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.
Midiyaninkoolu la Banisirayilankoolu maroo
1 Banisirayilankoolu ye kuu jawoo ke Yaawe* ñaa koto kotenke. Bituŋ a naata ì duŋ Midiyaninkoolu bulu fo sanji woorowula. 2 Midiyaninkoolu semboo naata wara-wara laalaa Banisirayilankoolu ti. Midiyaninkoolu la kuwo kamma la, Banisirayilankoolu ye dulaalu ñiniŋ berehuwolu kono, ka jee ke ì la maabodulaa ti, aniŋ dulaa koteŋolu konkoolu kono, moo te futa noo la ì ma daameŋ. 3 Niŋ Banisirayilankoolu ye fiiroo ke doroŋ, Midiyaninkoolu, Amalekinkoolu aniŋ tilibo banku koteŋo moolu si naa ka ì boyinkaŋ. 4 Ì ye ì la daakaalu loo jee, ka ì la bankoo fiifeŋolu kasaara, ka taa bula fo Kaasa la. Ì buka hani domori feŋ ne tu Banisirayila kono, saajii to baŋ, ninsi waraŋ fali. 5 Ì niŋ ì la beeyaŋ koorewolu ka naa le, aniŋ ì la tiriliisoolu*, komeŋ kuntiŋolu, ì niŋ ì la ñonkome jamaalu, moo te meŋ yaatewo loŋ noo la. Ì si bankoo ñiŋ boyinkaŋ ka a tiñaa. 6 Midiyaninkoolu ye Banisirayilankoolu fuwaareyandi le fo labaŋo la, ì naata daala woosii Yaawe ye ka ì maakoyi.
7 Kabiriŋ Banisirayilankoolu daala woosiita Yaawe ye Midiyaninkoolu la kuwo kamma la, 8 a ye annabiyomoo kii ì kaŋ, meŋ ko ì ye ko, “Ñiŋ ne mu Yaawe Banisirayila la Alla la kumoo ti ko: Nte le ye ali bondi naŋ Misira, ŋa ali firiŋ joŋyaa kono. 9 Nte le ye ali kiisa Misira buloo kono, aniŋ ali toorandilaa koteŋolu bulu, ŋa ì bayi ali ñaato, ŋa ì la bankoo dii ali la. 10 N ko ali ye ko, ‘Nte le mu Yaawe ti, ali la Alla. Ali kana Amorinkoolu la alloolu batu, ali be sabatiriŋ mennu la bankoo kaŋ teŋ.’ Bari ali maŋ n na kumoo moyi.”
Alla ye Kideyoni kili ka Banisirayilankoolu tankandi
11 Yaawe la malaayikoo naata, a siita yiri baa doo koto, meŋ be Ofura daala. Jee mu Abiyesa koomalankoo Yowasi le taa ti. A dinkewo Kideyoni be wiiti* toñonkoo la jee le to, ka a maabo Midiyaninkoolu ma. Wo le ye a tinna a ye a ke wayini* yiridiŋ bitidulaa kono. 12 Kabiriŋ Yaawe la malaayikoo fintita naŋ Kideyoni kaŋ, a ko a ye ko, “Yaawe be i fee, ite kelejawara baa!”
13 Kideyoni ko a ye ko, “Bari m maarii, niŋ a ye a tara Yaawe be ntolu fee le, muŋ ne ye a tinna ñiŋ kuwo bee keta ntolu la? Ǹ na alifaa foloolu ka a fo ǹ ye le ko, ‘Yaawe le ye m̀ bondi naŋ Misira.’ Saayiŋ duŋ, a la wo kaawakuwolu be mintoo le? Yaawe ye a daa bo ntolu la kuwo to le, a ye ǹ duŋ Midiyaninkoolu bulu.”
14 Bituŋ Yaawe ye a ñaa tiliŋ a la, a ko a ye ko, “Taa niŋ i semboo bee la, i ye Banisirayilankoolu tankandi ka bo Midiyaninkoolu bulu. Nte faŋo le be i kii kaŋ!”
