Thutan Vaihom Ho 8
1 Hiche jouhin Ephraim mipiten Gideon kommah hitin aseijun ahi, “Ipi dinga hitia hi neibollu ham? Midiante satdinga nahung kijot uva chu ipi dinga neina kou louvu ham?” atiuvin; lungnatah in Gideon chu ana kinelpiu vin ahi.
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 Ahin Gideonin adonbutnin, “Nangho toh tekah dinga ken ipi katohdoh beh am? Ephraim min lengpithei alolhah jouva amoh akhen hou chu Abeizer phungbah neocha ho lhosoh ga pumpi sanga tamjo hilouham?
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 Pathen’in Midian gal lamkai teni Oreb le Zeeb chunga galjona napeh to tekah thei dinga ken ipi katohdoh beh am ati. Ephraim mihon Gideon thusei chu ajah phat’un alunghan nao adailha tai.
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 Gideonin amite jathum toh Jordan vadung ahinpal galkai jun ahi, athachol lheh jeng vangun agalmiteu chu anadel nalai jun ahi.
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 Succoth alhun phat’un Gideonin akhopi lamkaiho kommah “Ka sepaite ho dingin anneh themkhat beh neipeuvin amahohi athachol lheh tauvin ahi. Keiman Midian lengte Zebah leh Zalmunna kahin del ahi,” ati.
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 Ahinlah Succoth lamkaiten adonbut’un, “Zebah le Zalmunna chu hinman masauvin chujouteng keihon nasepaite vah naovinge” atiuve.
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 Hichephat chun Gideonin ajah uvah, “Pakaiyin Zebah le Zalmunna chunga galjona eipehuva kahung kile lamteng leh gammang noiya konna kahin lah lingle molla natahsau kajep teldeh ding nahiuve,” atitan ahi.
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 Hichea kon in Gideon chu Paniel langah achetouvin amaho komma jong chun nehding an athum’in ahileh amahon jong hitobang machun anadonbut un ahi.
From there, Gideon [and his 300 men] went to Peniel and asked for food there, but the people gave him the same answer.
9 Hijeh chun amanjong amaho komma chun, “Gal kahinjoa kahung kileteng hiche inting vumhi kaloi chimding ahi” atipeh tai.
So he said to the men of Peniel, “After I defeat those kings, I will return and tear down this tower!”
10 Hiche pet hin Zebah leh Zalmunna chu Karkor munnah epia sangsom le sang-nga toh aumkhom lhonnin ahi, hicheng hochu solang gamkaija pangkhom epia sangjakhat le sangsomni ana kithat holah’a amoh ho cheng chu ahiuve.
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 Gideonin Nobah le Jogbebah solam mi kiveiho lampi chu akollin aum kimvellin, chuin Midian sepaite chu kiging manlouvin adelkhum tan ahi.
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 Midian lengteni Zebah leh Zalmunna anajamlhon in ahin, Gideonin adelsuh peh in asepaite jousetoh amattha tan ahi.
Zebah and Zalmunna fled, but Gideon’s men pursued them and captured them and all their warriors.
13 Hiche jouchun Gideon chu agalsat munna konchun ahungkile in Heres lampi chu ahin jotnin ahi.
After that, Gideon and his men [took Zebah and Zalmunna with them and] started to return, going through Heres Pass.
14 Hichea chun Succoth na konna hung golhang khat amannin akhopi sunga thunei vaihom hole lamkai upa somsagi le sagi ho min chu ajihdoh soh tan ahi.
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 Gideon chu Succoth lang’ah akile in alamkai hou kommah chun hitin aseitan ahi, “Tuhin Zebah le Zalmunna chu hikommah aumtai, tumasanga nakom uva kahung chun nanghon noisetah in Zebah leh Zalmunna chu hinman masaovin chutengleh nasepaite thachol chu vahnao vinge natiuvin ahi.
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 Hijouchun Gideonin akhopi lamkaiho chu gammang noija ahinlah lingle mol chun ajepmin hilchahna aneitan ahi.
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 Aman Peniel inting vumjong chu avochim’in hiche khopi sunga umho jouse chu athat gamtan ahi.
Then [they went to] Peniel and tore down the tower, and killed all the men in the town.
18 Hijouchun Gideonin Zebah leh Zalmunna chu adongin “Tabor munna natha hou chu itobang mi hiuvam” ati. Ama nin adonbutnin “Nang tobang ahiuve, amahon chun lengcha hina limle mel apu cheh uve,” ati lhonin ahi.
