Abahluleli 7
1 UJerubali, onguGidiyoni, labo bonke abantu ababelaye basebevuka ngovivi, bamisa inkamba ngasemthonjeni weHarodi, okokuthi waba lenkamba yamaMidiyani enyakatho, ngaseqaqeni lweMore esigodini.
Then Jerub Baal (that is, Gideon) rose up early, and all the people who were with him, and they encamped beside the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was to their north in the valley near the hill of Moreh.
2 INkosi yasisithi kuGidiyoni: Abantu abalawe banengi kakhulu ukuthi nginikele amaMidiyani esandleni sabo, hlezi uIsrayeli azidumise emelene lami, esithi: Isandla sami singisindisile.
Yahweh said to Gideon, “There are too many soldiers for me to give you victory over the Midianites, so that Israel may not boast over me, saying, 'Our own power has saved us.'
3 Ngakho khathesi memezela-ke endlebeni zabantu usithi: Loba ngubani owesabayo lothuthumelayo kaphenduke asuke masinyane entabeni yeGileyadi. Ngakho kwaphenduka ebantwini abazinkulungwane ezingamatshumi amabili lambili, lenkulungwane ezilitshumi zasala.
Now therefore, proclaim in the ears of the people and say, 'Whoever is afraid, whoever trembles, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.'” So twenty-two thousand people went away, and ten thousand remained.
4 INkosi yasisithi kuGidiyoni: Abantu basesebanengi kakhulu; behlisele emanzini, ngizakuhlolela bona khona; kuzakuthi-ke lowo engizakuthi ngaye kuwe: Lo uzahamba lawe, yena uzahamba lawe; kodwa loba ngubani engizakuthi ngaye kuwe: Lo kayikuhamba lawe, yena kayikuhamba.
Yahweh said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will make their number smaller for you there. If I say to you, 'This one will go with you,' he will go with you; but if I say, 'This one will not go with you,' he will not go.”
5 Wasebehlisela abantu emanzini. INkosi yasisithi kuGidiyoni: Wonke oxhapha emanzini ngolimi lwakhe njengenja ixhapha, uzambeka yedwa, laye wonke oguqa ngamadolo akhe ukunatha.
So Gideon brought the people down to the water, and Yahweh said to him, “Separate everyone who laps up the water, as a dog laps, from those who kneel down to drink.”
6 Lenani lalabo abaxhaphayo ngesandla sabo besisa emlonyeni wabo babengamadoda angamakhulu amathathu, kodwa bonke abaseleyo babantu baguqa ngamadolo abo ukunatha amanzi.
Three hundred men lapped. The rest of the men kneeled down to drink water.
7 INkosi yasisithi kuGidiyoni: Ngamadoda angamakhulu amathathu axhaphileyo ngizalisindisa, nginikele amaMidiyani esandleni sakho; bayekele-ke bonke abantu bahambe, ngulowo lalowo endaweni yakhe.
Yahweh said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men who lapped, I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Let every other man go back to his own place.”
8 Ngakho abantu bathatha umphako esandleni sabo, lempondo zabo. Wasewayekela wonke amadoda akoIsrayeli ahamba, ngulowo ethenteni lakhe, kodwa wagcina amadoda angamakhulu amathathu. Lenkamba yamaMidiyani yaba ngaphansi kwakhe esigodini.
So those who were chosen took their supplies and their trumpets. Gideon sent away all the men of Israel, every man to his tent, but he kept the three hundred men. Now the Midian camp was down below him in the valley.
9 Kwasekusithi ngalobobusuku iNkosi yathi kuye: Sukuma, wehlele enkambeni, ngoba ngiyinikele esandleni sakho.
That same night Yahweh said to him, “Get up! Attack the camp, for I am going to give you victory over it.
10 Kodwa uba usesaba ukwehla, yehla wena loPura inceku yakho uye enkambeni.
But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant,
11 Uzakuzwa abakukhulumayo; lemva kwalokho izandla zakho zizaqiniswa ukuze wehlele enkambeni. Wasesehla yena loPura ijaha lakhe, baya ephethelweni labangamatshumi amahlanu ababesenkambeni.
and listen to what they are saying, and your courage will be strengthened to attack the camp.” So Gideon went with Purah his servant, down to the guard posts of the camp.
12 Njalo amaMidiyani lamaAmaleki labo bonke abantwana bempumalanga babelele esigodini njengentethe ngobunengi, lamakamela abo ayengelanani, njengetshebetshebe elisekhunjini lolwandle ngobunengi.
The Midianites, the Amalekites, and all the people of the east settled along in the valley, as thick as a cloud of locusts. Their camels were more than could be counted; they were more in number than the grains of the sand on the seashore.
