1 But the men were really upset with Gideon and complained, “When you went to war with Midian, you didn't ask us to help! Why did you treat us like that?”
2 Gideon answered:
Don't be upset! Even though you came later, you were able to do much more than I did. It's just like the grape harvest: The grapes your tribe doesn't even bother to pick are better than the best grapes my family can grow. 3 Besides, God chose you to capture Raven and Wolf. I didn't do a thing compared to you.
By the time Gideon had finished talking, the men of Ephraim had calmed down and were no longer angry with him.
Gideon Finishes Destroying the Midianite Army
4 After Gideon and his 300 troops had chased the Midianites across the Jordan River, they were exhausted. 5 The town of Succoth was nearby, so he went there and asked, “Please give my troops some food. They are worn out, but we have to keep chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the two Midianite kings.”
6 The town leaders of Succoth answered, “Why should we feed your army? We don't know if you really will defeat Zebah and Zalmunna.”
7 “Just wait!” Gideon said. “After the Lord helps me defeat them, I'm coming back here. I'll make a whip out of thorns and rip the flesh from your bones.”
8 After leaving Succoth, Gideon went to Penuel and asked the leaders there for some food. But he got the same answer as he did at Succoth. 9 “I'll come back safe and sound,” Gideon said, “but when I do, I'm going to tear down your tower!”
10 Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with an army of 15,000 troops. They were all that was left of the army of the eastern nations, because 120,000 of their warriors had been killed in the battle.
11 Gideon reached the enemy camp by going east along Nomad Road past Nobah and Jogbehah. He made a surprise attack, 12 and the enemy panicked. Zebah and Zalmunna tried to escape, but Gideon chased and captured them.
13 After the battle, Gideon set out for home. As he was going through Heres Pass, 14 he caught a young man who lived in Succoth. Gideon asked him who the town officials of Succoth were, and the young man wrote down 77 names.
15 Gideon went to the town officials and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna. Remember how you made fun of me? You said, ‘We don't know if you really will defeat those two Midianite kings. So why should we feed your worn-out army?’ ”
16 Gideon made a whip from thorn plants and used it to beat the town officials. 17 Afterwards he went to Penuel, where he tore down the tower and killed all the town officials.
18 Then Gideon said, “Zebah and Zalmunna, tell me about the men you killed at Tabor.”
“They were a lot like you,” the two kings answered. “They were dignified, almost like royalty.”
19 “They were my very own brothers!” Gideon said. “I swear by the living Lord that if you had let them live, I would let you live.”
20 Gideon turned to Jether, his oldest son. “Kill them!” Gideon said.
But Jether was young, and he was too afraid to even pull out his sword.
21 “What's the matter, Gideon?” Zebah and Zalmunna asked. “Do it yourself, if you're not too much of a coward!”
Gideon jumped up and killed them both. Then he took the gold ornaments from the necks of their camels.
The Israelites Ask Gideon To Be Their King
22 After the battle with the Midianites, the Israelites said, “Gideon, you rescued us! Now we want you to be our king. Then after your death, your son and then your grandson will rule.”
23 “No,” Gideon replied, “I won't be your king, and my son won't be king either. Only the Lord is your ruler. 24 But I will ask you to do one thing: Give me all the earrings you took from the enemy.”
The enemy soldiers had been Ishmaelites, and they wore gold earrings.
25 The Israelite soldiers replied, “Of course we will give you the earrings.” Then they spread out a robe on the ground and tossed the earrings on it. 26 The total weight of this gold was nearly 20 kilograms. In addition, there was the gold from the camels' ornaments and from the beautiful jewelry worn by the Midianite kings. Gideon also took their purple robes.
27-29 Gideon returned to his home in Ophrah and had the gold made into a statue, which the Israelites soon started worshiping. They were unfaithful to God, and even Gideon and his family were trapped into worshiping the statue.
The Midianites had been defeated so badly that they were no longer strong enough to attack Israel. And so Israel was at peace for the remaining 40 years of Gideon's life.
Gideon Dies
30 Gideon had many wives and 70 sons. 31 He even had a wife who lived at Shechem. They had a son, and Gideon named him Abimelech.
32 Gideon lived to be an old man. And when he died, he was buried in the family tomb in his hometown of Ophrah, which belonged to the Abiezer clan.
33 Soon after Gideon's death, the Israelites turned their backs on God again. They set up idols of Baal and worshiped Baal Berith as their god. 34 The Israelites forgot that the Lord was their God, and that he had rescued them from the enemies who lived around them. 35 Besides all that, the Israelites were unkind to Gideon's family, even though Gideon had done so much for Israel.
