Oweruza 8
1 Aefereimu anafunsa Gideoni kuti, “Nʼchifukwa chiyani watichita zimenezi? Bwanji sunatiyitane pamene umakamenyana ndi Amidiyani?” Iwo anamudzudzula kwambiri.
Then the descendants of Ephraim said to Gideon, “Why have you acted toward us like this? When you went out to fight against the people of Midian, why did you not summon us [to help you]?” They rebuked Gideon severely.
2 Koma iye anawayankha kuti, “Nʼchiyani ndachita kuyerekeza ndi zimene mwachita inu? Kodi zimene mwachita inu Aefereimu si zazikulu kuposa zimene fuko langa la Abiezeri lachita?
But Gideon replied, “I have done [RHQ] very little compared with what you have done! My small clan of descendants of Abiezer only started the battle, but [your very large group of] descendants of Ephraim [helped me to finish the task very well. It is like] the final grapes of the harvest being much better than the first grapes that are picked.
3 Mulungu wapereka mafumu a Midiyani, Orebu ndi Zeebu mʼmanja mwanu. Ndachita chiyani kuyerekeza ndi zimene mwachita inu?” Atanena izi, anthuwo mitima yawo inatsika.
God enabled you to defeat Oreb and Zeeb, the generals of the army from Midian. That is [RHQ] much more important than what I did!” After Gideon told them that, they no longer resented what he had done.
4 Gideoni anafika ndi kuwoloka mtsinje wa Yorodani pamodzi ndi anthu 300 amene anali naye. Ngakhale kuti anali otopa anapirikitsabe adani awo.
Then Gideon and his 300 men [went east and] crossed the Jordan [River]. Although they were very tired, they continued to pursue their enemies.
5 Atafika ku Sukoti anapempha anthu a kumeneko kuti, “Chonde apatseniko buledi ankhondo angawa pakuti atopa. Koma ine ndikupirikitsa Zeba ndi Zalimuna, mafumu a Midiyani.”
When they arrived at Succoth [town], Gideon said to the town leaders, “Please give my men some food! They are very tired. We are pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”
6 Koma atsogoleri a Sukoti anayankha kuti, “Kodi Zeba ndi Zalimuna mwawagonjetsa kale kuti tipatse buledi ankhondo akowa?”
But the leaders of Succoth replied, “You have not caught [RHQ] Zebah and Zalmunna yet. So why should we give food to your troops [now? Catch them first, and then we will give you food].”
7 Gideoni anayankha kuti, “Mwatero! Yehova akapereka Zeba ndi Zalimuna mʼdzanja langa, ndidzakukwapulani ndi matsatsa a minga ya mʼchipululu.”
Gideon replied, “[Because you said that], after Yahweh enables us to defeat Zebah and Zalmunna, we will return. And then we will make whips from thorns from the desert, and with them we will rip the flesh off your bones!”
8 Atachoka pamenepo anapita ku Penueli ndipo anapemphanso buledi kwa anthu a kumeneko, koma iwo anamuyankha monga anayankhira anthu a ku Sukoti aja.
From there, Gideon [and his 300 men] went to Peniel and asked for food there, but the people gave him the same answer.
9 Gideoni anawawuzanso kuti, “Ndikamadzabwerera nditawagonjetsa, ndidzagwetsa nsanja iyi.”
So he said to the men of Peniel, “After I defeat those kings, I will return and tear down this tower!”
10 Nthawi iyi nʼkuti Zeba ndi Zalimuna ali ku Karikori ndi ankhondo pafupifupi 15,000. Amenewa ndiwo anatsalako mwa ankhondo a anthu akummawa; pakuti anafa ankhondo 120,000.
By that time, Zebah and Zalmunna had gone to Karkor [town] with 15,000 troops. They were all that were left of the armies that had come from the east. 120,000 of their men had already been killed.
11 Gideoni anadzera njira ya anthu a matenti kummawa kwa Noba ndi Yogibeha ndipo anawathira nkhondo popeza ankhondo awo anali osakonzekera.
Gideon [and his men] went east along the road on which caravans travel. They went past Nobah and Jogbehah [villages] and arrived at the enemy camp by surprise.
