonna Jerubal ti ge ǀonǂgaihe, Joasi ge “Ab Baala aitsama ǁkhaubasen, ǁîb di altars kom nē go khôaǁnâhesao” ti a mî xui-ao.
33 ǁNā ǁaeb ǃnân ge hoaraga Midianǁîn, Amalekǁîn tsî aiǂoas ǃhaodi khoen tsîna Jordanna ǃgâu tsî Jesreelǃgoaǃnāb ǃnâ sī hâǃkhaiba ge ǂnaumâi. 34 ǃKhūb di Gagab ge Gideonna ge hāǂam tsîb ge xâiǁnâsa ge xâi, Abieserǁîgab nî ǂgaikhâise î gu ǁîba sao. 35 ǁKhātib ge sîsabega Manaseb di ǀkharikha hoakha ǁga ge sîǂui ǁîgab nî ǂgaise. ǁÎb ge ǁkhāti Aseri, Sebulonni tsî Naftalib tsîgu di haodi aogu tsîna ge ǂgaikhâi tsî gu ge ǁîba hā ge sao.
36 Ob ge Gideonna Elob ǃoa ge mî: “Sats ge tita ǃnâ-uts Israela nî huiǂui ti ge mîmâi. 37 Tita ge gūǀûna ǃhorob dāǃnâǃkhaib ai nî ǁgui. ǁGoagab ga ǀauba gūǀûn ǀguin ai a hâ tsîb ga ǃhūba a ǂnâsa, o ta ge nî ǂan tita ǃnâ-uts Israela nî huiǂuisa.” 38 O i ge ǁnāti ge ī. Sao ra tsēs ǃnauǁgoagab ge Gideonna khâimâ tsî gūǀûna a ǂgoma, o-i ge ǃoresǀoa ǁgam-e ǁnāpa xu ge ǂoaxa. 39 Ob ge Gideonna Elob ǃoa ge mî: “Tā toxopa ǁgaixa-u te re; a ta ǀgui ǃnās ǀguisa noxopa xū-e mî re. ǀGui ǃnāsa ta noxopa gūǀûn ǀkha nî dītsâ ǃkhaisa mā-am te re. An nē ǃnāsa gūǀûna ǂnâsa îb ǃhūba ǀâ re.” 40 Ob ge Eloba ǁnā tsuxuba ǁnāti ge dī. Sao ra ǁgoagan ge ǀûna ge ǂnâsa i, xawe ǃhūb ge ǀaub xa ge ǀâ i.
1 Then once again the Israelites started disobeying the Lord, so he let the nation of Midian control Israel for seven years. 2 The Midianites were so cruel that many Israelites ran to the mountains and hid in caves.
3 Every time the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites invaded Israel together with the Amalekites and other eastern nations. 4-5 They rode in on their camels, set up their tents, and then let their livestock eat the crops as far as the town of Gaza. The Midianites stole food, sheep, cattle, and donkeys. Like a swarm of locusts, they could not be counted, and they ruined the land wherever they went.
6-7 The Midianites took almost everything that belonged to the Israelites, and the Israelites begged the Lord for help. 8-9 Then the Lord sent a prophet to them with this message:
I am the Lord God of Israel, so listen to what I say. You were slaves in Egypt, but I set you free and led you out of Egypt into this land. And when nations here made life miserable for you, I rescued you and helped you get rid of them and take their land. 10 I am your God, and I told you not to worship Amorite gods, even though you are living in the land of the Amorites. But you refused to listen.
The Lord Chooses Gideon
11 One day an angel from the Lord went to the town of Ophrah and sat down under the big tree that belonged to Joash, a member of the Abiezer clan. Joash's son Gideon was nearby, threshing grain in a shallow pit, where he could not be seen by the Midianites.
12 The angel appeared and spoke to Gideon, “The Lord is helping you, and you are a strong warrior.”
13 Gideon answered, “Please don't take this wrong, but if the Lord is helping us, then why have all of these awful things happened? We've heard how the Lord performed miracles and rescued our ancestors from Egypt. But those things happened long ago. Now the Lord has abandoned us to the Midianites.”
