Bilombe 7
1 Na tongo-tongo, Yerubali, elingi koloba Jedeon, abimaki elongo na bato nyonso oyo balandaki ye mpe batongaki molako na bango pembeni ya etima ya mayi ya Arodi. Nzokande molako ya bato ya Madiani ezalaki na ngambo ya nor ya molako ya bana ya Isalaele, na lubwaku, pembeni ya ngomba moke ya More.
The next morning, Gideon and his men got up early and went as far as Harod Spring. The army of Midian was camped north of them, in the valley near Moreh Hill.
2 Yawe alobaki na Jedeon: « Bato oyo ozali na bango baleki ebele mpo na ngai kokaba bato ya Madiani na maboko na bango, noki te Isalaele akozwa lolendo na koloba: ‹ Loboko na ngai moko nde ebikisi ngai. ›
Yahweh said to Gideon, “You have too many soldiers with you. If I allow all of you to fight the army of Midian, [if your army defeats them], they will boast to me that they defeated their enemies by themselves, [without my help].
3 Yango wana, loba na bato oyo: ‹ Tika ete moto nyonso oyo azali kolenga na kobanga azala mosika ya ngomba Galadi mpe azonga epai na ye. › » Boye, bato nkoto tuku mibale na mibale bazongaki epai na bango mpe nkoto zomi batikalaki.
So tell the men, ‘Whoever among you is timid or afraid may leave us and go home.’” So [after Gideon told that to them], 22,000 of them went home. Only 10,000 men were left there.
4 Kasi Yawe alobaki na Jedeon: « Bato bazali kaka ebele. Kitisa bango nyonso na mayi, mpe kuna, nakomeka bango mpo na yo. Soki nalobi: ‹ Oyo akoki kokende na yo, ye nde asengeli kokende na yo. › Kasi soki nalobi: ‹ Oyo akoki te kokende na yo, ye asengeli te kokende na yo. › »
But Yahweh told Gideon, “There are still too many men! Take them down to the spring, and there I will choose from among them, which ones will go with you and which ones will not go.”.
5 Boye, Jedeon akitisaki bato na mayi. Kuna, Yawe alobaki na ye: « Kabola bango: tia na ngambo moko, bato oyo bakomela mayi na nzela ya lolemo lokola mbwa; mpe tia na ngambo mosusu, bato oyo bakofukama, mpo na komela mayi. »
When Gideon took the men down to the spring, Yahweh told him, “When they drink, put into one group the ones who scoop the water into their hands, and then lap it up like dogs do. Put into another group the ones who kneel down [and bend over] and drink with their mouths in the water.”
6 Bato nkama misato bazwaki mayi na maboko na bango mpo na komema yango na minoko na bango mpe komela yango na nzela ya lolemo; bato nyonso oyo batikali bafukamaki mpo na komela mayi.
So when they drank, only 300 men drank from their hands. All the others drank with their mouths down in the water.
7 Yawe alobaki na Jedeon: « Nakobikisa bino na nzela ya bato nkama misato oyo bamelaki mayi na nzela ya lolemo lokola mbwa, mpe nakokaba bato ya Madiani na maboko na yo. Tika ete bato nyonso oyo batikali bazonga, moto na moto na esika na ye. »
Then Yahweh told Gideon, “The 300 men who lapped the water from their hands will be your army! I will enable them to defeat the Midian army. Let all the others go home!”
8 Boye mibali yango nkama misato bazwaki biloko ya kolia mpe bakelelo ya bato mosusu. Mpe Jedeon azongisaki na bandako na bango, bana ya Isalaele oyo batikalaki. Nzokande, molako ya bato ya Madiani ezalaki na lubwaku, na se ya molako ya bana ya Isalaele.
So Gideon’s 300 men collected the food and rams’ horns from all the other men, and then he sent them home. The men of Midian were camping in the valley below Gideon.
