Ndị Ikpe 8
1 Ndị Ifrem jụrụ Gidiọn ajụjụ sị ya, “Gịnị mere i ji meso anyị mmeso dị otu a? Ọ bụ gịnị mere i zighị ozi kpọ anyị mgbe ị gara ibuso ndị Midia agha?” Ha tara ya ụta nke ukwuu.
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 Ma Gidiọn zaghachiri ha sị, “Gịnị ka m rụpụtara e ji atụnyere nke unu. Ọ bụ na ntụtụkọta ihe ubi Ifrem adịghị mma karịa owuwe ihe ubi nke Abieza?
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 Chineke nyefere unu Oreb na Zeeb, ndị ndu Midia, nʼaka. Gịnị ka m rụpụtara a ga-eji tụnyere nke unu?” Okwu a mere ka ọnụma ha nʼebe ọ nọ dajụọ.
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 Nʼoge a, Gidiọn gabigara, gafee osimiri Jọdan, ya na narị ndị agha atọ so ya. Ike gwụrụ ha nke ukwuu ma ha nọgidere na-achụsi ndị iro ha ọsọ ike.
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 Ọ sịrị ndị ikom Sukọt, “Nyetụnụ ndị agha m achịcha nʼihi na ike gwụrụ ha. Ana m na-achụso Zeba na Zalmuna, ndị eze Midia ọsọ.”
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 Ma ndịisi Sukọt sịrị, “Anyị ga-esi aṅaa nye ndị agha gị achịcha? Ijidela Zeba na Zalmuna nʼaka gị?”
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 Mgbe ahụ, Gidiọn zaghachiri, “Nʼihi nke a, mgbe Onyenwe anyị nyefere m Zeba na Zalmuna nʼaka, aga m eji ogwu na ụga na-epu nʼọzara dọkasịa unu ahụ.”
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 O sitere nʼebe ahụ gaa Peniel rịọkwaa ndị obodo ahụ otu arịrịọ ahụ. Ma otu ụdị ọsịsa ahụ ndị Sukọt nyere ka ndị Peniel nyekwara.
From there, Gideon [and his 300 men] went to Peniel and asked for food there, but the people gave him the same answer.
9 Ya mere, ọ gwara ndị ikom Peniel sị, “Mgbe m nwere mmeri lọta, aga m akwatu ụlọ elu a.”
So he said to the men of Peniel, “After I defeat those kings, I will return and tear down this tower!”
10 Nʼoge a, Zeba na Zalmuna na puku ndị agha iri na ise fọdụụrụ ha nọ na Kako. Ndị a bụ naanị ndị agha fọdụrụ nʼime usuu ndị agha ndị Midia niile. Nʼihi na ọnụọgụgụ ndị agha e gburu egbu dị narị puku na iri puku abụọ.
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 Gidiọn rigoro site ụzọ ndị na-achị anụ ụlọ nke dị nʼọwụwa anyanwụ obodo Nọba na Jogbeha, bịakwasị ndị agha ahụ na mberede nʼihi na ha nọ nʼatụghị egwu ihe ọbụla ime ha.
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 na Zalmuna, eze abụọ ndị Midia, gbapụrụ ọsọ, ma Gidiọn na ndị agha ya chụgidere ha ọsọ, jide ha. Ha gweriri ndị agha ha niile.
Zebah and Zalmunna fled, but Gideon’s men pursued them and captured them and all their warriors.
13 Emesịa, Gidiọn nwa Joash, sitere nʼokporoụzọ Heres lọta agha ahụ.
After that, Gideon and his men [took Zebah and Zalmunna with them and] started to return, going through Heres Pass.
14 Nʼebe ahụ ka Gidiọn nọ jide otu nwokorobịa onye Sukọt. O jụrụ ya ajụjụ, nwokorobịa ahụ depụtakwaara ya aha ndịisi obodo Sukọt. Ha dị iri asaa na asaa, ndị okenye obodo ahụ.
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 Mgbe Gidiọn bịaruru obodo Sukọt, ọ gwara ha okwu sị, “Ngwa leenụ Zeba na Zalmuna ndị unu kparịrị m maka ha, kwuo sị, ‘Ijidela Zeba na Zalmuna nʼaka gị ugbu a nke mere na anyị ga-enye ndị ikom gị ike gwụrụ achịcha?’”
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 O jidere ndị okenye obodo ahụ, were ogwu na ụga taa ndị ikom Sukọt ahụhụ ime ka ha mara ihe.
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 Ọ kwaturu ụlọ elu Peniel gbukwaa ndị ikom obodo ahụ niile.
Then [they went to] Peniel and tore down the tower, and killed all the men in the town.
18 Mgbe ahụ, ọ jụrụ Zeba na Zalmuna, “Ndị ikom dị aṅaa ka unu gburu na Taboa?” Ha zara sị ya, “Ha nwere ụdịdị ka gị onwe gị, onye ọbụla nwere ụdịdị dịka nwa eze.”
