Vatongi 8
1 Zvino vaEfuremu vakabvunza Gidheoni vakati, “Makatibatireiko zvakadai? Makaregerei kutidana pamakaenda kundorwa navaMidhiani?” Uye vakamutsoropodza zvikuru.
Then the descendants of Ephraim said to Gideon, “Why have you acted toward us like this? When you went out to fight against the people of Midian, why did you not summon us [to help you]?” They rebuked Gideon severely.
2 Asi akavapindura akati, “Ko, chii chandaita kuti ndizvienzanise nemi? Handiti zvakanongwa zvamazambiringa aEfuremu zviri nani kupfuura mukohwo uzere wamazambiringa aAbhiezeri?
But Gideon replied, “I have done [RHQ] very little compared with what you have done! My small clan of descendants of Abiezer only started the battle, but [your very large group of] descendants of Ephraim [helped me to finish the task very well. It is like] the final grapes of the harvest being much better than the first grapes that are picked.
3 Mwari akaisa Orebhi naZeebhi, vatungamiri vavaMidhiani mumaoko enyu. Ko, ini ndaizokwanisa kuitei kuti ndienzaniswe nemi?” Ipapo, kutsamwa kwavo pamusoro pake kwakaserera.
God enabled you to defeat Oreb and Zeeb, the generals of the army from Midian. That is [RHQ] much more important than what I did!” After Gideon told them that, they no longer resented what he had done.
4 Gidheoni navanhu vake mazana matatu, vakaramba vachingotevera, vakasvika kurwizi Jorodhani uye vakaruyambuka havo, asi vakanga vaneta kwazvo.
Then Gideon and his 300 men [went east and] crossed the Jordan [River]. Although they were very tired, they continued to pursue their enemies.
5 Akati kuvarume veSukoti, “Ipai henyu mauto angu chingwa; vaneta, uye ndichiri kutevera Zebha naZarumuna, madzimambo eMidhiani.”
When they arrived at Succoth [town], Gideon said to the town leaders, “Please give my men some food! They are very tired. We are pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”
6 Asi machinda eSukoti akati, “Matova namaoko aZebha naZarumuna mumaoko enyu here? Ko, tingapirei chingwa kumauto enyu?”
But the leaders of Succoth replied, “You have not caught [RHQ] Zebah and Zalmunna yet. So why should we give food to your troops [now? Catch them first, and then we will give you food].”
7 Ipapo Gidheoni akapindura akati, “Nokuda kwaizvozvo, Jehovha paanongoisa Zebha naZarumuna muruoko rwangu, ini ndichabvambura nyama yenyu neminzwa yomurenje uye norukato.”
Gideon replied, “[Because you said that], after Yahweh enables us to defeat Zebah and Zalmunna, we will return. And then we will make whips from thorns from the desert, and with them we will rip the flesh off your bones!”
8 Kubva ipapo akaenda kuPenieri vakaita chikumbiro chimwe chetecho, asi naivowo vakapindura sezvakaita varume veSukoti.
From there, Gideon [and his 300 men] went to Peniel and asked for food there, but the people gave him the same answer.
9 Saka iye akati kuvarume vePenieri, “Pandinodzoka ndakunda, ndichakoromora shongwe iyi.”
So he said to the men of Peniel, “After I defeat those kings, I will return and tear down this tower!”
10 Zvino Zebha naZarumuna vakanga vari muKarikori vaine hondo yavarume zviuru gumi nezvishanu, vose vakanga vasara pahondo yavanhu vokumabvazuva; varume vomunondo zviuru makumi maviri vakanga vafa.
By that time, Zebah and Zalmunna had gone to Karkor [town] with 15,000 troops. They were all that were left of the armies that had come from the east. 120,000 of their men had already been killed.
11 Gidheoni akakwidza nenzira yavaigara mumatende kumabvazuva kweNobha neJogibheha vakandokunda hondo yakanga isina chayakatarisira.
