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.
Kideyoni ye Midiyaninkoolu noo
1 Kideyoni, ì ka ate le fanaa kumandi Yerubaali la, a niŋ a la kewolu wulita juuna, ì ye ì la daakaa loo Harodi Woyoo daala. Midiyaninkoolu la kelediŋolu la daakaa, wo be ì ye maraa karoo la wulumbaŋo kono, More Konkoo daala.
2 Yaawe* ko Kideyoni ye ko, “Kee jamaa le be i bulu. N te Midiyaninkoolu duŋ na ì buloo kono, ì niŋ ñiŋ moo jamaa. Niŋ wo nte, Banisirayilankoolu si naa kibiri noo le ka a fo ko, ‘M̀ faŋo semboo le ye ǹ tankandi.’ 3 A kankulaa ñiŋ moolu ye ko, ‘Niŋ moo-wo-moo maŋ haañi, aduŋ a be silariŋ, a si Kileyadi Konkoo bula, a ye seyi suwo kono.’ ” Wo le to, kee wuli muwaŋ niŋ fula seyita suwo kono. Bituŋ a tuta moo wuli taŋ.
4 Bari Yaawe ko Kideyoni ye ko, “Hani saayiŋ, kee jamaa le be jee. Ì samba baa to, m be ì talaa la i ye jee le to. Niŋ n ko, meŋ niŋ i ñanta taa la, wo si taa, bari niŋ n ko, meŋ niŋ i maŋ ñaŋ na taa la, wo niŋ i maŋ ñaŋ na taa la.” 5 Kideyoni ye kewolu samba baa to. Jee le mu, Yaawe ko a ye ko, “Moolu bondi ñoo to, mennu ye i miŋ ì neŋolu la ko wuloo, aniŋ mennu ñoyita ì kumbaliŋolu la ka i miŋ.” 6 Moo keme saba le ye i miŋ ì neŋolu la. Wo moo toomaalu, wolu ñoyita ì kumbaliŋolu le la duuma ka i miŋ ì buloolu la. 7 Yaawe ko Kideyoni ye ko, “I niŋ ñiŋ kee keme saboo, mennu ye i miŋ ì neŋolu la, m be i niŋ wolu tankandi la le, ŋa Midiyaninkoolu duŋ i buloo kono. Ñiŋ moo toomaalu bee bula, ì ye seyi ì yaalu to.” 8 Bituŋ Kideyoni ye Banisirayilankoolu bee murundi fo moo keme saba. Ñiŋ moo keme saboo naata wo moo doolu la domori feŋolu taa, aniŋ ì la binoolu. Midiyaninkoolu la daakaa be ì ye duuma la, wulumbaŋo kono.
9 Wo luŋo suutoo la, Yaawe naata a fo Kideyoni ye ko, “Wuli, taa i ye daakaa ñiŋ kele, kaatu m be a duŋ na i buloo kono le. 10 Niŋ i maŋ haañi ka ì maa, wo to taa daakaa ñiŋ to foloo, i niŋ i la dookuulaa Pura. 11 I be a moyi la le, ì be meŋ fo kaŋ. Niŋ wo keta, i be jusoo soto la le ka daakaa ñiŋ kele.” Bituŋ Kideyoni niŋ a la dookuulaa Pura taata teŋ ne daakaa dulaa ñiŋ dandaŋo la. 12 Midiyaninkoolu, Amalekinkoolu aniŋ tilibo maafaŋ na moo doolu ye wulumbaŋo karoo bee fandi. Ì be siyaariŋ ñoo kaŋ ko kuntiŋolu. Ì la ñonkomoolu buka yaatee noo, ì be siyaariŋ ko bankumunkoo.
13 Kabiriŋ Kideyoni futata jee, a ye a tara kewo doo le be a la siiboo saata kaŋ a kafuñoomaa ye ko, “I lamoyi, n siiboota le: Mbuuru kuŋo birimintinta naŋ ǹ na daakaa kono. A ye tiriliisoo* taki semboo la, bituŋ tiriliisoo yelemata a kuŋo la, a boyita.”
