< Balam 7 >

1 Awo Gidyoni gwe baakazaako erya Yerubbaali, ne be yali nabo bonna, ne bakeera mu makya, ne basiisira ku luzzi Kalodi; Olusiisira lwa Bamidiyaani lwali mu bukiika obwa kkono mu kiwonvu, kumpi n’olusozi Mole.
And so Jerubbaal, who is also Gideon, rising in the night, and all the people with him, went to the fountain which is called Harod. Now the camp of Midian was in the valley, to the northern region of the high hill.
2 Mukama Katonda n’agamba Gidyoni nti, “Abalwanyi bo basusse obungi; nze sibaganye kuwangula Abamidiyaani, Abayisirayiri baleme okwennyumiriza nti amaanyi gaabwe ge gabawanguzza.
And the Lord said to Gideon: “The people with you are many, but Midian shall not be delivered into their hands, for then Israel might glory against me, and say, ‘I was freed by my own power.’
3 Noolwekyo kaakano genda olangirire eri abalwanyi bo nti, ‘Buli mutiitiizi yenna n’oyo akankana, ave ku lusozi luno Gireyaadi addeyo ewuwe.’” Abalwanyi emitwalo ebiri mu enkumi bbiri ne baddayo ewaabwe, ne wasigalawo omutwalo gumu.
Speak to the people, and proclaim in the hearing of all, ‘Whoever has dread or fear, let him return.’ And twenty-two thousand of the men from the people withdrew from Mount Gilead and returned, and only ten thousand remained.
4 Mukama Katonda n’agamba Gidyoni nti, “Era abalwanyi bo bakyasusse obungi, baserengese ku mugga, eyo gye naabayunguliramu abasaanidde okugenda naawe n’abatasaanidde.”
And the Lord said to Gideon: “The people are still too many. Lead them to the waters, and there I will test them. And those about whom I tell you that he may go with you, let him go; he whom I shall forbid to go, let him return.”
5 Awo Gidyoni n’aserengesa abalwanyi ku mugga, Mukama Katonda n’amugamba nti, “Buli mulwanyi anaasena amazzi n’engalo ze era n’aganywa ng’embwa mwawule okuva mu abo abanaafukamira ku mugga ne bakubamu emimwa ne banywa.
And when the people had descended to the waters, the Lord said to Gideon: “Whoever will lap the water with the tongue, as dogs usually lap, you shall separate them by themselves. Then those who will drink by bending their knees shall be on the other side.”
6 Abo bonna abaasena amazzi n’engalo zaabwe ne baganywa ng’embwa baali ebikumi bisatu, naye abalala bonna baafukamira ku mugga ne bakubamu emimwa okunywa.”
And so the number of those who had lapped the water, by bringing it with the hand to the mouth, was three hundred men. And all the remainder of the multitude drank by bending the knee.
7 Mukama Katonda n’agamba Gidyoni nti, “Nzija kubanunula era mbawe n’obuwanguzi ku ba Midiyaani nga nkozesa abalwanyi ebikumi ebisatu abaanywedde amazzi ng’embwa, naye abo bonna abasigaddewo bagambe beddireyo ewaabwe.”
And the Lord said to Gideon: “By the three hundred men who lapped the water, I will free you, and I will deliver Midian into your hand. But let all the remainder of the multitude return to their place.”
8 Awo Gidyoni n’asigaza abalwanyi be ebikumi ebisatu, bali abalala n’abakuŋŋaanyaako emmere n’amakondeere gaabwe, n’abalagira ne beddirayo ewaabwe. Olusiisira lw’Abamidiyaani lwamuli kyemmanga mu kiwonvu.
And so, taking food and trumpets in accord with their number, he instructed all the rest of the multitude to go back to their tents. And with the three hundred men, he gave himself to the conflict. Now the camp of Midian was below, in the valley.
9 Ekiro ekyo Mukama Katonda n’amulagira nti, “Situkiramu olumbe eggye ly’Abamidiyaani mu lusiisira kubanga mbawaddeyo mu mikono gyo.
In the same night, the Lord said to him: “Rise up, and descend into the camp. For I have delivered them into your hand.
10 Naye obanga otya okubalumba genda ne Pula omuweerezaawo:
But if you dread to go alone, let your servant Purah descend with you.
11 era bw’onoowulira bye boogera onoofuna obuvumu okubalumba. Gidyoni n’omuweereza we Pula ne basemberera olusiisira lw’Abamidiyaani.”
And when you will hear what they are saying, then your hands will be strengthened, and you will descend more confidently to the camp of the enemy.” Therefore, he descended with his servant Purah into a portion of the camp, where there was a watch of armed men.
12 Abamidiyaani, Abamaleki n’Abamawanga amalala ag’ebuvanjuba abaali mu kiwonvu, mu bungi baali ng’enzige; era n’eŋŋamira zaabwe mu bungi, nga ziri ng’empeke z’omusenyu oguli ku lubalama lw’ennyanja.
But Midian, and Amalek, and all the eastern peoples lay spread out in the valley, like a multitude of locusts. Their camels, too, were innumerable, like the sand that lies on the shore of the sea.
13 Gidyoni aba atuuka bw’ati ku lusiisira n’awulira omukuumi ng’ategeeza munne ekirooto nti, “Naloota nga omugaati gwa sayiri guyiringise, gutomedde eweema ne yevuunika.”
And when Gideon had arrived, someone told his neighbor a dream. And he related what he had seen, in this way: “I saw a dream, and it seemed to me as if bread, baked under ashes from rolled barley, descended into the camp of Midian. And whenever it arrived at a tent, it struck it, and overturned it, and utterly leveled it to the ground.”
