Abahluleli 6
1 Abako-Israyeli benza okubi futhi emehlweni kaThixo, wabanikela ezandleni zamaMidiyani iminyaka eyisikhombisa.
The Israelites did what was evil in the Lord's sight. So the Lord handed them over to the Midianites for seven years.
2 Ngenxa yokuthi umbuso wamaMidiyani wawuncindezela kakhulu, abako-Israyeli bazakhela amadumba ezingoxweni zezintaba, lasezimbalwini kanye lasezinqabeni.
The Midianite oppression was so great that because of them the Israelites made themselves hiding places in mountains, caves, and fortifications.
3 Kwakusithi abako-Israyeli bangalima izilimo zabo, amaMidiyani lama-Amaleki kanye labanye abantu basempumalanga bahlasele ilizwe labo.
Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and other peoples from the east would come and attack them.
4 Bahlala elizweni bachitha izilimo umango wonke kusiya eGaza kabaze bamtshiyela lutho oluphilayo u-Israyeli, loba izimvu kumbe inkomo loba obabhemi.
They would set up their camps and destroy the country's crops as far away as Gaza. They didn't leave anything to eat in the whole of Israel, and they took for themselves all the sheep, cattle, and donkeys.
5 Beza lezifuyo zabo lamathente abo benjengemitshitshi yezintethe ngobunengi. Ubunengi babantu lamakamela abo kwakungabaleki; bahlasela ilizwe balichithiza.
They arrived in huge numbers with their livestock and tents like swarms of locusts, with so many camels they couldn't be counted. They invaded the land to completely devastate it.
6 AmaMidiyani abaphundla abako-Israyeli baze bakhala kuThixo ukuba abasize.
The Israelites were made desperately poor by the Midianites and they called out to the Lord for help.
7 Kwathi abako-Israyeli sebekhalile kuThixo ngenxa yamaMidiyani,
When the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help because of the Midianites,
8 wabathumela umphrofethi, owathi, “Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli: Ngalikhupha eGibhithe, ngalikhupha elizweni lobugqili.
the Lord sent the Israelites a prophet. He told them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought you out of Egypt; I led you out from the place where you were slaves.
9 Ngalihluthuna emandleni eGibhithe lasezandleni zabancindezeli benu bonke. Ngabaxotsha phambi kwenu ngalipha ilizwe labo.
I saved you from the power of the Egyptians and from everyone who oppressed you. I expelled them before you and gave their land to you.
10 Ngathi kini, ‘Mina nginguThixo uNkulunkulu wenu, lingabakhonzi onkulunkulu bama-Amori, elihlala elizweni lawo.’ Kodwa kalingilalelanga.”
I warned you: I am the Lord your God. You must not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you're now living.’ But you didn't listen to me.”
11 Ingilosi kaThixo yafika yahlala ngaphansi kwesihlahla somʼOkhi e-Ofira esasingesikaJowashi umʼAbhiyezeri lapho indodana yakhe uGidiyoni eyayibhula khona amabele esikhamelweni sewayini ukuze iwafihlele amaMidiyani.
The angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak tree in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress there to hide it from the Midianites.
12 Ingilosi kaThixo isibonakele kuGidiyoni yathi kuye, “UThixo ulawe, butho elilamandla.”
The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “The Lord is with you, great man of courage!”
13 UGidiyoni waphendula wathi, “Kodwa nkosi, nxa uThixo elathi, pho kungani konke lokhu kwenzakele kithi? Zingaphi izimanga zakhe zonke obaba abasitshela ngazo besithi, ‘UThixo kasikhuphanga eGibhithe na?’ Kodwa khathesi uThixo usesidelile wasinikela ezandleni zamaMidiyani.”
“Excuse me, my lord, but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?” Gideon replied. “Where are all his wonderful miracles that our forefathers reminded us about when they said, ‘Wasn't it the Lord who led us out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has given up on us and has handed us over to the Midianites.”
14 UThixo waphendukela kuye wathi, “Hamba ngamandla olawo uhlenge u-Israyeli ezandleni zamaMidiyani. Kanti kangikuthumi na?”
The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength that you have and save Israel from the Midianites. Aren't I the one sending you?”
15 UGidiyoni wabuza wathi, “Kodwa nkosi yami, u-Israyeli ngingamhlenga kanjani na? Usendo lwakwethu koManase kalulamandla, njalo mina ngingomncinyane emulini yakwethu.”