13 Kwathi uGidiyoni efika, khangela umuntu elandisela umngane wakhe iphupho, wathi: Khangela, ngiphuphe iphupho, khangela-ke, iqebelengwana lesinkwa sebhali ligiqikela enkambeni yamaMidiyani, lafika ethenteni, lalitshaya lawa laligenqula lakhangela phezulu, okokuthi ithente lawa.
When Gideon arrived there, a man was telling a dream to his companion. The man said, “Look! I had a dream, and I saw a round loaf of barley bread tumbling into the camp of Midian. It came to the tent, and hit it so hard that it fell down and turned it upside down, so that it lay flat.”
14 Umngane wakhe wasephendula wathi: Lokhu kakusilutho ngaphandle kwenkemba kaGidiyoni indodana kaJowashi, indoda yakoIsrayeli. UNkulunkulu unikele esandleni sakhe iMidiyani lenkamba yonke.
The other man said, “This is nothing other than the sword of Gideon (the son of Joash), the Israelite. God has given him victory over Midian and all their army.”
15 Kwasekusithi uGidiyoni esezwe ukulandiswa kwephupho lengcazelo yalo, wakhonza, wabuyela enkambeni yakoIsrayeli, wathi: Vukani, ngoba iNkosi inikele esandleni senu inkamba yamaMidiyani.
When Gideon heard the retelling of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down in worship. He went back to the camp of Israel and said, “Get up! Yahweh has given you victory over the Midian army.”
16 Wasesehlukanisa amadoda angamakhulu amathathu, aba yizigaba ezintathu, wanika impondo esandleni sawo wonke, lenqayi ezingelalutho, lezihlanti phakathi kwezinqayi.
He divided the three hundred men into three groups, and he gave them all trumpets and empty jars, with torches inside each jar.
17 Wasesithi kuwo: Ngikhangelani, lenze njalo. Khangelani-ke, nxa ngifika ephethelweni lenkamba, kuzakuthi njengokwenza kwami lenze njalo.
He said to them, “Look at me and do what I do. Watch! When I come to the edge of the camp, you must do what I do.
18 Nxa ngivuthela impondo, mina labo bonke abalami, lapho lani lizavuthela izimpondo, lihanqe inkamba yonke, lithi: OweNkosi lokaGidiyoni!
When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow your trumpets also on every side of the entire camp and shout, 'For Yahweh and for Gideon!'”
19 Ngakho uGidiyoni lamadoda alikhulu ayelaye bafika ephethelweni lenkamba ekuqaleni komlindo wobusuku waphakathi, besanda kumisa nje abalindi; basebevuthela impondo, babulala izinqayi ezazisesandleni sabo.
So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the edge of the camp, right at the beginning of the middle watch. Just as the Midianites were changing guard, they blew the trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands.
20 Lezigaba ezintathu zavuthela izimpondo, zabulala izinqayi, zaphatha esandleni sazo sekhohlo izihlanti lesandleni sazo sokunene impondo zokuvuthelwa, zamemeza zisithi: Inkemba yeNkosi lekaGidiyoni!
The three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands to blow them. They shouted out, “The sword of Yahweh and of Gideon.”
21 Zasezisima, ngulowo endaweni yakhe, behanqe inkamba, lenkamba yonke yagijima yamemeza yabaleka.
Every man stood in his place around the camp and all the Midianite army ran. They shouted and ran away.
22 Lapho abangamakhulu amathathu bevuthela impondo, iNkosi yamisa inkemba yomunye komunye, lenkambeni yonke; lenkamba yabaleka kwaze kwaba seBeti-Shita eZerera, kwaze kwaba semngceleni weAbeli-Mehola eduze kweTabathi.
When they blew the three hundred trumpets, Yahweh set every Midianite man's sword against his comrades and against all their army. The army fled as far as Beth Shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel Meholah, near Tabbath.
23 Lamadoda akoIsrayeli abizelwa ndawonye evela koNafithali lakoAsheri lakoManase wonke, axotshana lamaMidiyani.
The men of Israel from Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh were called out, and they went after Midian.
24 UGidiyoni wasethuma izithunywa kuyo yonke intaba yakoEfrayimi esithi: Yehlani lihlangabeze amaMidiyani, lithumbe amanzi phambi kwawo kuze kube seBeti-Bara leJordani. Ngakho wonke amadoda akoEfrayimi abizelwa ndawonye, athumba amanzi kuze kube seBeti-Bara leJordani.
Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Go down against Midian and take control of the Jordan River, as far as Beth Barah, to stop them.” So all the men of Ephraim gathered together and took control of the waters, as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan River.
25 Athumba iziphathamandla ezimbili eMidiyani, uOrebi loZebi; abulala uOrebi edwaleni leOrebi, loZebi ambulala esikhamelweni sewayini seZebi, axotshana lamaMidiyani; aletha amakhanda aboOrebi loZebi kuGidiyoni ngaphetsheya kweJordani.
They captured the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and they killed Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. They went after the Midianites, and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was on the other side of the Jordan.
