Judges 8
1 Then the men of Ephraim asked Gideon, “Why have you treated us like this? Why didn't you call us when you went to attack the Midianite?” They argued furiously with him.
Amadoda akoEfrayimi asesithi kuye: Iyini linto oyenze kithi ukuthi awusibizanga nxa usiyakulwa lamaMidiyani? Amsola ngamandla.
2 “Now what have I achieved in comparison to you?” Gideon replied. “Even Ephraim's left-over grapes are better than Abiezer's whole grape harvest!
Wasesithi kiwo: Ngenzeni khathesi uba kulinganiswa lokwenu? Ukukhothozwa kwezithelo zevini koEfrayimi kakukuhle yini kulesivuno sevini sakoAbiyezeri?
3 God handed over to you Oreb and Zeeb, the two Midianite commanders. What have I managed to achieve in comparison to you?” When he told them this their animosity towards him died down.
UNkulunkulu unikele esandleni senu iziphathamandla zeMidiyani, uOrebi loZebi; ngangingenzani njengani? Kwasekudeda kuye ukuthukuthela kwabo lapho ekhuluma lelilizwi.
4 Then Gideon crossed the Jordan with his three hundred men. Even though they were exhausted they continued the chase.
Lapho uGidiyoni efika eJordani wachapha, yena lamadoda angamakhulu amathathu ayelaye, bediniwe kodwa bexotsha.
5 When they got to Succoth, Gideon asked the people there, “Please provide some bread to the men with me because they're worn out—I'm pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the Midianite kings.”
Wasesithi emadodeni eSukothi: Ake liphe abantu abangilandelayo amaqebelengwana ezinkwa, ngoba badiniwe, ngixotshana loZeba loZalimuna amakhosi eMidiyani.
6 But the Succoth town leaders replied, “Why should we give your army bread when you haven't even captured Zebah and Zalmunna yet?”
Lenduna zeSukothi zathi: Intende yesandla sikaZeba loZalimuna isisesandleni sakho yini, ukuthi siphe ibutho lakho isinkwa?
7 “In that case, once the Lord has handed Zebah and Zalmunna over to me, I'll return and thrash you with thorns and briers from the desert!” Gideon replied.
UGidiyoni wasesithi: Ngakho nxa iNkosi isinikele uZeba loZalimuna esandleni sami, ngizabhula inyama yenu ngameva enkangala langokhula oluhlabayo.
8 He left and went to Penuel and asked them the same thing, but the people of Penuel answered the same way as the people of Succoth.
Wasesenyuka lapho waya ePenuweli, wakhuluma labo ngokufananayo; lamadoda ePenuweli amphendula njengamadoda eSukothi emphendulile.
9 So he told them, “When I return victorious, I'll demolish this tower!”
Wasekhuluma futhi emadodeni ePenuweli esithi: Ekubuyeni kwami ngokuthula ngizadiliza lo umphotshongo.
10 Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their armies of around fifteen thousand men. These were all who remained of the armies of the people of the East—one hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had already been killed.
Njalo uZeba loZalimuna babeseKarikori lenkamba yabo ilabo, phose inkulungwane ezilitshumi lanhlanu, bonke ababesele ebuthweni lonke labantwana bempumalanga, ngoba ababewile babengamadoda azinkulungwane ezilikhulu lamatshumi amabili abahwatsha inkemba.
11 Gideon took the caravan route to the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and he attacked their army, catching them offguard.
UGidiyoni wasesenyuka ngendlela yabahlala emathenteni empumalanga kweNoba leJogibeha, wayitshaya inkamba, ngoba inkamba yayilibele.
12 Zebah and Zalmunna ran away, but he chased after the two Midianite kings and captured them, defeating the whole of their terrified army.
UZeba loZalimuna basebebaleka, wasexotshana labo, wathumba amakhosi amabili eMidiyani, uZeba loZalimuna, wethusa inkamba yonke.
13 Then Gideon, son of Joash, returned from the battle through the Heres Pass.
Lapho uGidiyoni indodana kaJowashi esebuya evela empini phambi kokuphuma kwelanga,
14 There he captured a young man from Succoth and questioned him. The man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven leaders and elders of Succoth.
wabamba ijaha emadodeni eSukothi, walibuza; laselimbhalela iziphathamandla zeSukothi labadala bayo, amadoda angamatshumi ayisikhombisa lesikhombisa.
15 Gideon went and said to the Sukkoth town leaders, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, the ones you taunted me about when you said, ‘Why should we give your exhausted army bread when you haven't even captured Zebah and Zalmunna yet?’”
Wasefika emadodeni eSukothi, wathi: Khangelani oZeba loZalimuna elalingiklolodela ngabo lisithi: Intende yesandla sikaZeba loZalimuna isisesandleni sakho yini, ukuthi siphe amadoda akho asediniwe isinkwa?
16 So he took the town elders of Succoth and taught them a lesson using thorns and briers from the desert.
Wasethatha abadala bomuzi, lameva enkangala lokhula oluhlabayo, wenza amadoda eSukothi aqedisise ngawo.
17 He also demolished the tower of Peniel and killed the men of the town.
Lomphotshongo wePenuweli wawudiliza, wabulala amadoda omuzi.
18 Then Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What were they like, the men you killed at Tabor?” “They looked like you,” they answered. “Each of them had the stature of a prince.”