Ì bulata Midiyaninkoolu nooma ka ì bayi
1 Bituŋ Efurayimu* lasiloo kewolu ko Kideyoni ye ko, “Muŋ ne ye a tinna ite ye ñiŋ ke ntolu la? I maŋ soŋ na ǹ kumandi la, kabiriŋ i be taa Midiyaninkoolu maa la keloo la.” Ì ye a jalayi kendeke. 2 Bari a ko ì ye le ko, “Niŋ meŋ ye alitolu niŋ nte laa, nte ye muŋ ne ke? Alitolu ye kuwo meŋ ke, nte maŋ wo ke. Fo Efurayimu lasiloo la karaŋ feefewo le maŋ fisiyaa n na kaabiiloo moolu la sanjaani katiroo bee ti baŋ? 3 Alla ye Orebu aniŋ Seebu, Midiyaninkoolu la ñaatonkoolu duŋ alitolu le buloolu kono. Nte ŋa muŋ ne ke noo, niŋ i ye a niŋ alitolu la katoo laa?” Kabiriŋ a ye ñiŋ fo, ì jusoo sumayaata.
4 Kideyoni niŋ a la kee keme saboo bataariŋo, bari hani wo ì be Midiyaninkoolu bayindi kaŋ. Ì naata fo Yoridani Boloŋo to, ì ye a teyi. 5 Bituŋ a ko Sukoti kewolu ye ko, “Ali mbuuroo dii n na kelediŋ kafoo moolu la. Ì bataata le, aduŋ hani saayiŋ m be Seba aniŋ Salimunna, Midiyaninkoolu la mansoolu, bayindi kaŋ ne.” 6 Bari Sukoti ñaatonkoolu ye a jaabi ñiŋ ne la ko, “I maŋ Seba niŋ Salimunna noo foloo, ntolu be ǹ na mbuuroo dii la i la kelediŋ kafoo la ñaadii le?” 7 Bituŋ Kideyoni ko ì ye ko, “Tooñaa-tooñaa, niŋ Yaawe* ye Seba niŋ Salimunna duŋ m buloo kono, m be ali busa la niŋ busa ŋarimmaa le la, fo ŋaniŋolu ye ali barama.”
8 Kabiriŋ a bota jee, a taata fo Penuweli. A ye wo daaniri kiliŋo le ke ì la kewolu la jee. Bari ì ye wo kuma kiliŋo le fo a ye, komeŋ Sukoti kewolu ye a jaabi nuŋ ñaameŋ. 9 Wo le to a ko Penuweli kewolu ye ko, “Niŋ m muruta naŋ kayiroo kono, m be ñiŋ tatoo boyi la le.”
10 Saayiŋ Seba niŋ Salimunna niŋ ì la kelediŋ kafoo be Karikori le, meŋ si taa fo kee wuli taŋ niŋ luulu. Ñinnu le mu moolu ti, mennu kanata tilibolankoolu la kelediŋ kafoo moolu kono. Hawusaritii wuli keme wuli muwaŋ, wolu le faata ì kono. 11 Kideyoni ye siloo muta ka taa tiriliisikotonkoolu* la maafaŋo to la, Noba tilibo karoo maafaŋo la, aniŋ Yokibeha. A ye kelediŋolu la daakaa boyinkaŋ, ì maŋ bo a kalama. 12 Midiyani mansakee fuloo, Seba aniŋ Salimunna borita. Bari a ye ì bayindi le, fo a ye ì muta. A ye ì la kelediŋ kafoo bee kijoo farandi.
Kideyoni ye i joo
13 Kideyoni, Yowasi dinkewo muruta naŋ niŋ Heresi Konko seleraŋ siloo le la ka bo keledulaa. 14 A ye Sukoti keendiŋ kiliŋ ne muta, a ye a ñininkaa. Bituŋ wo naata Sukotinka taŋ woorowula niŋ woorowula toolu safee a ye, saatewo alifaalu niŋ a ñaatonkoolu. 15 Bituŋ Kideyoni naata a fo Sukoti kewolu ye ko, “Seba niŋ Salimunna fele, ali ka n ñaawali mennu la kuwo la, ka a fo ko, ‘Fo Seba niŋ Salimunna dunta i buloo kono le fokabaŋ, meŋ be a tinna la m̀ be mbuuroo dii la i la kee bataariŋolu la?’ ” 16 A ye Sukoti alifaalu muta, a ye ì buutee niŋ ŋaniŋ busoo la. A ye Sukotinkoolu jarabi le famfaŋ. 17 A ye Penuweli la tatoo fanaa boyi, a ye saatewo kewolu faa.