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 Gidiọn zaghachiri sị, “Ndị ahụ bụ ụmụnne m ndị ikom, ndị nke nne m mụrụ. Ugbu a, Onyenwe anyị nʼonwe ya maara na a sị na unu egbughị ha, agaraghị m egbu unu.”
Gideon replied, “They were my brothers! Just as surely as Yahweh lives, I would not kill you if you had not killed them.”
20 O chigharịrị gwa Jeta, ọkpara ya, sị ya, “Gbuo ha!” Ma Jeta amịpụtaghị mma, nʼihi na ọ bụ naanị nwokorobịa. Ọ tụrụ egwu igbu ha.
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 Zeba na Zalmuna, gwara Gidiọn okwu sị, “Jiri aka gị gbuo anyị. ‘A hụ dimkpa, a hụ ike ya.’” Nʼihi nke a, Gidiọn were aka ya gbuo ha, chịkọrọkwa ihe olu niile ha nyakwasịrị ịnyịnya kamel ha nʼolu.
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 Mgbe ahụ, ndị Izrel gwara Gidiọn sị ya, “Bịa ka ị bụrụ eze anyị! Gị na ụmụ gị ndị ikom, na ezinaụlọ gị niile, ga-abụ ndị ga-achị, nʼihi na ị gbapụtala anyị site nʼaka usuu ndị agha Midia.”
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 Ma Gidiọn gwara ha okwu sị, “Mụ onwe m na ụmụ m agaghị abụ eze unu, nʼihi na Onyenwe anyị Chineke bụ eze unu.”
But Gideon replied, “No, I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you. Yahweh will rule over you.”
24 Ọ sịrị, “Enwere m otu arịrịọ m ga-arịọ unu. Onye ọbụla nʼime unu nye m ọlantị site nʼoke unu nwetara site nʼihe nkwata nʼagha.” (Ọ bụ omenaala ndị Ishmel niile iyi ọlantị ọlaedo.)
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 Ha jiri obi ụtọ kwenye, gbasaa akwa nʼala, tinyechaa ọlantị ha nʼime ya. Onye ọbụla nʼime ha mere nke a.
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 Ịdị arọ nke ọlantị ọlaedo ndị a bụ otu puku na narị shekel asaa, na-agụnyeghị ihe ịchọ mma ndị ọzọ, na ihe olu, na uwe odo odo ndị eze Midia na-eyi, na ihe olu dị nʼolu ịnyịnya kamel ha.
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 Gidiọn jiri ọlaedo ahụ niile kpụọ efọọd debe ya nʼOfra, nʼobodo nke aka ya. Ma mgbe na-adịghị anya, ụmụ Izrel niile malitere ịgbaso na ife ihe ahụ ofufe. Nʼụzọ dị otu a, ọ ghọọrọ Gidiọn na ezinaụlọ ya ihe ịma nʼọnya.
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 Otu a ka Midia si ghọọ ndị Izrel meriri emeri. Midia eweliteghị isi ya ọzọ. Nʼihi nke a, Izrel biri nʼudo iri afọ anọ, nʼụbọchị niile Gidiọn dị ndụ.
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 Jerub-Baal, nwa Joash laghachiri nʼụlọ nke aka ya, biri nʼebe ahụ.
Gideon went back home to live there.
30 Ọ mụtakwara iri ụmụ ndị ikom asaa, nʼihi na ọ lụrụ ọtụtụ ndị inyom.
He had many wives, and they bore him seventy sons.
31 O nwekwara iko nwanyị nʼobodo Shekem, onye mụtaara ya nwa nwoke aha ya bụ Abimelek.
He also had a slave wife in Shechem [town], who bore him a son whom he named Abimelech.
32 Mgbe ihe ndị a gasịrị, Gidiọn nwa Joash, nwụrụ, mgbe ọ kasịrị nka nke ukwu. E liri ya nʼili nna ya Joash nʼobodo Ofra, nʼala Abieza.
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 Ọ dịghị anya ka Gidiọn nwụsịrị, ụmụ Izrel laghachiri azụ bido ife chi Baal. Ha guzobere Baal-Berit ka ọ bụrụ chi ha.
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 Ma ụmụ Izrel echetaghị Onyenwe anyị Chineke ha, onye napụtara ha site nʼaka ndị iro ha niile gbara ha gburugburu.
They forgot about Yahweh, the one who had rescued them from all their enemies that surrounded them.
35 Ha ekwesighịkwa ntụkwasị obi nye ezinaụlọ Jerub-Baal (ya bụ Gidiọn) dịka ezi ihe niile o mere ha si dị.
And even though Gideon had done many good things for the Israelis, they were not kind to Gideon’s family.