“Excuse me, my lord, but how can I save Israel?” Gideon replied. “My family is the least important of the tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least important person of that family!”
16 UThixo waphendula wathi, “Ngizakuba lawe, njalo uzawacakazela phansi wonke amaMidiyani, ungatshiyi lamunye wabo.”
“I will be with you,” the Lord told him. “You will defeat the Midianites as if they were just one man.”
17 UGidiyoni waphendula wathi, “Nxa khathesi sengithole umusa emehlweni akho, nginika isibonakaliso sokuthi impela nguwe sibili okhuluma lami.
“Please, Lord, if you think well of me, give me a sign that it's really you telling me this,” Gideon asked.
18 Ngiyakucela ukuba ungahambi ngize ngiphenduke ngilethe umnikelo wami ngiwubeke phambi kwakho.” UThixo wathi, “Ngizahlala uze uphenduke.”
“Don't leave until I come back and present my offering to you.” “I will remain here until you return,” he replied.
19 UGidiyoni wangena phakathi wahlaba izinyane lembuzi, wasesenza isinkwa esingelamvubelo ngehefa yefulawa. Esebeke inyama esitsheni lomhluzi wayo embizeni, waphuma lakho wayakunikela kuye ngaphansi komʼOkhi.
Gideon went and cooked a young goat, and baked some unleavened bread from an ephah of flour. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He carried them out and presented them to the angel under the oak tree.
20 Ingilosi kaNkulunkulu yathi kuye, “Thatha inyama lesinkwa esingelamvubelo ukubeke phezu kwedwala leli, uthele umhluzi.” UGidiyoni wenza njalo.
The angel of God told him, “Place the meat and the unleavened bread on this rock and pour the broth over them.” So Gideon did.
21 Ngesihloko somqwayi eyayiwuphethe ingilosi kaThixo yathinta inyama lesinkwa esingelamvubelo. Umlilo walavuka edwaleni watshisa inyama lesinkwa. Ingilosi kaThixo yasinyamalala.
The angel of the Lord held out the staff he was holding and touched the meat and unleavened bread with the tip. Fire flamed from the rock and burned up the meat and unleavened bread. Then the angel vanished.
22 Kwathi uGidiyoni esenanzelele ukuthi kwakuyingilosi kaThixo, wamemeza wathi, “Awu, Thixo Wobukhosi! Ngibone ingilosi kaThixo ubuso ngobuso!”
When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he cried out, “Oh no, Lord God! I've seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”
23 Kodwa uThixo wathi kuye, “Ukuthula! Ungesabi. Kawuyikufa.”
But the Lord told him, “Peace! Don't worry, you're not going to die.”
24 Ngakho uGidiyoni wakhela uThixo i-alithari khonapho walibiza ngokuthi uThixo uyiKuthula. Kuze kube lamhla likhona e-Ofira lama-Abhiyezeri.
So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it “The Lord is Peace.” It's still there today, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
25 Ngalobobusuku uThixo wathi kuye, “Thatha inkunzi yesibili emhlambini kayihlo, eleminyaka eyisikhombisa ubudala. Udilize i-alithari likayihlo alakhela uBhali, ugamule lezinsika zika-Ashera eziphansi kwalo.
That night the Lord told Gideon, “Take your father's bull and a second bull seven years old, and tear down your father's altar of Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.
26 Emva kwalokho wakhele uThixo uNkulunkulu wakho umhlobo we-alithari oluyilo engqongeni yalinqaba. Unikele inkunzi yesibili njengomnikelo wokutshiswa usebenzisa inkuni zensika zika-Ashera ozigamuleyo.”
Then build an altar to the Lord your God in the proper way on hilltop. Using the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down as firewood, take the second bull and present it as a burnt offering.”
27 Ngakho uGidiyoni wathatha izinceku zakhe ezilitshumi wenza njengokutshelwa kwakhe nguThixo. Kodwa ngenxa yokuthi wayesesaba abemuli yakwabo labantu basedolobheni, wakwenza ebusuku kulokuba kube semini.
Gideon accompanied by ten of his servants did what the Lord had told him. However, because he was afraid of his family and the people of the town, he did it during the night rather than in the day.