15 Kideyoni ko a ye ko, “M maarii, nte be Banisirayilankoolu kiisa noo la ñaadii le? Nte bota kaabiiloo meŋ kono, wo le semboo dooyaata Manase lasiloo bee kono. Nte le fanaa la kuwo dooyaata m faamaa la dimbaayaa bee kono.”
16 Yaawe ko a ye ko, “M be tara la i fee le, aduŋ i be wo Midiyaninkoolu noo la le, ì bee kafuriŋo ñoo ma.”
17 Kideyoni ko a ye ko, “Niŋ ŋa a soto i la, wo to taamanseeroo yitandi n na ko, tooñaa le mu, ite Yaawe le be diyaamu kaŋ n ye. 18 Dukaree, kana taa fo niŋ m muruta naŋ, ka n na buuñaa feŋo samba naŋ, ŋa a landi i ñaatiliŋo la.” A ko a ye ko, “M be i batu la jaŋ, fo i ye muru naŋ.”
19 Kideyoni taata suwo kono, a ye baakotondiŋo faa, a ye a tabi. Bituŋ a ye mbuuroolu jani, mennu maŋ leweñoo soto, meŋ si taa fo fariñoo kilo taŋ. A ye suboo ke sinsindiŋo kono, a ye a daa jiyo ke kaleeroo kono. A ye a bee samba a ye yiri baa koto, a ye a landi a ñaatiliŋo la. 20 Alla la malaayikoo ko a ye ko, “Ñiŋ suboo taa, aniŋ mbuuroo, i ye ì laa ñiŋ bere baa kaŋ, i ye daa jiyo boŋ ì kaŋ.” Bituŋ Kideyoni ye a ke. 21 Dokoo meŋ be Yaawe la malaayikoo buloo kono, a ye wo le neŋo maa suboo niŋ wo mbuuroo la. Dimbaa malata beroo ñiŋ bala, a ye ñiŋ suboo niŋ mbuuroo bee jani. Bituŋ Yaawe la malaayikoo naata yeemaŋ a ñaa koto.
22 Wo to le, Kideyoni naata a kalamuta ko, Yaawe la malaayikoo le mu, a kumata ko, “Hee, m Maarii Yaawe, tooñaa-tooñaa, ŋa i la malaayikoo le je. N niŋ Yaawe la malaayikoo le ye ǹ ñaa tiliŋ ñoo la!” 23 Bari Yaawe ko a ye ko, “Kayiroo doroŋ ne be tara la i ye! Kana sila. I te faa la.” 24 Bituŋ Kideyoni naata sadaabodulaa* loo Yaawe ye jee, a ye a toolaa ko, “Yaawe le mu kayiroo ti.” Fo ka naa bula bii tiloo la, sadaabodulaa ñiŋ be looriŋ Ofura le, Abiyesa koomalankoolu la dulaa to.
25 Wo suuto kiliŋo la, Yaawe ko a ye ko, “Sanji woorowula tuuraa taa ka bo i faamaa la koorewo to, meŋ mu tuuraa bete fulanjaŋo ti tuuraalu bee kono. I ye Baali* la sadaabodulaa boyi, meŋ mu i faamaa taa ti, aniŋ i ye Asera* jalaŋo fanaa boyi, meŋ be looriŋ a daala. 26 Sadaabodulaa loo Yaawe, i la Alla ye a noo to, ko a ñanta ke la ñaameŋ. Tuuraa ñiŋ taa, i ye a ke jani sadaa ti. Asera jalaŋo, i ye meŋ boyi, a dokoolu taa, i ye ì ke loo ti.”
27 Bituŋ Kideyoni ye a la dookuulaalu kee taŋ taa, a ye a ke ko Yaawe ye a fo a ye ñaameŋ. Bari a maŋ kuwo ñiŋ ke tilibuloo la, kaatu a be silariŋ a faamaa la dimbaayaa moolu le la aniŋ saatee moolu. A ye kuwo ñiŋ ke suutoo le la.