Gideon [and his men] went east along the road on which caravans travel. They went past Nobah and Jogbehah [villages] and arrived at the enemy camp by surprise.
12 Zebha naZarumuna, madzimambo maviri eMidhiani, vakatiza, asi akavatevera akavabata, akakunda hondo yavo yose.
Zebah and Zalmunna fled, but Gideon’s men pursued them and captured them and all their warriors.
13 Gidheoni mwanakomana waJoashi akadzoka kubva kuhondo napaMupata weHeresi.
After that, Gideon and his men [took Zebah and Zalmunna with them and] started to return, going through Heres Pass.
14 Akabata jaya rokuSukoti uye akaribvunza, uye jaya rikanyora pasi mazita amachinda makumi manomwe navanomwe vokuSukoti, vakuru veguta.
There he captured a young man from Succoth, and demanded that he write down the names of all of the leaders in the town. The young man wrote down seventy-seven names.
15 Ipapo Gidheoni akasvika akati kuvarume veSukoti, “Havano vanaZebha naZarumuna, vaya vamakandiseka muchiti, ‘Ko, watova namaoko aZebha naZarumuna kare here? Tinopireiko chingwa kuvanhu vako vaneta ava?’”
Then Gideon and his men returned to Succoth and said to those leaders, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna. When we were here before, you made fun of me and said ‘You have not [RHQ] caught Zebah and Zalmunna yet! After you catch them, we will give your exhausted men some food.’”
16 Akatora vakuru veguta akadzidzisa varume veSukoti chidzidzo nenzira yokuvaranga neminzwa yomurenje uye norukato.
Then Gideon’s men took the town leaders and whipped them with whips made from briers from the desert, to teach them [that they deserved to be punished for not giving them any food].
17 Akakoromorawo shongwe yePenieri uye akauraya varume vomuguta.
Then [they went to] Peniel and tore down the tower, and killed all the men in the town.
18 Ipapo akabvunza Zebha naZarumuna akati, “Varume vamakauraya paTabhori vakanga vakadiniko?” Vakapindura vakati, “Varume vakaita semi, mumwe nomumwe airatidzika somwanakomana wamambo.”
Then Gideon said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “The men you killed near Tabor [Mountain], what did they look like?” They replied, “They were like you; they all looked like they were sons of a king.”
19 Gidheoni akati, “Ivavo vakanga vari vanunʼuna vangu vanakomana vamai vangu chaivo. Zvirokwazvo naJehovha mupenyu, dai makanga mavaponesa, ini handaizokuurayai.”
Gideon replied, “They were my brothers! Just as surely as Yahweh lives, I would not kill you if you had not killed them.”
20 Akatendeukira kuna Jeta mwanakomana wake mukuru, akati, “Vauraye!” Asi Jeta haana kuvhomora munondo wake, nokuti akanga achiri mukomana uye aitya.
Then he turned to his oldest son, Jether. He said to him, “Kill them!” But Jether was only a boy, and he was afraid, so he did not pull out his dagger [to kill them].
21 Zebha naZarumuna vakati, “Uyai muzviite imi. ‘Munhu sezvaari ndizvo zvakaita simba rake.’” Saka Gidheoni akaswedera akavauraya, uye akatora zvishongo kubva mumitsipa yengamera dzavo.
Then Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, “Do not ask a young boy to do the work that a man should do!” So Gideon killed both of them. Then he took the gold ornaments from the necks of their camels.
22 VaIsraeri vakati kuna Gidheoni, “Titonge iwe, mwanakomana wako nomuzukuru wako nokuti wakatiponesa kubva muruoko rwavaMidhiani.”
Then a group of Israeli men [came to] Gideon and said to him, “You be our ruler! [We want] you and your son and your grandsons [to] be our rulers, because you rescued us from the Midian army.”
23 Asi Gidheoni akati kwavari, “Ini handingakutongei, uye mwanakomana wangu haangakutongei. Jehovha ndiye achakutongai.”
But Gideon replied, “No, I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you. Yahweh will rule over you.”
