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.
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.