Balam 8
1 Awo abasajja ba Efulayimu ne babuuza Gidyoni nti, “Lwaki watuyisa bw’otyo, n’ototuyita bwe wagenda okulwana ne Midiyaani?” Ne bamunenya nnyo.
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.
2 Naye n’abaddamu nti, “Kiki kye nkoze okugeraageranya nammwe kye mukoze? Amakungula ga Efulayimu tegasinga ezabbibu Abiyezeeri z’akungudde?
“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!
3 Katonda yagabula Olebu ne Zeebu abakulembeze ba Midiyaani mu mukono gwammwe. Kiki kye nandiyinzizza okukola okugeraageranya nammwe?” Awo bwe yabagamba ebigambo ebyo ne bakkakkana.
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.
4 Awo Gidyoni n’abasajja be ebikumi bisatu, nga bakooye, naye nga bakyabawondera, ne batuuka ku Yoludaani ne basomoka.
Then Gideon crossed the Jordan with his three hundred men. Even though they were exhausted they continued the chase.
5 N’agamba abasajja ab’omu Sukkosi nti, “Muwe ku basajja bange, ekyokulya, bakooye. Mpondera Zeba ne Zalumunna bakabaka ba Midiyaani.”
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.”
6 Naye abakungu ab’omu Sukkosi ne bamuddamu nti, “Eggye lyo limaze okuwamba Zeba ne Zalumunna tulyoke tubawe emmere?”
But the Succoth town leaders replied, “Why should we give your army bread when you haven't even captured Zebah and Zalmunna yet?”
7 Awo Gidyoni n’abaddamu nti, “Kale olw’ekyo kye muŋŋambye, Mukama Katonda bw’aligabula Zeba ne Zalumunna mu mukono gwange, ndiyuza emibiri gyammwe n’amaggwa ag’omu ddungu n’emyeramannyo.”
“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.
8 Bwe yava eyo, n’ayambuka n’alaga e Penieri, n’abasaba ekintu kye kimu. Naye abantu b’e Penieri ne bamuddamu ng’abasajja ab’omu Sukkosi bwe bamuddamu.
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.
9 Kyeyava agamba abantu b’e Penieri nti, “Bwe ndikomawo emirembe, ndimenyaamenya omunaala guno.”
So he told them, “When I return victorious, I'll demolish this tower!”
10 Zeba ne Zalumunna baali mu Kalukoli n’eggye lyabwe ery’abasajja ng’omutwalo gumu n’ekitundu, nga be bantu abaasigalawo ku ggye lyonna ery’abantu ab’obuvanjuba. Abasajja ng’emitwalo kkumi n’ebiri abaasowolanga ebitala be baali bafudde.
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.
11 Awo Gidyoni n’ayambukira mu kkubo ly’abo ababeera mu weema ku luuyi olw’ebuvanjuba olw’e Noba n’e Yogubeka n’alumba eggye nga teritegedde.
Gideon took the caravan route to the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and he attacked their army, catching them offguard.
12 Zeba ne Zalumunna ne badduka, naye n’abawondera, era n’awamba bakabaka bombi aba Midiyaani, n’awangulira ddala eggye lyabwe lyonna.
Zebah and Zalmunna ran away, but he chased after the two Midianite kings and captured them, defeating the whole of their terrified army.
13 Awo Gidyoni mutabani wa Yowaasi n’akomawo okuva mu lutalo ng’ayitira mu Lukuubo lwa Keresi.
Then Gideon, son of Joash, returned from the battle through the Heres Pass.
14 N’asangiriza omuvubuka ow’oku bantu ab’omu Sukkosi, n’abaako by’amubuuza. Omuvubuka n’amuwandiikira amannya g’abakungu ab’omu Sukkosi, abakadde nsanvu mu musanvu.
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.
15 Gidyoni n’alyoka ajja eri abasajja ab’omu Sukkosi n’abagamba nti, “Zeba ne Zalumunna baabo be mwasinzirako okundulira nga muŋŋamba nti, temuyinza kuwa basajja bange abaali bakooye mmere, nga sirina Zeba ne Zalumunna mu mukono gwange.”
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?’”
16 N’akwata abakadde b’ekibuga n’addira amaggwa ag’omu ddungu n’emyeramannyo n’abonereza abasajja ab’omu Sukkosi.
So he took the town elders of Succoth and taught them a lesson using thorns and briers from the desert.
17 N’agenda n’e Penieri n’amenyaamenya omunaala gwa Penieri, n’atta n’abasajja b’omu kibuga.
He also demolished the tower of Peniel and killed the men of the town.