9 Na butu wana, Yawe alobaki na Jedeon: « Telema, kita mpo na kobundisa molako ya bato ya Madiani, pamba te napesi yango na maboko na yo.
That night, Yahweh said to Gideon, “Get up and go down to their camp, [and you will hear something that will convince you that] I will enable your men to defeat them.
10 Soki ozali kobanga kobunda, kita elongo na Pura, mosali na yo ya mobali,
But if you are afraid to attack them by yourself, take your servant Purah with you.
11 mpe yoka maloba oyo bazali koloba. Boye okozwa makasi ya kobundisa bango. » Jedeon akitaki elongo na Pura, mosali na ye ya mobali, kino na liboso ya molako ya bitumba.
Go down and listen to what some of the Midian soldiers are saying. Then you will be very encouraged, and you will be ready to attack their camp.” So Gideon took Purah with him, and they went down to the edge of the enemy camp.
12 Bato ya Madiani, ya Amaleki mpe ya ngambo ya este bazalaki ya kopanzana kati na lubwaku, ebele lokola mabanki. Bashamo na bango ezalaki ebele koleka zelo ya ebale.
The armies of the people of Midian and Amalek and from the east had set up their tents and looked like a swarm of locusts. It seemed that their camels were as impossible to count as the grains of sand on the seashore.
13 Jedeon akomaki na molako ya banguna na bango na tango kaka mobali moko ya Madiani azalaki kobeta lisolo ya ndoto na ye epai ya moninga na ye: — Tala ndoto naloti: Namonaki lipa moko basala na bambuma ya orje ezali kobaluka kati na molako na biso mobimba, bongo lipa yango eyaki kotuta ndako ya kapo na makasi koleka. Ndako ya kapo ekweyaki mpe ebalukaki.
Gideon crept closer and heard one man telling a friend about a dream. He said, “I just had a dream, and in the dream I saw a round loaf of barley bread tumble down into our Midian camp. It struck a tent so hard that the tent turned upside down and collapsed!”
14 Moninga na ye azongisaki: — Oyo ekoki kozala eloko mosusu te! Ezali kaka mopanga ya Jedeon, mwana mobali ya Joasi, moto ya Isalaele. Solo, Nzambe akabi bato ya Madiani mpe molako mobimba na maboko na ye.
His friend said, “Your dream can mean only one thing. It means that God will enable Gideon, the man of Israel, to defeat all of the armies that are here with us men from Midian.”
15 Tango Jedeon ayokaki ndoto mpe ndimbola na yango, afukamelaki Nzambe mpe atondaki Ye. Azongaki na molako ya Isalaele mpe agangaki: « Botelema, Yawe akabi molako ya bato ya Madiani na maboko na biso. »
When Gideon heard the [man tell about his] dream and the meaning of that dream, he thanked God. Then he [and Purah] returned to the Israeli camp, and he shouted to the men, “Get up! Because God is enabling you to defeat the men from Midian!”
16 Jedeon akabolaki basoda na ye nkama misato na biteni misato. Mpe apesaki na mobali moko na moko kelelo moko, mbeki moko oyo ezangi eloko na kati, singa ya mwinda mpe moto ya mbeki.
He divided his men into three groups. He gave each man a ram’s horn and an empty clay jar. He also gave each of them a torch [that they lit].
17 Na sima, apesaki bango mitindo oyo: « Bino nyonso, botala esika ngai nazali mpe bolanda ndenge ngai nakosala tango nakokoma pembeni ya molako ya banguna na biso.
Then he said to them, “Watch me. When we come close to the enemy camp, [spread out to surround the camp]. Then do exactly what I do.
18 Tango ngai mpe bato nyonso oyo bazali elongo na ngai tokobeta kelelo, bino nyonso, na zingazinga ya molako, bokobeta mpe bakelelo na bino mpe bokoganga: ‹ Mpo na Yawe mpe mpo na Jedeon. › »
As soon as I and the men with me blow our ram’s horns, you men in the other two groups surrounding the camp blow your horns and shout, ‘[We are doing this] for Yahweh and for Gideon!’”
