Bilombe 8
1 Mibali ya Efrayimi batunaki Jedeon: — Bizaleli ya boye elakisi nini epai na biso? Mpo na nini obengaki biso te tango okendeki kobundisa bato ya Madiani? Mpe basilikelaki ye makasi.
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 Kasi Jedeon azongiselaki bango: — Nasali nini oyo ekokani na oyo bino bosala? Boni, ndambo ya bambuma ya vino oyo etikalaki na sima mpo ete Efrayimi abuka yango ezali kitoko te koleka bambuma ya vino ya liboso ya Abiezeri?
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 Nzambe akabaki bakonzi ya bato ya Madiani, Orebi mpe Zeebi, na maboko na bino. Eloko nini ya lokumu ngai nasali oyo ekokani na oyo bino bosala? Liloba oyo ekitisaki kanda na bango.
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 Jedeon elongo na basoda na ye nkama misato bakomaki na Yordani mpe bakatisaki yango. Atako balembaki, bakobaki kaka kolanda bato ya Madiani.
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 Tango bakomaki na mboka Sukoti, Jedeon asengaki na bato ya mboka: — Bopesa basoda na ngai mapa, pamba te basili kolemba na nzala. Nazali kolanda Zeba mpe Tsalimuna, bakonzi ya Madiani.
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 Kasi bakonzi ya mboka Sukoti bazongiselaki ye: — Boni, osili kozwa Zeba mpe Tsalimuna na se ya bokonzi na yo mpo ete biso topesa basoda na yo mapa?
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 Jedeon alobaki: — Lokola bolobi boye, tango Yawe akokaba, na maboko na ngai, Zeba mpe Tsalimuna, nakopasola-pasola misuni na bino na basende ya esobe mpe na singa ya nzube.
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 Wuta kuna, Jedeon amataki na mboka Penueli mpe asengaki epai ya bavandi na yango, ndenge kaka asengaki epai ya bato ya Sukoti. Kasi bato ya Penueli bazongiselaki ye ndenge kaka bato ya Sukoti basalaki.
From there, Gideon [and his 300 men] went to Peniel and asked for food there, but the people gave him the same answer.
9 Jedeon alobaki na bato ya Penueli: « Soki nakozonga na kimia mpe na bomoi, nakobuka ndako molayi na bino. »
So he said to the men of Peniel, “After I defeat those kings, I will return and tear down this tower!”
10 Nzokande, Zeba mpe Tsalimuna bazalaki na Karikori elongo na basoda na bango, nkoto zomi na mitano. Oyo ezali nde motango nyonso ya basoda ya bato ya este oyo batikalaki. Pamba te basoda nkoto nkama moko na tuku mibale oyo bayebi kobunda na mopanga bakufaki.
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 Bongo, Jedeon akendeki na nzela ya bavandi ya bandako ya kapo, na ngambo ya este ya Noba mpe ya Yogibeka; abetaki mampinga ya banguna na mopanga mpe alongaki bango tango bazalaki kokanisa ete bazali na kimia.
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 mpe Tsalimuna, bakonzi mibale ya Madiani, bakimaki; kasi Jedeon alandaki mpe akangaki bango. Mpe apanzaki mampinga na bango nyonso.
Zebah and Zalmunna fled, but Gideon’s men pursued them and captured them and all their warriors.
13 Jedeon, mwana mobali ya Joasi, azongaki wuta na bitumba na nzela ya ngomba Eresi.
After that, Gideon and his men [took Zebah and Zalmunna with them and] started to return, going through Heres Pass.
14 Akangaki elenge mobali moko kati na mibali ya mboka Sukoti, mpe atunaki ye mituna. Boye, elenge mobali yango akomelaki ye bakombo ya bakambi mpe ya bampaka tuku sambo na sambo ya engumba.
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 Jedeon akendeki epai ya bato ya mboka Sukoti mpe alobaki na bango: « Tala Zeba mpe Tsalimuna oyo bofingelaki ngai na koloba: ‹ Osili kotia na se ya bokonzi na yo Zeba mpe Tsalumuna mpo ete biso topesa lipa na basoda na yo, oyo basili kolemba? › »
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 Azwaki bampaka ya engumba Sukoti mpe abetisaki bango fimbu, na basende ya esobe mpe singa ya nzube.
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 Abukaki ndako molayi ya Penueli mpe abomaki mibali ya engumba.
Then [they went to] Peniel and tore down the tower, and killed all the men in the town.