18 N’alyoka abuuza Zeba ne Zalumunna nti, “Abasajja be mwattira e Taboli baali bafaanana batya?” Ne bamuddamu nti, “ggwe nga bw’oli nabo bwe baali. Buli omu yali afaanana abalangira.”
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.”
19 N’abaddamu nti, “Abo baali baganda bange, abaana ba mmange. Mukama Katonda nga bw’ali omulamu, singa mwabalekawo, sandi basse mmwe.”
“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!”
20 Awo n’agamba Yeseri mutabani we omubereberye nti, “Golokoka obatte.” Naye omuvubuka oyo n’atasowolayo kitala kye okubatta. Yatya kubanga yali akyali mulenzi bulenzi.
He told Jether, his oldest son, “Go on, kill them!” But the boy refused to draw his sword, because he was young and afraid.
21 Zeba ne Zalumunna ne boogera nti, “Ggwe jjangu otutte, kubanga ng’omusajja bw’ali, n’amaanyi ge bwe genkana. Gidyoni n’agolokoka n’atta Zeba ne Zalumunna, n’atwala n’ebyali bitimbiddwa mu bulago bw’eŋŋamira zaabwe.”
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.
22 Awo abantu ba Isirayiri ne bagamba Gidyoni nti, “Tufugire ddala ggwe ne mutabani wo, kubanga otulokodde okuva mu mukono gwa Midiyaani.”
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.”
23 Naye Gidyoni n’abaddamu nti, “Nze sijja kubafuga, so ne mutabani wange tajja kubafuga, wabula Mukama y’anaabafuganga.”
“I won't be your ruler, and my son won't either,” Gideon replied. “The Lord will be your ruler.”
24 Gidyoni n’abagamba nti, “Mbasaba ekintu kimu; buli omu ku mmwe ampe empeta ze yanyaga ku Bayisimayiri.”
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.)
25 Ne bamuddamu nti, “Okuzikuwa tujja kuzikuwa.” Ne bayalirira olugoye wansi, buli omu n’ateekako empeta ze yanyaga.
“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.
26 Obuzito bw’empeta eza zaabu ne buba sekeri lukumi mu lusanvu (nga kilo kkumi na mwenda n’ekitundu), obutabalirako bya kwewoomya, ebirengejja, n’ebyambalo ebya ffulungu, ebyayambalwanga bakabaka ba Midiyaani, n’emikuufu egyateekebwanga mu bulago bw’eŋŋamira zaabwe.
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.
27 Awo Gidyoni n’addira zaabu n’amusaanuusa n’amukolamu ekifaananyi eky’ekkanzu (efodi), n’akiteeka mu kibuga kye Ofula. Abayisirayiri bonna ne bakivuunamiranga ne bakisinzanga, era ne kifuukira Gidyoni n’enju ye yonna omutego.
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.
28 Awo Midiyaani n’ewangulwa abaana ba Isirayiri, era n’etaddayo kubalumba. Ensi n’eba n’emirembe okumala emyaka amakumi ana, Gidyoni gye yabalamula.
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.
29 Yerubbaali ye Gidyoni mutabani wa Yowaasi, n’addayo ewaabwe.
Jerub-baal, son of Joash, went home, living his own house.
30 Gidyoni yazaala abaana aboobulenzi nsanvu mu bakazi abangi be yalina.
Gideon had seventy sons, all his own, because he had many wives.
31 N’omuzaana we ow’omu Sekemu yamuzaalira omwana wabulenzi, era n’amutuuma Abimereki.
His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also had a son. He named him Abimelech.
32 Awo Gidyoni mutabani wa Yowaasi n’afa, ng’akaddiye bulungi, n’aziikibwa mu ntaana ya kitaawe Yowaasi mu Ofula eky’Ababiezeri.
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.
33 Gidyoni nga y’akafa, abaana ba Isirayiri ne bakyuka okusinza babaali ne bafuula Baaluberisi katonda waabwe.
But as soon as Gideon died, the Israelites went back to prostituting themselves, worshiping before the Baals. They made Baal-berith their god.
34 Abaana ba Isirayiri ne batajjukira Mukama Katonda waabwe eyabalokola okuva mu mukono gw’abalabe baabwe bonna ku njuyi zonna.
They forgot about the Lord their God, who had saved them from all their enemies that surrounded them.
35 Ne batalaga kusiima eri ab’enju ya Yerubbaali, ye Gidyoni, olw’ebirungi byonna bye yakolera Isirayiri.
They did not show any respect to the family of Jerub-baal (Gideon) for all the good he had done for Israel.