19 Jedeon mpe mibali nkama moko oyo bazalaki na ye elongo, bakomaki pembeni ya molako, mwa tango moke liboso ete midi ya butu ekoka, wana bawutaki kotia bakengeli mosusu. Babetaki bakelelo mpe babukaki bambeki oyo ezalaki na maboko na bango.
A while before midnight, just after a new group of Israeli guards took the places of the previous group, Gideon and the 100 men with him arrived at the edge of the Midian camp. Suddenly they all blew their horns, and broke their jars.
20 Biteni nyonso misato ya basoda babetaki bakelelo mpe babukaki bambeki. Na loboko na bango ya mwasi, basimbaki minda, mpe, na loboko ya mobali, bakelelo mpo na kobeta. Mpe bazalaki koganga: « Mopanga mpo na Yawe mpe mpo na Jedeon. »
Then the men in all three groups blew their horns and smashed their jars. They held the torches high with their left hands, and held up the horns with their right hands and alternatively blew them and shouted, “[We have] swords [to fight] for Yahweh and for Gideon!”
21 Wana soda moko na moko ya Isalaele atelemaki na esika na ye zingazinga ya molako, banguna kati na molako bapotaki mbangu, bagangaki mpe bakimaki.
Each of Gideon’s men stood in his position around the enemy camp. As they watched, all the Midian men started running around and shouting in a panic.
22 Tango bakelelo nkama misato ebetaki lisusu, Yawe asalaki ete, kati na molako mobimba, moto na moto atuba moninga na ye mopanga; mpe bango nyonso bakimaki kino na Beti-Shita, na ngambo ya Tserera, mpe kino na ngambo ya Abele-Meola pembeni ya Tabati.
While the 300 Israeli men kept blowing their horns, Yahweh caused their enemies to start fighting each other with their swords/daggers. Some of them killed each other. The rest fled. Some fled south to Beth-Shittah. Some fled to Zerarah [village], near Tabbath.
23 Bana ya Isalaele oyo bawutaki na Nefitali, na Aseri mpe na Manase basanganaki mpo na kobengana bato ya Madiani.
Then Gideon sent messages to the soldiers in the areas where the descendants of Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh lived, to tell them to come and pursue the army of Midian.
24 Jedeon atindaki bantoma kati na etuka ya bangomba ya Efrayimi mpo na koloba: « Bokita mpo na kokutana na bato ya Madiani; bokanga, liboso na bango, nzela ya mayi kino na Beti-Bara mpe na Yordani. » Bana nyonso ya libota ya Efrayimi bakitaki mpe bakangaki nzela ya mayi kino na Beti-Bara mpe na Yordani.
He also sent messengers throughout the hilly area where the descendants of Ephraim lived, saying, “Come down to attack the army of Midian. Come down to the Jordan River, to the place where people can wade across, to prevent enemy troops from crossing it! Station men as far south as Beth-Barah.” So the men of Ephraim did what Gideon told them to do.
25 Bakangaki bakonzi mibale ya bato ya Madiani: Orebi mpe Zeebi. Babomaki Orebi na libanga monene ya Orebi, mpe Zeebi na esika oyo bakamolaka vino ya Zeebi. Balandaki bato ya Madiani mpe bamemelaki Jedeon mito ya Orebi mpe ya Zeebi, kuna na ngambo ya Yordani.
They also captured Oreb and Zeeb, the two generals of the Midian army. They killed Oreb at [the big rock which is now called] the rock of Oreb, and they killed Zeeb at [the place where people crush grapes that is now called] the winepress of Zeeb. Afterwards, the Israelis cut off the heads of Oreb and Zeeb and brought them to Gideon, while he was near the Jordan River.