24 Uye akati, “Ndine chikumbiro chimwe chete, chokuti mumwe nomumwe wenyu andipe mhete yomunzeve kubva pamugove wezvamakapamba.” (Yakanga iri tsika yavaIshumaeri yokushonga mhete dzegoridhe dzomunzeve.)
Then he said, “I request only one thing. I request that each of you give me one earring from the things you captured after the battle.” [All the men descended from Ishmael wore gold earrings.]
25 Vakapindura vakati, “Tichafara kudzipa kwamuri.” Saka vakawaridza nguo pasi, uye murume mumwe nomumwe akakanda mhete yezvaakapamba pamusoro payo.
They replied, “We will be glad to give earrings to you!” So they spread a cloth [on the ground], and each man threw on it one gold earring that he had taken [from a man he had killed in the battle].
26 Uremu hwemhete dzegoridhe dzaakakumbira hwakasvika mashekeri chiuru chimwe namazana manomwe, pasingaverengwi zvishongo, uketani, nguo dzepepuru dzaipfekwa namadzimambo eMidhiani kana uketani hwakanga huri pamitsipa yengamera dzavo.
The weight of all the earrings was (43 pounds/19.4 kg.). That did not include other things [that they gave to Gideon]—the other ornaments or the pendants or the clothes that the kings of Midian wore or the gold chains that were on the necks of their camels.
27 Gidheoni akaita nazvo efodhi yegoridhe iyo yaakaisa muOfira, guta rake. VaIsraeri vose vakaita ufeve nokuinamata ipapo, uye yakava musungo kuna Gidheoni nokumhuri yake.
Gideon made/decorated a sacred vest from the gold, and later he put it in his hometown, Ophrah. But soon the Israeli people started to worship the vest. So it became like a trap [MET] for the people, [causing them to worship it instead of worshiping only God].
28 Naizvozvo vaMidhiani vakakundwa pamberi pavaIsraeri uye havana kuzosimudzazve musoro wavo. Pamazuva okurarama kwaGidheoni, nyika yakava norugare kwamakore makumi mana.
That is how the Israelis defeated the people from Midian. The people of Midian did not become strong enough to attack Israel again. So while Gideon was alive, there was peace in the land for 40 years.
29 Jerubhi-Bhaari mwanakomana waJoashi akadzokerazve kundogara kumusha kwake.
Gideon went back home to live there.
30 Akanga ana vanakomana vake chaivo makumi manomwe, nokuti akanga ana vakadzi vazhinji.
He had many wives, and they bore him seventy sons.
31 Murongo wake, aigara muShekemu, akamuberekerawo mwanakomana, akamutumidza kuti Abhimereki.
He also had a slave wife in Shechem [town], who bore him a son whom he named Abimelech.
32 Gidheoni mwanakomana waJoashi akafa akwegura zvikuru uye akavigwa muguva rababa vake Joashi muOfira ravaAbhiezeri.
Gideon died when he was very old. They buried his body in the grave where his father Joash was buried, at Ophrah, in the land belonging to the descendants of Abiether.
33 Gidheoni akati achangofa, vaIsraeri vakafevazve vakatevera vaBhaari. Vakamisa Bhaari Bheriti samwari wavo uye
But as soon as Gideon died, the Israelis [stopped worshiping God and started worshiping the images of the god Baal, like] [MET] adultresses [leave their husbands and go to sleep with other men]. They made a [statue of a] new god called Baal-Berith.
34 havana kurangarira Jehovha Mwari wavo, akanga avanunura kubva mumaoko avavengi vavo kumativi ose.
They forgot about Yahweh, the one who had rescued them from all their enemies that surrounded them.
35 Vakatadza kuitira mhuri yaJerubhi-Bhaari (iye Gidheoni) zvakanaka pazvinhu zvose zvakanaka zvaakanga avaitira.
And even though Gideon had done many good things for the Israelis, they were not kind to Gideon’s family.