18 Bituŋ a ye Seba ñininkaa aniŋ Salimunna, “Kewolu duŋ, ali ye mennu faa Tabori?” Ì ye a jaabi ko, “Kewolu mennu be ko i be ñaameŋ, komeŋ mansariŋolu.” 19 Kideyoni ye jaabiroo ke, ko, “Wolu mu m baadiŋolu le ti, m baamaa wuluudiŋolu. Niŋ a ye a tara ali ye ì niyo tankandi nuŋ, a be koyiriŋ ñaameŋ ko Yaawe be baluuriŋ ne, n te ali faa la.”
20 A ye kaŋo dii Yeteri la, a diŋ foloo, a ko a ye ko, “Wuli santo, taa i ye ñinnu faa!” Bari kambaanendiŋo ñiŋ maŋ a la hawusaroo* sikandi, kaatu a maŋ haañi a la dindiŋyaa kaŋ. 21 Bituŋ Seba niŋ Salimunna kumata ko, “Keebaayaa niŋ semboo le ka naa. Wuli, i faŋo ye m̀ faa.” Wo le to Kideyoni wulita, a ye ì faa. A ye ñarandi feŋolu taa, mennu be ì la ñonkomoolu kaŋolu bala.
Kideyoni balanta ka ke mansa ti
22 Bituŋ Banisirayilankoolu ko Kideyoni ye ko, “Ke ntolu la maralilaa ti, ite koolaa i dinkewo, aniŋ ka taa fo i mamariŋo, kaatu ite le ye ǹ tankandi Midiyaninkoolu ma.”
23 Kideyoni ko ì ye ko, “Nte te ke la ali la maralilaa ti sako n dinkewo. Yaawe le be ke la ali la maralilaa ti.” 24 Bituŋ Kideyoni ko ì ye ko, “N lafita feŋ kiliŋ ne daani la ali bulu. Ali bee kiliŋ-kiliŋ naa ye tulutotaa dii n na, ali ye mennu buusi ali jawoolu bulu.” Ñiŋ jawoolu mu Isimayila lasiloo moolu le ti, itolu ka sani tulutotaa le duŋ.
25 Ì ko a ye ko, “M̀ be ì dii la i la le, meŋ te ke la balaŋo kono ti.” Wo le to ì ye faanoo feenee, ì bee kiliŋ-kiliŋ naa ye tulutotaa fayi a kaŋ, ì ye mennu buusi ì jawoolu bulu. 26 A ye sani tulutotaa nankamoo meŋ kaniŋ, a taata le fo a sutiyaata kilo muwaŋ na. Ñarandi feŋ koteŋolu fanaa tarata jee le, komeŋ kantotaalu aniŋ dendika wuleŋ ñiimaalu, Midiyani mansoolu ka mennu duŋ. Aduŋ a ye ceeni kuloorimaalu fanaa soto le, mennu tarata minindiŋ ì la ñonkomoolu kaŋolu la. 27 Kideyoni ye efodoo* dadaa ñinnu le la, a ye a londi a wuluu saatewo to, meŋ mu Ofura ti. Wo naata Banisirayilankoolu bee ke jalambatulaalu ti. A keta kutindiŋo ti Kideyoni ye, aniŋ a la dimbaayaa.
28 Midiyaninkoolu tarata Banisirayilankoolu la maraloo koto. Ì maŋ haañi ì maa la keloo la kotenke. Bituŋ Kideyoni tiloo la, bankoo naata tara tenkuŋo kono fo sanji taŋ naani.
Kideyoni la faa
29 Kideyoni Yowasi dinkewo seyita ka sabati a faŋo yaa. 30 A ye dinkee taŋ woorowula le soto, a faŋo wuluudiŋolu, kaatu musu jamaa le tarata nuŋ a bulu. 31 A la kaŋ foroyandi musoo*, meŋ be siiriŋ Sekemu, wo fanaa ye dinkewo le soto a la, a ye a toolaa Abimeleki la. 32 Bituŋ Kideyoni, Yowasi dinkewo naata faa, wo tumoo a keebaayaata baake. Bituŋ ì ye a baadee, ì ye a faamaa Yowasi baadee baadeekoo meŋ to Ofura, Abiyesa koomalankoolu la saatewo.
33 Kabiriŋ Kideyoni faata doroŋ, Banisirayilankoolu naata ke moo filiriŋolu ti ka bula Baali* jalaŋolu nooma. Ì ye Baali-Beriti le muta ì la alla ti. 34 Banisirayilankoolu ñinata Yaawe la, ì la Alla, meŋ ye ì tankandi ka bo ì jawoolu buloo kono karoo bee la. 35 Ì maŋ tiliŋ Kideyoni la dimbaayaa fee, ka Kideyoni la ñiiñaa joo, a ye meŋ ke Banisirayila ye.