28 Ekuseni kwathi abantu bedolobho lelo bevuka babona i-alithari likaBhali lidiliziwe, lezinsika zika-Ashera emaceleni alo ziganyulwe lenkunzi yesibili inikelwe phezu kwe-alithari elalisanda kwakhiwa!
Early in the morning when the people of the town got up, they saw that the altar of Baal had been torn down and the Asherah pole beside it had been cut down, with the second bull sacrificed on the altar that had just been built.
29 Babuzana besithi, “Ngubani owenze lokhu?” Kwathi sebebuzisise kakuhle babatshela ukuthi, “Kwenziwe nguGidiyoni indodana kaJowashi.”
They asked one another, “Who did this?” They made inquiries and they were told, “Gideon, son of Joash, did it.”
30 Abantu bakulelodolobho bathonisa uJowashi bathi, “Ikhuphe indodana yakho. Kumele ife, ngoba idilize i-alithari likaBhali yagamula lezinsika zika-Ashera emaceleni alo.”
“Hand over your son,” the people of the town ordered Joash. “He must die, because he has torn down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”
31 Kodwa uJowashi waphendula ixuku lelo elalifuthelene limhanqile wathi, “Lizakhulumela uBhali na? Lizama ukumhlenga na? Loba ngubani omlwelayo uzabulawa ekuseni! Nxa uBhali engunkulunkulu sibili, angazivikela nxa umuntu ediliza i-alithari lakhe.”
Joash replied to all those confronting him, “Are you arguing on Baal's behalf? Do you have to save him? Anyone who argues for him will be put to death by morning! If he is a god let him fight for himself against those who tore down his altar.”
32 Ngakho ngalelolanga uGidiyoni bambiza ngokuthi “Jerubhi-Bhali,” besithi, “UBhali kalwe laye,” ngoba wadiliza i-alithari likaBhali.
That day Gideon was called Jerub-baal, which means “Let Baal fight with him,” because he had torn down his altar.
33 Ngalesosikhathi wonke amaMidiyani, lama-Amaleki kanye labanye abantu basempumalanga bamanyana bachapha iJodani, bamisa eSigodini saseJezerili.
All the Midianites, Amalekites, and other peoples of the East gathered together and crossed over the Jordan. They camped in the Valley of Jezreel.
34 Umoya kaThixo wafika kuGidiyoni, wasetshaya icilongo emema ama-Abhiyezeri ukuba amlandele.
The Spirit of the Lord came on Gideon, and he blew the trumpet, calling Abiezrites to join him.
35 Wathuma izithunywa kulolonke elakoManase, ebatshela ukuba bahlome, lako-Asheri, koZebhuluni kanye lakoNafithali, ukuze labo bayebahlangabeza.
He sent messengers through the whole territory of Manasseh, calling them to join him, and also to Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, so they also came and joined the others.
36 UGidiyoni wathi kuNkulunkulu, “Nxa uzasindisa u-Israyeli ngesandla sami njengoba uthembisile,
Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel through me as you promised,
37 khangela ngizabeka uboya bewulu esizeni. Kungaba lamazolo eboyeni bewulu kuphela iphansi lomile, ngizakwazi ukuthi uzamsindisa u-Israyeli ngesandla sami njengoba utshilo.”
then look—I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If the fleece is wet with dew but the ground is dry, then I will know that you are going to save Israel through me as you promised.”
38 Lokho yikho okwenzakalayo. Kusisa uGidiyoni wavuka ekuseni wakhama uboya wahluza amazolo, umganu wagcwala amanzi.
That's what happened. When Gideon got up early the next morning, he pressed on the fleece and squeezed out the dew, enough water to fill a bowl.
39 UGidiyoni wasesithi kuNkulunkulu, “Ungangithukutheleli. Ngivumela ngenze esinye isicelo esisodwa. Ngivumela ukuhlola kanye futhi ngoboya. Khathesi yomisa uboya kuthi iphansi ligcwale amazolo.”
Then Gideon said to God, “Please don't get cross with me. Just let me make one more request. Let me do one more test with the fleece. This time let the fleece be dry and the whole ground covered with dew.”
40 Ngalobobusuku uNkulunkulu wenza njalo. Uboya kuphela yibo obabomile; iphansi lonke ligcwele amazolo.
That night God did exactly that. The fleece alone was dry and the whole ground was covered with dew.