14 Then the Lord himself said, “Gideon, you will be strong, because I am giving you the power to rescue Israel from the Midianites.”
15 Gideon replied, “But how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest one in Manasseh, and everyone else in my family is more important than I am.”
16 “Gideon,” the Lord answered, “you can rescue Israel because I am going to help you! Defeating the Midianites will be as easy as beating up one man.”
17 Gideon said, “It's hard to believe that I'm actually talking to the Lord. Please do something so I'll know that you really are the Lord. 18 And wait here until I bring you an offering.”
“All right, I'll wait,” the Lord answered.
19 Gideon went home and killed a young goat, then started boiling the meat. Next, he opened a big sack of flour and made it into thin bread. When the meat was done, he put it in a basket and poured the broth into a clay cooking pot. He took the meat, the broth, and the bread and placed them under the big tree.
20 God's angel said, “Gideon, put the meat and the bread on this rock, and pour the broth over them.” Gideon did as he was told. 21 The angel was holding a walking stick, and he touched the meat and the bread with the end of the stick. Flames jumped from the rock and burned up the meat and the bread.
When Gideon looked, the angel was gone. 22 Gideon realized that he had seen one of the Lord's angels. “Oh!” he moaned. “Now I'm going to die.”
23 “Calm down!” the Lord told Gideon. “There's nothing to be afraid of. You're not going to die.”
24 Gideon built an altar for worshiping the Lord and called it “The Lord Calms Our Fears.” It still stands there in Ophrah, a town in the territory of the Abiezer clan.
Gideon Tears Down Baal's Altar
25 That night the Lord spoke to Gideon again:
Get your father's second-best bull, the one that's seven years old. Use it to pull down the altar where your father worships Baal and cut down the sacred pole next to the altar. 26 Then build an altar for worshiping me on the highest part of the hill where your town is built. Use layers of stones for my altar, not just a pile of rocks. Cut up the wood from the pole, make a fire, kill the bull, and burn it as a sacrifice to me.
27 Gideon chose ten of his servants to help him, and they did everything God had said. But since Gideon was afraid of his family and the other people in Ophrah, he did it all at night.
28 When the people of the town got up the next morning, they saw that Baal's altar had been knocked over, and the sacred pole next to it had been cut down. Then they noticed the new altar covered with the remains of the sacrificed bull.
29 “Who could have done such a thing?” they asked. And they kept on asking, until finally someone told them, “Gideon the son of Joash did it.”
30 The men of the town went to Joash and said, “Your son Gideon knocked over Baal's altar and cut down the sacred pole next to it. Hand him over, so we can kill him!”
31 The crowd pushed closer and closer, but Joash replied, “Are you trying to take revenge for Baal? Are you trying to rescue Baal? If you are, you will be the ones who are put to death, and it will happen before another day dawns. If Baal really is a god, let him take his own revenge on someone who tears down his altar.”
32 That same day, Joash changed Gideon's name to Jerubbaal, explaining, “He tore down Baal's altar, so let Baal take revenge himself.”
Gideon Defeats the Midianites
33 All the Midianites, Amalekites, and other eastern nations got together and crossed the Jordan River. Then they invaded the land of Israel and set up camp in Jezreel Valley.
34 The Lord's Spirit took control of Gideon, and Gideon blew a trumpet as a signal for the men in the Abiezer clan to follow him. 35 He also sent messengers to the tribes of Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, telling the men of these tribes to come and join his army. Then they set out toward the enemy camp.
36-37 Gideon prayed to God, “I know that you promised to help me rescue Israel, but I need proof. Tonight I'll spread a sheep skin on the stone floor of that threshing-place over there. If you really will help me rescue Israel, then tomorrow morning let there be dew on the skin, but let the stone floor be dry.”
38 And that's just what happened. Early the next morning, Gideon got up and checked the sheep skin. He squeezed out enough water to fill a bowl. 39 But Gideon prayed to God again. “Don't be angry with me,” Gideon said. “Let me try this just one more time, so I'll really be sure you'll help me. Only this time, let the skin be dry and the stone floor be wet.”
40 That night, God made the stone floor wet with dew, but he kept the sheep skin dry.