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 Hichun aman jong, “Amaho chu kasopi pasal ho ahiuvin, keima kanu tah chate jeng ahiuve,” ati. Chujouvin Gideonin, “Hingjing Pakai minna kasei ahi, amaho chu anathat hihleu chun tunia hi nangni katha lhonlou ding ahi,” tin asaptho jengin tan ahi.
Gideon replied, “They were my brothers! Just as surely as Yahweh lives, I would not kill you if you had not killed them.”
20 Chuin Gideon kiheiyin achapa atahpenpa Jethar komma chun, “Kipat inlang ani lhonin that tan” ati. Ahin Jether chu chapangcha ahiyeh in akichan achemjam asatdoh ngam tapon ahi.
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 Hichun Zebah leh Zalmunna chun Gideon kommah asei lhonnin, “Pasal nahina tah langin, nangma tah in neithat jeng lhonnin,” ati lhonin ahi. Hichun, Gideonin amani chu athat in asangongsang ngong lhon’a thilmantam ho chu akilah tan ahi.
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 Hichun Israel ten Gideon komma chun “Nangle nachate chuleh natute changeijin kachung uvah vaihommin pangtauvin ajeh chu nangin Midiante a kon in neihuhdoh tauvin ahi,” atiuve.
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 Ahin Gideonin adonbut’in, “Kei kahin kachate ahin nachung uva vaihom pouvinge, Pakai joh in nachunguva vai ahomding ahi,” ati.
But Gideon replied, “No, I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you. Yahweh will rule over you.”
24 Ahinlah keiman thilkhat kathum nomme, nanghon mikhat cheh in galmi natha houva konna nahin chomdoh u bilba chu neipeuvin ati. (Galmiho chu Ishmaelte ahiyeh un sana bilba akiba cheh u ahi).
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 Amahon kipah tah in aseijun, “Peuvinge” atiuve. Hitichun amaho khatcheh in, galla ahin chomdoh lah uva kon in sana bilba hochu pon aphaovin aseplha sohkeiyun ahi.
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 Hiche sana bilba hochu shekel sangkhat le jasagi aphan ahi, hichea panglou galla ahin chomdoh u adangho chu, lengte kijepna thilmantam ho, Midian engthen akivonnu ponsandup hole asangongsao hou ngonga a-opeh u thil mantamho jouse jong ahinalaiye.
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 Gideonin hiche sana hoa konchun ompho asemmin ama khopi Ophrah munna akoiyin ahi. Ahinla gangtah in Israelten hichu ahin hou un kisuhboh nan aneiyun, hichu Gideon le ainsung mite dingin kipalna in ahung pangtai.
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 Hitihin Israelten Midiante chu ana sunem’un ahileh hichekah chu Midiante akiledoh jouta pouvin ahi. Hichea konchn Gideon hinlai sunga kum somli sungin gamsung’ah chamna alengin ahi.
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 Hiche jouchun Joash chapa Gideon chu ainlanga akiletan ahi.
Gideon went back home to live there.
30 Aman chapa som sagi aneiyin ahi, ajeh chu amah in ji tamtah aneijeh ahi.
He had many wives, and they bore him seventy sons.
31 Aman Shechem munna thaikem khat ananeijin, amanu chun chapa khat ahinpeh in amin Abimelech ahi.
He also had a slave wife in Shechem [town], who bore him a son whom he named Abimelech.
32 Gideon athichun ateh lheh jengtan ahi, amachu Abiezer phungmite gamsunga um Ophrah munnah apa Joash lhankhuh a anavui tauvin ahi.
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 Gideon thijou jouvin Israelte chu amahole amaho akisuboh un Baal chu a pathen’in akisemmun Baal doilim semthuho chu anahouvun ahi.
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 Amahon avelluva cheng agalmite jouseuva konna ahin huhdoh uva a Pakai a Pathennu chu asumil tauvin ahi.
They forgot about Yahweh, the one who had rescued them from all their enemies that surrounded them.
35 Amahon Israel mite dinga thilpha tamtah ana tongdoh a Jerub-baal kitipa Gideon insung mite jengjong janaleh gelkhohna imacha ana neitapouvin ahi.
And even though Gideon had done many good things for the Israelis, they were not kind to Gideon’s family.
