Abahluleli 7
1 Ekuseni kakhulu uJerubhi-Bhali (lowo nguGidiyoni) labantu bakhe bonke bamisa emthonjeni waseHarodi. Izihonqo zamaMidiyani zazingasenyakatho kwabo esigodini eduzane lentaba yaseMore.
Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the spring of Harod: and the camp of Midian was on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.
2 UThixo wathi kuGidiyoni, “Abantu olabo banengi kakhulu ukuba nginikele amaMidiyani ezandleni zabo. Ukuze u-Israyeli angazincomi kimi esithi amandla akhe amsindisile,
And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.
3 memezela ebantwini khathesi nje uthi, ‘Lowo othuthumelayo ngenxa yokwesaba angabuyela emuva asuke eNtabeni iGiliyadi.’” Ngakho abantu abazinkulungwane ezingamatshumi amabili lambili babuyela, kwathi abazinkulungwane ezilitshumi basala.
Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and depart from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.
4 Kodwa uThixo wathi kuGidiyoni, “Abantu balokhu bebanengi kakhulu. Behlisele emanzini, ngizakuhlolela bona khonale. Ngingathi, ‘Lo uzahamba lawe,’ uzahamba; kodwa ngingathi, ‘Lo kazukuhamba lawe,’ akayikuhamba.”
And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.
5 Ngakho uGidiyoni wabathatha abantu wabasa ngasemanzini. Khonapho uThixo wathi kuGidiyoni, “Yehlukanisa labo abaxhapha amanzi ngolimi lwabo njengenja kulabo abaguqa phansi ukuba banathe.”
So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.
6 Abantu abangamakhulu amathathu bakhaphazela amanzi emilonyeni yabo ngezandla zabo. Abanye bonke baguqa phansi ngamadolo abo ukuba banathe.
And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.
7 UThixo wasesithi kuGidiyoni, “Ngamadoda angamakhulu amathathu anathe equthile ngizakusindisa nginikele amaMidiyani ezandleni zakho. Amanye wonke adedele aye emizini yabo.”
And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the people go every man unto his place.
8 Ngakho uGidiyoni wabuyisela inengi labako-Israyeli emathenteni abo wasala labangamakhulu amathathu, abayibo abathatha ukudla lamacilongo abanye. Izihonqo zamaMidiyani zazingaphansi kwakhe esigodini.
So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the men of Israel every man unto his tent, but retained the three hundred men: and the camp of Midian was beneath him in the valley.
9 Ngalobobusuku uThixo wathi kuGidiyoni, “Vuka, yehla uyehlasela izihonqo ngoba ngizazinikela ezandleni zakho.
And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down into the camp; for I have delivered it into thine hand.
10 Nxa usesaba ukuhlasela, yehlela ezihonqweni lenceku yakho uPhura
But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Purah thy servant down to the camp:
11 ulalele abakutshoyo. Emva kwalokho uzakuba lesibindi sokuhlasela izihonqo.” Ngakho yena loPhura inceku yakhe behlela emaphethelweni ezihonqo.
and thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down into the camp. Then went he down with Purah his servant unto the outermost part of the armed men that were in the camp.
12 AmaMidiyani lama-Amaleki kanye labanye bonke abasempumalanga babemise esigodini, bebanengi njengentethe. Amakamela abo ayengeke abalwe njengetshebetshebe okhunjini lolwandle.
And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like locusts for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand which is upon the sea shore for multitude.
13 UGidiyoni wafika omunye umuntu esatshela umngane wakhe iphupho lakhe. Wathi, “Ngiphuphe iphupho. Isinkwa sebhali esiyindilinga size sigiqikela ezihonqweni zamaMidiyani. Sitshaye ithente ngamandla amakhulu ithente lagenquka lawohlokela phansi.”
And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian, and came unto the tent, and smote it that it fell, and turned it upside down, that the tent lay along.