12 Zeba ndi Zalimuna, mafumu awiri a Amidiyani anathawa koma Gideoni anawathamangitsa mpaka kuwagwira. Koma ankhondo awo onse anathawa ndi mantha.
Zebah and Zalmunna fled, but Gideon’s men pursued them and captured them and all their warriors.
13 Ndipo Gideoni mwana wa Yowasi, pobwera kuchokera ku nkhondo anadzera njira ya ku chikweza cha Heresi.
After that, Gideon and his men [took Zebah and Zalmunna with them and] started to return, going through Heres Pass.
14 Kumeneko iye anagwira mnyamata wa ku Sukoti ndipo atamufunsa, mnyamatayo anamulembera mayina a akuluakulu ndi atsogoleri 77 a ku Sukoti.
There he captured a young man from Succoth, and demanded that he write down the names of all of the leaders in the town. The young man wrote down seventy-seven names.
15 Kenaka Gideoni anabwera kwa anthu a ku Sukoti ndi kunena kuti, “Awa ndi Zeba ndi Zalimuna, mafumu awiri munkandinena nawo aja kuti, ‘Kodi Zeba ndi Zalimuna wawagonjetsa kale mmene ukuti tiwapatse buledi anthu ako otopawa?’”
Then Gideon and his men returned to Succoth and said to those leaders, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna. When we were here before, you made fun of me and said ‘You have not [RHQ] caught Zebah and Zalmunna yet! After you catch them, we will give your exhausted men some food.’”
16 Tsono Gideoni anatenga akuluakulu a mu mzindawo ndipo anagwira matsatsa a minga za mʼchipululu ndi kuwakwapula nawo.
Then Gideon’s men took the town leaders and whipped them with whips made from briers from the desert, to teach them [that they deserved to be punished for not giving them any food].
17 Anagwetsa nsanja ya ku Penueli ndi kupha amuna onse a mu mzindawo.
Then [they went to] Peniel and tore down the tower, and killed all the men in the town.
18 Kenaka anafunsa Zeba ndi Zalimuna kuti, “Kodi anthu a ku Tabori amene munawapha aja anali a maonekedwe otani?” Iwo anayankha kuti, “Anali anthu a maonekedwe ngati inu. Aliyense ankaoneka ngati mwana wa mfumu?” Iwo anayankha kuti, “Anthu ngati inu, aliyense wooneka ngati mwana wa mfumu.”
Then Gideon said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “The men you killed near Tabor [Mountain], what did they look like?” They replied, “They were like you; they all looked like they were sons of a king.”
19 Ndipo Gideoni anayankha kuti, “Ndikulumbira pa Mulungu, mukanapanda kuwapha nanenso sindikanakuphani. Ndi abale anga amenewo, ana a amayi anga enieni.”
Gideon replied, “They were my brothers! Just as surely as Yahweh lives, I would not kill you if you had not killed them.”
20 Tsono anawuza Yetero, mwana wake wachisamba kuti, “Tiye, ipha anthu amenewa!” Koma chifukwa Yeteri anali wamngʼono sanasolole lupanga lake, popeza anachita mantha.
Then he turned to his oldest son, Jether. He said to him, “Kill them!” But Jether was only a boy, and he was afraid, so he did not pull out his dagger [to kill them].
21 Tsono Zeba ndi Zalimuna anawuza Gideoni kuti, “Bwera utiphe ndiwe chifukwa uli ndi mphamvu za munthu wamkulu.” Choncho Gideoni anapita nawapha natenganso zokongoletsera zimene zinali pa makosi a ngamira zawo.
Then Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, “Do not ask a young boy to do the work that a man should do!” So Gideon killed both of them. Then he took the gold ornaments from the necks of their camels.
22 Aisraeli anati kwa Gideoni, “Inu muzitilamulira, mwana wanu ndi zidzukulu zanu, chifukwa mwatipulumutsa mʼmanja mwa Amidiyani.”
Then a group of Israeli men [came to] Gideon and said to him, “You be our ruler! [We want] you and your son and your grandsons [to] be our rulers, because you rescued us from the Midian army.”