18 Jedeon atunaki Zeba mpe Tsalimuna: — Mibali oyo bobomaki na Tabori, bazalaki ndenge nini? Bazongisaki: — Bakokanaki na yo mpe bazalaki lokola bana ya bakonzi.
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 Jedeon alobaki na bango lisusu: — Bato wana bazalaki bandeko na ngai ya mibali, bana ya mama na ngai penza. Na Kombo na Yawe, soki bobikisaki bango, ngai mpe nalingaki koboma bino te.
Gideon replied, “They were my brothers! Just as surely as Yahweh lives, I would not kill you if you had not killed them.”
20 Mpe apesaki mitindo na Yeteri, mwana na ye ya liboso ya mobali: « Telema mpe boma bango! » Kasi elenge mobali abimisaki mopanga na ye te, pamba te azalaki nanu elenge mpe azalaki na somo.
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 mpe Tsalimuna balobaki: « Telema mpe boma biso yo moko, pamba te likambo oyo ekoki na bato ya mitema makasi. » Boye, Jedeon atelemaki mpe abomaki bango. Akamataki bamedayi ya wolo oyo ezalaki na bakingo ya bashamo na bango.
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 Bana ya Isalaele balobaki na Jedeon: — Zala mokonzi na biso, yo moko, mwana na yo ya mobali mpe koko na yo ya mobali, pamba te obikisi biso na loboko ya bato ya Madiani.
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 Kasi Jedeon alobaki na bango: — Nakozala mokonzi na bino te, ezala ata mwana na ngai ya mobali. Yawe nde akozala mokonzi na bino.
But Gideon replied, “No, I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you. Yahweh will rule over you.”
24 Jedeon abakisaki: — Nalingi kosenga bino eloko moko: Kati na biloko oyo bino bosili kozwa na bitumba, tika ete moko na moko kati na bino apesa ngai eloko ya litoyi. Pamba te banguna na biso bazalaki kolata biloko ya matoyi mpo ete bazali bana ya Isimaeli.
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 Bana ya Isalaele bazongisaki: — Tokopesa yango. Batandaki elamba na mabele, moko na moko abwakaki eloko na ye ya litoyi, oyo ewutaki na bomengo ya bitumba.
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 Biloko ya matoyi ya wolo, oyo Jedeon asengaki ezalaki ya bakilo pene tuku mibale, longola bamedayi ya wolo oyo ezalaki lokola sanza ya ndambo, biloko ya matoyi oyo ediembelaka, bilamba ya talo ya motane makasi oyo bakonzi ya Madiani balataki mpe mayaka oyo ezalaki na bakingo ya bashamo na bango.
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 Jedeon asalelaki yango ekeko oyo atiaki na Ofira, engumba na ye. Bana ya Isalaele bakomaki kokende kofukama liboso ya ekeko yango, mpe ekomaki motambo monene mpo na Jedeon mpe libota na ye.
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 Boye, bato ya Madiani bakitisamaki liboso ya bana ya Isalaele mpe batombolaki lisusu mito na bango te. Na tango nyonso oyo Jedeon azalaki na bomoi, mokili etikalaki na kimia mibu tuku minei.
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 Yerubali, mwana mobali ya Joasi, azongaki na ndako na ye mpe avandaki kuna.
Gideon went back home to live there.
30 Jedeon azalaki na bana tuku sambo oyo bawutaki na mokongo na ye, pamba te azalaki na basi ebele.
He had many wives, and they bore him seventy sons.
31 Makangu na ye, oyo azalaki kovanda na Sishemi, abotelaki ye mpe mwana mobali oyo bapesaki kombo « Abimeleki. »
He also had a slave wife in Shechem [town], who bore him a son whom he named Abimelech.
32 Jedeon, mwana mobali ya Joasi, akufaki na kimobange ya esengo, mpe bakundaki ye kati na kunda ya Joasi, na Ofira, mboka ya libota ya Abiezeri.
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 Sima na kufa ya Jedeon, bana ya Isalaele bazongelaki kosambela banzambe Bala. Bakomisaki Bala-Beriti nzambe na bango.
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 Bana ya Isalaele babosanaki Yawe, Nzambe na bango, oyo akangolaki bango na maboko ya banguna na bango.
They forgot about Yahweh, the one who had rescued them from all their enemies that surrounded them.
35 Bazongisaki ata bolamu moko te na libota ya Yerubali oyo elakisi Jedeon, mpo na bolamu nyonso oyo asalelaki Isalaele.
And even though Gideon had done many good things for the Israelis, they were not kind to Gideon’s family.