28 Kabiriŋ saatee moolu wulita wo saamoo soomandaa juunoo, ì ye a tara Baali la sadaabodulaa bee be janjandiŋ, aniŋ Asera jalaŋo, meŋ be looriŋ a daala, wo fanaa bee be kunturiŋ. Sadaabodulaa kutoo be looriŋ a noo to, tuuraa janita a kaŋ sadaa ti. 29 Ì ye ñoo ñininkaa ko, “Jumaa le ye ñiŋ ke?” Kabiriŋ ì ye a kuwo kisikisi kendeke, ì naata a fo ì ye ko, “Kideyoni, Yowasi dinkewo le ye a ke.” 30 Bituŋ saatee moolu ko Yowasi ye ko, “I dinkewo samba naŋ. A ñanta le ka faa, kaatu a ye Baali la sadaabodulaa le boyi, a ye Asera jalaŋo fanaa kuntu, meŋ be Baali la sadaabodulaa daala.”
31 Bari Yowasi ko moolu bee ye le, mennu kamfaatoo naata a kaŋ ko, “Fo ali lafita Baali la makatoo le bayi la baŋ? Fo ali lafita a la maloo le jaara la? Moo-wo-moo ye a la kuwo keloo ke, wo maarii be faa la le janniŋ soomandaa. Niŋ a ye a tara Baali mu alla le ti, a ye a loo a faŋ ye, ì ye ate le la sadaabodulaa tiñaa.”
32 Ka bo wo luŋo la, ì ka Kideyoni kumandi Yerubaali fanaa la le, meŋ kotoo mu ñiŋ ti, Baali si i joo a maarii to meŋ ye a la sadaabodulaa tiñaa.
Kideyoni ye Alla ñininkaa taamanseeroo la
33 Saayiŋ Midiyaninkoolu bee, Amalekinkoolu aniŋ moo koteŋolu, mennu be tiliboo la, kafuta ñoo ma. Ì ye Yoridani Boloŋo teyi, ì ye daakaa loo Yesireeli Wulumbaŋo to. 34 Yaawe la Nooroo jiita Kideyoni kaŋ. A ye binoo fee ka Abiyesa bonsuŋo moolu kili ka naa kafu a ma. 35 A ye kiilaalu kii Manase lasiloo moolu bee fanaa ye le, ka ì kili ka kafu a ma. A ye kiilaalu kii Aseri lasiloo moolu ye, Sebuluni aniŋ Nafutali. Bituŋ ì bee naata kafu a ma.
36 Kideyoni ko Alla ye ko, “Niŋ i lafita ka Banisirayilankoolu tanka ka bo niŋ nte la, ko i ye a fo ñaameŋ, 37 a fele, m be saajiitiyo feenee la toñonkari dulaa to jaŋ. Niŋ komboo keta saajiitiyo dammaa kaŋ, bankoo bee ye tu jaariŋ, wo to m be a loŋ na le ko, i be Banisirayilankoolu tankandi la le ka bo niŋ nte la, ko i ye a fo ñaameŋ.” 38 Aduŋ a keta wo le ñaama. Kideyoni sorita wo saamoo soomandaa juunoo, a ye saajiitiyo ñiŋ morondo ka jiyo bondi a bala. A taata kaañaŋ miraŋ faa le fee.
39 Bituŋ Kideyoni ko Alla ye ko, “Kana kamfaa n kamma. N lafita diyaamu la le kotenke siiñaa kiliŋ. Yamfa n ye, ŋa a ke kotenke niŋ saajiitiyo la. Tiyo dammaa ye tu jaariŋ, bituŋ bankoo bee ye sinaŋ komboo la.” 40 Wo luŋo suutoo fanaa Alla ye a ke, saajiitiyo tuta jaariŋ, bankoo bee sinanta komboo la.
