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.
The Final Defeat of the Midianites
1 Then the people of Ephraim said to Gideon, “Why didn't you call us when you went to fight the Midianites? Why did you treat us like this?” They complained bitterly about it.
2 But he told them, “What I was able to do is nothing compared with what you have done. Even the little that you people of Ephraim did is worth more than what my whole clan has done. 3 After all, through the power of God you killed the two Midianite chiefs, Oreb and Zeeb. What have I done to compare with that?” When he said this, they were no longer so angry.
4 By this time Gideon and his three hundred men had come to the Jordan River and had crossed it. They were exhausted, but were still pursuing the enemy. 5 When they arrived at Sukkoth, he said to the men of the town, “Please give my men some loaves of bread. They are exhausted, and I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the Midianite kings.”
6 But the leaders of Sukkoth said, “Why should we give your army any food? You haven't captured Zebah and Zalmunna yet.”
7 So Gideon said, “All right! When the Lord has handed Zebah and Zalmunna over to me, I will beat you with thorns and briers from the desert!” 8 Gideon went on to Penuel and made the same request of the people there, but the men of Penuel gave the same answer as the men of Sukkoth. 9 So he said to them, “I am going to come back safe and sound, and when I do, I will tear this tower down!”
10 Zebah and Zalmunna were at Karkor with their army. Of the whole army of desert tribesmen, only about 15,000 were left; 120,000 soldiers had been killed. 11 Gideon went on the road along the edge of the desert, east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and attacked the army by surprise. 12 The two Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna, ran away, but he pursued them and captured them, and caused their whole army to panic.
13 When Gideon was returning from the battle by way of Heres Pass, 14 he captured a young man from Sukkoth and questioned him. The young man wrote down for Gideon the names of the seventy-seven leading men of Sukkoth. 15 Then Gideon went to the men of Sukkoth and said, “Remember when you refused to help me? You said that you couldn't give any food to my exhausted army because I hadn't captured Zebah and Zalmunna yet. Well, here they are!” 16 He then took thorns and briers from the desert and used them to punish the leaders of Sukkoth. 17 He also tore down the tower at Penuel and killed the men of that city.
18 Then Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What about the men you killed at Tabor?”
They answered, “They looked like you—every one of them like the son of a king.”
19 Gideon said, “They were my brothers, my own mother's sons. I solemnly swear that if you had not killed them, I would not kill you.” 20 Then he said to Jether, his oldest son, “Go ahead, kill them!” But the boy did not draw his sword. He hesitated, because he was still only a boy.
21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, “Come on, kill us yourself. It takes a man to do a man's job.” So Gideon killed them and took the ornaments that were on the necks of their camels.
22 After that, the Israelites said to Gideon, “Be our ruler—you and your descendants after you. You have saved us from the Midianites.”
23 Gideon answered, “I will not be your ruler, nor will my son. The Lord will be your ruler.” 24 But he went on to say, “Let me ask one thing of you. Every one of you give me the earrings you took.” (The Midianites, like other desert people, wore gold earrings.)
25 The people answered, “We'll be glad to give them to you.” They spread out a cloth, and everyone put on it the earrings that he had taken. 26 The gold earrings that Gideon got weighed over forty pounds, and this did not include the ornaments, necklaces, and purple clothes that the kings of Midian wore, nor the collars that were around the necks of their camels. 27 Gideon made an idol from the gold and put it in his hometown, Ophrah. All the Israelites abandoned God and went there to worship the idol. It was a trap for Gideon and his family.
28 So Midian was defeated by the Israelites and was no longer a threat. The land was at peace for forty years, until Gideon died.
The Death of Gideon
29 Gideon went back to his own home and lived there. 30 He had seventy sons, because he had many wives. 31 He also had a concubine in Shechem; she bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech. 32 Gideon son of Joash died at a ripe old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash, at Ophrah, the town of the clan of Abiezer.
33 After Gideon's death the people of Israel were unfaithful to God again and worshiped the Baals. They made Baal-of-the-Covenant their god, 34 and no longer served the Lord their God, who had saved them from all their enemies around them. 35 They were not grateful to the family of Gideon for all the good that he had done for Israel.