14 Umngane wakhe waphendula wathi, “Lokhu akungeke kube ngolunye ulutho ngaphandle kwenkemba kaGidiyoni indodana kaJowashi, umʼIsrayeli. UNkulunkulu usenikele amaMidiyani lezihonqo zonke ezandleni zakhe.”
And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: into his hand God hath delivered Midian, and all the host.
15 Kwathi uGidiyoni esezwe iphupho lelo lengcazelo yalo, wakhonza. Wabuyela ezihonqweni zako-Israyeli wamemeza esithi, “Vukani! UThixo usenikele izihonqo zamaMidiyani ezandleni zenu!”
And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped; and he returned into the camp of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.
16 Esehlukanise abantu abangamakhulu amathathu baba ngamaviyo amathathu, bonke wabanika amacilongo lezimbizanyana ezingelalutho, zilezibane phakathi.
And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put into the hands of all of them trumpets, and empty pitchers, with torches within the pitchers.
17 Wathi kubo, “Ngikhangelani. Lingilandele. Lapho sengifike emaphethelweni ezihonqo, lenze engizabe ngikwenza.
And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outermost part of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do.
18 Nxa mina labo bonke abalami sesitshaya amacilongo ethu, lina ezindaweni zonke zezihonqo likhalise awenu limemeza lisithi, ‘NgekaThixo lekaGidiyoni.’”
When I blow the trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, For the LORD and for Gideon.
19 UGidiyoni lamadoda alikhulu ayelaye bafika emaphethelweni ezihonqo ekuqaliseni komlindo waphakathi, besanda kuntshintsha abalindi. Bakhalisa amacilongo abo babulala lenkonxa ababeziphethe.
So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outermost part of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch, when they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake in pieces the pitchers that were in their hands.
20 Amaviyo amathathu akhalisa amacilongo abulala inkonxa. Bephethe izibane ngezandla zabo zenxele, ezandleni zokudla bephethe amacilongo ababezawakhalisa, bamemeza bathi, “Inkemba kaThixo lekaGidiyoni!”
And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the torches in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD and of Gideon.
21 Umuntu munye ngamunye wayemi endaweni yakhe behanqe izihonqo, amaMidiyani wonke agijima, ehlaba umkhosi ebaleka.
And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran; and they shouted, and put [them] to flight.
22 Kwathi amacilongo angamakhulu amathathu esekhala, uThixo wenza ukuthi abantu ababesezindaweni zonke ezihonqweni bahlaselane ngezinkemba zabo. Ibutho labalekela eBhethi-Shitha ngokuya eZerera kusiyafika emngceleni we-Abheli-Mehola eduzane leThabathi.
And they blew the three hundred trumpets, and the LORD set every man’s sword against his fellow, and against all the host: and the host fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.
23 Abako-Israyeli labakoNafithali, labako-Asheri labo bonke abakoManase babizwa, baxotshana lamaMidiyani.
And the men of Israel were gathered together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after Midian.
24 UGidiyoni wathuma izithunywa kulolonke ilizwe lamaqaqa elako-Efrayimi, esithi, “Yehlani lihlasele amaMidiyani lithumbe iziziba zaseJodani phambi kwawo kusiyafika eBhethi-Bhara.” Ngakho bonke abantu bako-Efrayimi babizwa bazithumba iziziba zaseJodani kusiyafika eBhethi-Bhara.
And Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, Come down against Midian, and take before them the waters, as far as Beth-barah, even Jordan. So all the men of Ephraim were gathered together, and took the waters as far as Beth-barah, even Jordan.
25 Bathumba labakhokheli bamaMidiyani ababili, u-Orebhi loZebhi. U-Orebhi bambulalela edwaleni lika-Orebhi, uZebhi esikhamelweni sewayini sikaZebhi. Baxotshana lamaMidiyani, amakhanda ka-Orebhi loZebhi bawasa kuGidiyoni owayeseJodani.
And they took the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian: and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon beyond Jordan.