23 Koma Gideoni anawawuza kuti, “Sindidzakulamulirani, mwana wanganso sadzakulamulirani. Koma Yehova ndiye adzakulamulirani.”
But Gideon replied, “No, I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you. Yahweh will rule over you.”
24 Gideoni anatinso, “Ine ndikupemphani chinthu chimodzi. Aliyense wa inu andipatse ndolo zomwe anafunkha ku nkhondo.” (Adani aja anali ndi ndolo zagolide popeza anali Aismaeli).
Then he said, “I request only one thing. I request that each of you give me one earring from the things you captured after the battle.” [All the men descended from Ishmael wore gold earrings.]
25 Iwo anayankha kuti, “Ife tikupatsani ndithu ndolozi.” Choncho anayala chinsalu, ndipo aliyense anaponyapo ndolo zimene anafunkha.
They replied, “We will be glad to give earrings to you!” So they spread a cloth [on the ground], and each man threw on it one gold earring that he had taken [from a man he had killed in the battle].
26 Tsono kulemera kwa ndolo zagolide zimene anapereka kunali makilogalamu makumi awiri, osawerengera kulemera kwa mphande, mkanda wamʼkhosi, zovala zapepo za mafumu a Midiyani ndiponso malamba azitsulo za mʼmakosi a ngamira zawo.
The weight of all the earrings was (43 pounds/19.4 kg.). That did not include other things [that they gave to Gideon]—the other ornaments or the pendants or the clothes that the kings of Midian wore or the gold chains that were on the necks of their camels.
27 Gideoni anagwiritsa ntchito golide uja kupanga efodi, ndipo anakamuyika ku mzinda wake ku Ofura. Tsono Aisraeli onse anasiya kupembedza Yehova nayamba kupembedza efodiyo kumeneko. Ichi chinasanduka msampha kwa Gideoni ndi banja lake lonse.
Gideon made/decorated a sacred vest from the gold, and later he put it in his hometown, Ophrah. But soon the Israeli people started to worship the vest. So it became like a trap [MET] for the people, [causing them to worship it instead of worshiping only God].
28 Choncho Amidiyani anagonjetsedwa ndi Aisraeli ndipo sanayeserenso kuwawukira. Ndipo dzikolo linakhala pa mtendere kwa zaka 40 pamene Gideoni anali ndi moyo.
That is how the Israelis defeated the people from Midian. The people of Midian did not become strong enough to attack Israel again. So while Gideon was alive, there was peace in the land for 40 years.
29 Yeru-Baala mwana wa Yowasi anapita kukakhala kwawo.
Gideon went back home to live there.
30 Ana a Gideoni anali 70 popeza anali ndi akazi ambiri.
He had many wives, and they bore him seventy sons.
31 Mdzakazi wake amene anali ku Sekemu, anabereka naye mwana wamwamuna, amene anamutcha Abimeleki.
He also had a slave wife in Shechem [town], who bore him a son whom he named Abimelech.
32 Gideoni mwana wa Yowasi anamwalira atakalamba ndipo anayikidwa mʼmanda a abambo ake, Yowasi ku Ofura mzinda wa Mwabiezeri.
Gideon died when he was very old. They buried his body in the grave where his father Joash was buried, at Ophrah, in the land belonging to the descendants of Abiether.
33 Atangomwalira Gideoni, Aisraeli anayambanso kupembedza Abaala. Iwo anasandutsa Baala-Beriti kukhala mulungu wawo.
But as soon as Gideon died, the Israelis [stopped worshiping God and started worshiping the images of the god Baal, like] [MET] adultresses [leave their husbands and go to sleep with other men]. They made a [statue of a] new god called Baal-Berith.
34 Aisraeli sanakumbukirenso Yehova Mulungu wawo amene anawapulumutsa mʼmanja mwa adani awo mbali zonse.
They forgot about Yahweh, the one who had rescued them from all their enemies that surrounded them.
35 Ndiponso sanachite zinthu zokomera banja la Yeru-Baala (ndiye kuti Gideoni) chifukwa cha zabwino zonse zimene iye anawachitira.
And even though Gideon had done many good things for the Israelis, they were not kind to Gideon’s family.