Wasesithi kuZeba lakuZalimuna: Ngamadoda anjani elawabulala eThabhori? Basebesithi: Njengawe babenjalo, ngulowo njengesimo sendodana yenkosi.
19 “Those were my brothers, my mother's sons,” Gideon burst out. “As the Lord lives, if you had let them live, I wouldn't kill you!”
Wasesithi: Babengabafowethu, abantwana bakamama. Kuphila kukaJehova, uba belibayekele baphila, bengingayikulibulala.
20 He told Jether, his oldest son, “Go on, kill them!” But the boy refused to draw his sword, because he was young and afraid.
Wasesithi kuJetheri izibulo lakhe: Sukuma ubabulale. Kodwa umfana kayihwatshanga inkemba yakhe, ngoba wayesesaba ngoba esesengumfana.
21 Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, “Come on, you do it! Show yourself a man and kill us!” So Gideon went over and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent-shaped ornaments from the necks of their camels.
UZeba loZalimuna basebesithi: Sukuma wena uwele phezu kwethu, ngoba njengoba injalo indoda, anjalo amandla ayo. Wasesukuma uGidiyoni wabulala uZeba loZalimuna. Wasethatha izinyangana ezazisentanyeni zamakamela abo.
22 Then the Israelites said to Gideon, “You must become our ruler, you, your son, and your grandson; because you've saved us from the Midianites.”
Amadoda akoIsrayeli asesithi kuGidiyoni: Sibuse, wena-ke, lendodana yakho, lendodana yendodana yakho, ngoba usisindisile esandleni samaMidiyani.
23 “I won't be your ruler, and my son won't either,” Gideon replied. “The Lord will be your ruler.”
Kodwa uGidiyoni wathi kibo: Mina kangiyikulibusa, lendodana yami kayiyikulibusa; iNkosi izalibusa.
24 Then Gideon said, “I have a request to ask of you: that each of you give me an earring from your plunder.” (Their enemies were Ishmaelites and wore gold earrings.)
UGidiyoni wasesithi kibo: Ake ngicele isicelo kini; nginikani ngamunye icici lempango yakhe. Ngoba babelamacici egolide, ngoba babengamaIshmayeli.
25 “We'll happily give them to you,” they replied. They spread out a cloak, and each of them threw on it earrings from their plunder.
Basebesithi: Sizanika lokunika. Basebesendlala isembatho, baphosela lapho ngamunye icici lempango yakhe.
26 The weight of the earrings he'd asked for was 1,700 shekels, not including the ornaments, the pendants, and the purple garments worn by the Midianite kings or the chains that were round their camels' necks.
Lesisindo samacici egolide ayewacelile sasingamashekeli egolide ayinkulungwane lamakhulu ayisikhombisa, ngaphandle kwezinyangana, leziceciso ezilengayo, lezembatho eziyibubende ezazisemakhosini eMidiyani, langaphandle kwamaketane ayesezintanyeni zamakamela awo.
27 From the gold Gideon made an ephod, which he placed in his hometown of Ophrah. All Israel prostituted themselves there by worshiping it as an idol, and it became a trap to Gideon and his family.
UGidiyoni wasesenza i-efodi ngakho, wayibeka emzini wakhe, eOfira. LoIsrayeli wonke waphinga lapho ngokuyilandela; yasisiba ngumjibila kuGidiyoni lendlu yakhe.
28 This is how the Midianites was subjugated before the Israelites and did not gain power again. So the land was at peace for forty years during the lifetime of Gideon.
Ngokunjalo amaMidiyani ehliselwa phansi phambi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli, kawaphindanga aphakamisa ikhanda lawo. Lelizwe laba lokuthula iminyaka engamatshumi amane ensukwini zikaGidiyoni.
29 Jerub-baal, son of Joash, went home, living his own house.
UJerubali indodana kaJowashi wayahlala-ke endlini yakhe.
30 Gideon had seventy sons, all his own, because he had many wives.
Njalo uGidiyoni wayelamadodana angamatshumi ayisikhombisa aphuma okhalweni lwakhe, ngoba wayelabafazi abanengi.
31 His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also had a son. He named him Abimelech.
Lomfazi wakhe omncane owayeseShekema laye wamzalela indodana, wayitha ibizo lokuthi nguAbhimeleki.
32 Gideon, son of Joash, died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
UGidiyoni indodana kaJowashi wasesifa eseluphele kuhle, wangcwatshelwa engcwabeni likaJowashi uyise, eOfira yamaAbiyezeri.
33 But as soon as Gideon died, the Israelites went back to prostituting themselves, worshiping before the Baals. They made Baal-berith their god.
Kwasekusithi lapho uGidiyoni esefile, abantwana bakoIsrayeli baphenduka, baphinga ngokulandela oBhali, bazimisela uBhali-Berithi waba ngunkulunkulu.
34 They forgot about the Lord their God, who had saved them from all their enemies that surrounded them.
Njalo abantwana bakoIsrayeli kabayikhumbulanga iNkosi uNkulunkulu wabo eyabophula esandleni sezitha zabo zonke inhlangothi zonke.
35 They did not show any respect to the family of Jerub-baal (Gideon) for all the good he had done for Israel.
Kabenzanga umusa endlini kaJerubali, onguGidiyoni, njengakho konke okuhle akwenza kuIsrayeli.