14 Munne n’amuddamu nti, “Ekyo si kirala wabula kitala ky’omusajja Omuyisirayiri Gidyoni mutabani wa Yowaasi. Era oyo Katonda amuwadde obuwanguzi ku ba Midiyaani n’eggye lyaffe lyonna.”
He to whom he spoke, responded: “This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash, a man of Israel. For the Lord has delivered Midian into his hands, with their entire camp.”
15 Gidyoni bwe yamala okuwulira ekirooto ekyo n’amakulu gaakyo, n’avuunama n’asinza Mukama Katonda; era n’addayo mu lusiisira lw’Abayisirayiri n’abalagira nti, “Musitukiremu; kubanga Mukama abawadde obuwanguzi ku ggye ly’Abamidiyaani.”
And when Gideon had heard the dream and its interpretation, he worshipped. And he returned to the camp of Israel, and he said: “Rise up! For the Lord has delivered the camp of Midian into our hands.”
16 Awo Abasajja bali ebikumi ebisatu n’abawulamu ebibinja bisatu, buli omu ku bo n’amukwasa ekkondeere n’ensuwa ng’erimu ekitawuliro.
And he divided the three hundred men into three parts. And he gave trumpets, and empty pitchers, and lamps for the middle of the pitchers, into their hands.
17 N’abagamba nti, “Munnekalirize, bwe tunaaba tunaatera okutuuka ku lusiisira buli kye nnaakola nammwe nga mukikola.
And he said to them: “What you will see me do, do the same. I will enter a portion of the camp, and what I do, you shall follow.
18 Nze n’abo benaabeera nabo, bwe tunaafuuwa amakondeere gaffe, nammwe ne mufuuwa agammwe, ne muleekaanira waggulu nti, ‘Ku lwa Mukama Katonda ne ku lwa Gidyoni.’”
When the trumpet in my hand blares out, you also shall sound the trumpets, on every side of the camp, and shout together to the Lord and to Gideon.”
19 Eyo mu ttumbi nga Abamidiyaani baakajja bakyuse ekibinja ky’abakuumi, Gidyoni n’abalwanyi ekikumi be yali nabo, ne basemberera olusiisira, ne bafuuwa amakondeere, ne baasa n’ensuwa ze baali bakutte.
And Gideon, and the three hundred men who were with him, entered a portion of the camp, at the beginning of the watch in the middle of the night. And when the guards were alerted, they began to sound the trumpets and to clap the pitchers against one another.
20 Ebibinja ebirala nabo ne bafuuwa amakondeere, ne baasa ensuwa zaabwe, ne bakwata ebitawuliro mu mikono gyabwe egya kkono, n’amakondeere mu mikono gyabwe egya ddyo, ne bafuuwa nga bwe baleekaanira waggulu nti, “Ekitala kya Mukama Katonda era n’ekya Gidyoni.”
And when they had sounded their trumpets in three places around the camp, and had broken their water pitchers, they held the lamps in their left hands, and sounded the trumpets in their right hands. And they cried out, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!”
21 Buli mulwanyi n’ayimirira mu kifo kye okwetooloola olusiisira: eggye lyonna ery’Abamidiyaani ne bafubutuka nga bwe baleekaanira waggulu.
And each one was standing in his place throughout the camp of the enemies. And so the entire camp was in confusion; and they fled away, wailing and crying out.
22 Awo amakondeere ebikumi ebisatu bwe gaafuuyibwa, Mukama Katonda n’atabulatabula Abamidiyaani ne battiŋŋana bokka na bokka n’ebitala byabwe era n’eggye lyabwe lyonna ne lifubutulwa okutuukira ddala e Besusitta okwolekera e Zerera, era n’okutuukira ddala Aberumekola okumpi ne Tabbasi.
And the three hundred men nevertheless continued sounding the trumpets. And the Lord sent the sword into the entire camp, and they maimed and cut down one another,
23 Abalwanyi ba Isirayiri bonna okuva mu kika ekya Nafutaali n’ekya Aseri n’ekya Manase, ne bakoowoolebwa okuwondera Abamidiyaani.
fleeing as far as Bethshittah, and the base of Abelmeholah in Tabbath. But the men of Israel pursued Midian, shouting from Naphtali and Asher, and from all of Manasseh.
24 Gidyoni n’asindika ababaka okubuna ekitundu kyonna ekya Efulayimu eky’ensozi: babalagire nti, “Muserengete era muwondere Abamidiyaani, mubasooke okwekwata omugga Yoludaani era n’enzizi okutuukira ddala e Besubata.” Awo abalwanyi bonna ab’omu kika kya Efulayimu ne bakoowoolwa, ne bawamba omugga Yoludaani n’enzizi zonna okutuukira ddala e Besubata.
And Gideon sent messengers throughout all of Mount Ephraim, saying, “Descend to meet Midian, and occupy the waters ahead of them as far as Bethbarah and the Jordan.” And all of Ephraim cried out, and they occupied the waters ahead of them, from the Jordan even to Bethbarah.
25 Ne bawamba Olebu ne Zeebu bombi abalangira ba Midiyaani; Olebu ne bamuttira ku lwazi olumanyiddwa nga “Olwazi lwa Olebu” ne Zeebu ne bamuttira ku ssogolero erimanyiddwa nga “essogolero lya Zeebu”, ne bongera okuwondera Abamidiyaani. Omutwe gwa Olebu n’ogwa Zeebu, Gidyoni ne bagimusanza emitala wa Yoludaani.
And having apprehended two men of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, they put Oreb to death at the Rock of Oreb, and truly, Zeeb, at the Winepress of Zeeb. And they pursued Midian, carrying the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, across the waters of the Jordan.

< Balam 7 >