14 A ñiŋ kafuñoomaa ye a jaabi ko, “Ñiŋ maŋ ke feŋ-wo-feŋ ti, niŋ a maŋ ke Kideyoni, Yowasi Banisirayilankoo dinkewo la hawusaroo* ti. Alla ye Midiyaninkoolu niŋ daakaa bee duŋ a bulu le.”
15 Kabiriŋ Kideyoni ye ñiŋ siiboo moyi, aniŋ a fasaroo, a ye Alla batu. A muruta Banisirayila la daakaa to, a ye kumandiroo ke ko, “Ali wuli! Yaawe ye Midiyaninkoolu la daakaa duŋ ali buloolu kono le.” 16 A ye a la ñiŋ kee keme saboo talaa siidulaa saba le ti. A ye saakotoŋ binoo* duŋ ì bee kiliŋ-kiliŋ naa bulu, aniŋ jiibindaa kenseŋo. Ñiŋ jiibindaa kenseŋolu bee kiliŋ-kiliŋ naa ye pacamoo le soto ì kono. 17 A ko ì ye ko, “Ali n juubee, niŋ ŋa meŋ ke, ali ye wo ke. Ali n juubee, niŋ m futata daakaa ñiŋ dandaŋo la, niŋ ŋa feŋ-wo-feŋ ke, ali fanaa ñanta wo le ke la. 18 Niŋ n niŋ moolu, mennu be m fee jaŋ ye ǹ na binoolu fee, alitolu mennu bee be daakaa dandaŋo la fanaa si ali la binoolu fee. Bituŋ ali ye sari santo, ka a fo ko, ‘Yaawe ye, aniŋ Kideyoni!’ ”
19 Kideyoni niŋ a la kee kemoo futata daakaa ñiŋ dandaŋo la suutoo teema maafaŋo le la, waatoo meŋ ì ye ì la kantarilaalu faliŋ. Ì ye ì la binoolu fee, aduŋ ì ye ì la jiibindaalu teyi, mennu be ì buloo kono. 20 Bituŋ ñiŋ talaadaa saboo bee ye ì la binoolu fee, ì ye ì la jiibindaalu teyi. Ì ye pacamoolu muta ì maraa buloolu la. Bituŋ ì bulubaa buloolu be binoo kaŋ ka a fee, aniŋ ka sari santo ko, “Keloo Yaawe ye, aniŋ Kideyoni!” 21-22 Ì tuta looriŋ ì noo to, ì bee kiliŋ-kiliŋ naa be looriŋ nuŋ daameŋ, ì be muruŋ-murundiŋ daakaa ñiŋ na. Kabiriŋ ñiŋ kee keme saboo ye ì la binoolu fee, Yaawe ye Midiyaninkoolu dammaalu dundi ñoo la ka ñoo kele niŋ hawusaroolu la. Ì borita ñaato, ì muruta kooma, ì lembata. Labaŋo la, kelediŋ kafoo bee borita ka taa fo Beti-Sita, ka taa fo Serera fo Abeli-Mehola, Tabati daala.
23 Ì ye Banisirayilankoolu kumandi, mennu bota Nafutali, Aseri aniŋ Manase lasiloolu bee kono. Bituŋ ì bulata Midiyaninkoolu nooma. 24 Kideyoni ye kiilaalu kii Efurayimu* konkotundoo* bee kaŋ ko, “Ali naa duuma ka Midiyaninkoolu benduŋ, ì kana futa jiibuloolu ma, ka taa fo Beti-Bara aniŋ Yoridani Boloŋo.” Wo to le mu, Efurayimu kewolu bee kafuta ñoo ma, ka ñiŋ teyidulaalu muta, ka taa fo Beti-Bara aniŋ Yoridani Boloŋo. 25 Ì ye Midiyaninkoolu la kuntii fula muta, Orebu aniŋ Seebu. Ì ye Orebu faa Orebu beroo le to, bituŋ Seebu, ì ye wo faa Seebu wayini* yiridiŋ bitidulaa le to. Ì bulata Midiyaninkoolu nooma, bituŋ ì ye Orebu aniŋ Seebu kuŋo samba naŋ Kideyoni ye Yoridani kankuŋ doo la.
