Waamuzi 8
1 Basi Waefraimu wakamuuliza Gideoni, “Mbona mmetutenda hivi? Kwa nini hukutuita ulipokwenda kupigana na Wamidiani?” Wakawalaumu kwa ukali sana.
Then the men of Ephraim said to Gideon, “Why have you done this to us? Why did you fail to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they contended with him violently.
2 Gideoni akawajibu, “Nilichofanya mimi ni nini kulinganisha na kile ninyi mlichofanya? Je, kuokoa masazo ya zabibu za Efraimu si bora kuliko mavuno kamili ya zabibu ya Abiezeri?
But Gideon answered them, “Now what have I accomplished compared to you? Are not the gleanings of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer?
3 Mungu amewatia Orebu na Zeebu, hao viongozi wa Wamidiani, mikononi mwenu. Je, mimi niliweza kufanya nini kulinganisha na mlichofanya ninyi?” Aliposema hili, hasira yao dhidi yake ikatulia.
God has delivered Oreb and Zeeb, the two princes of Midian, into your hand. What was I able to do compared to you?” When he had said this, their anger against him subsided.
4 Gideoni akiwa pamoja na wale watu 300 waliofuatana naye, wakiwa wamechoka na wenye njaa lakini bado wakiwafuatia, wakafika Yordani na kuuvuka.
Then Gideon and his three hundred men came to the Jordan and crossed it, exhausted yet still in pursuit.
5 Akawaambia watu wa Sukothi, “Tafadhali lipatieni jeshi langu mikate, kwa maana wamechoka, nami ningali ninawafuatia Zeba na Salmuna, wafalme wa Midiani.”
So Gideon said to the men of Succoth, “Please give my troops some bread, for they are exhausted, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”
6 Lakini maafisa wa Sukothi wakasema, “Je, mikono ya Zeba na Salmuna tayari mnayo sasa ili tuweze kulipatia jeshi lako mikate?”
But the leaders of Succoth asked, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your possession, that we should give bread to your army?”
7 Gideoni akajibu, “Kwa ajili ya hilo tu, Bwana atakapowatia Zeba na Salmuna mkononi mwangu, nitaichana nyama ya miili yenu kwenye miiba ya nyikani na kwenye michongoma.”
“Very well,” Gideon replied, “when the LORD has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with the thorns and briers of the wilderness!”
8 Kutoka hapo alikwea mpaka Penieli na kutoa ombi lile lile, lakini nao watu wa Penieli wakamjibu kama watu wa Sukothi walivyokuwa wamemjibu.
From there he went up to Penuel and asked the same from them, but the men of Penuel gave the same response as the men of Succoth.
9 Hivyo akawaambia watu wa Penieli, “Nitakaporudi baada ya kushinda, nitaubomoa mnara huu.”
So Gideon told the men of Penuel, “When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower!”
10 Wakati huu Zeba na Salmuna walikuwa Karkori wakiwa na jeshi lenye watu wapatao 15,000 wale wote waliokuwa wamesalia wa mataifa ya mashariki, kwa kuwa watu wapatao 120,000 wenye panga walikuwa wameuawa.
Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army of about fifteen thousand men—all that were left of the armies of the people of the east. A hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had already fallen.
11 Basi Gideoni akakwea kwa njia ya wasafiri mashariki ya Noba na Yogbeha na kulishambulia jeshi ambalo halikushuku lolote.
And Gideon went up by way of the caravan route east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and he attacked their army, taking them by surprise.
12 Zeba na Salmuna, hao wafalme wawili wa Midiani, wakakimbia lakini yeye Gideoni akawafuata na kuwakamata, akalishinda hilo jeshi lao lote.
When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, Gideon pursued and captured these two kings of Midian, routing their entire army.
13 Gideoni mwana wa Yoashi akarudi kutoka vitani kwa kupitia Mwinuko wa Heresi.
After this, Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle along the Ascent of Heres.
14 Akamkamata kijana mmoja wa Sukothi na kumuuliza maswali, naye yule kijana akamwandikia majina ya maafisa sabini wa Sukothi, ambao ni viongozi wa mji.
There he captured a young man of Succoth and interrogated him. The young man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven leaders and elders of Succoth.
15 Ndipo Gideoni akaja na kuwaambia watu wa Sukothi, “Tazama, hapa wapo Zeba na Salmuna mlionisimanga kwa ajili yao mkisema, ‘Je, mikono ya Zeba na Salmuna tayari mnayo sasa ili tuweze kulipatia jeshi lako mikate?’”
And Gideon went to the men of Succoth and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your possession, that we should give bread to your weary men?’”
16 Akawachukua hao viongozi wa mji na kuwafundisha watu wa Sukothi somo kwa kuwaadhibu kwa miiba na michongoma ya nyikani.
Then he took the elders of the city, and using the thorns and briers of the wilderness, he disciplined the men of Succoth.
17 Pia akaubomoa mnara wa Penieli na kuwaua watu wa mji.
He also pulled down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
18 Kisha akawauliza Zeba na Salmuna, “Ni watu wa aina gani mliowaua huko Tabori?” Wakajibu, “Ni watu kama wewe, kila mmoja wao akiwa na nafasi ya uana wa mfalme.”
Next, Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?” “Men like you,” they answered, “each one resembling the son of a king.”
19 Gideoni akajibu, “Hao walikuwa ndugu zangu, wana wa mama yangu hasa. Hakika kama aishivyo Bwana, kama mngekuwa mmewaacha hai, mimi nisingewaua ninyi.”
“They were my brothers,” Gideon replied, “the sons of my mother! As surely as the LORD lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.”
20 Akamgeukia Yetheri, mwanawe mzaliwa wa kwanza, akasema, “Waue hawa!” Lakini Yetheri hakuufuta upanga wake, kwa sababu aliogopa, kwa kuwa alikuwa bado kijana mdogo tu.
So he said to Jether, his firstborn, “Get up and kill them.” But the young man did not draw his sword; he was fearful because he was still a youth.
21 Zeba na Salmuna wakasema, “Njoo ufanye hivyo wewe mwenyewe. ‘Alivyo mtu, ndivyo zilivyo nguvu zake.’” Hivyo Gideoni akatoka mbele na kuwaua, naye akayaondoa mapambo kwenye shingo za ngamia zao.
Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Get up and kill us yourself, for as the man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon got up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent ornaments from the necks of their camels.
22 Waisraeli wakamwambia Gideoni, “Ututawale, wewe, wanao na wana wa wana wako, kwa kuwa umetuokoa kutoka mikononi mwa Wamidiani.”
Then the Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you and your son and grandson—for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.”
23 Lakini Gideoni akawaambia, “Mimi sitatawala juu yenu, wala wanangu hawatatawala juu yenu. Bwana ndiye atakayetawala juu yenu ninyi.”
But Gideon replied, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The LORD shall rule over you.”
24 Naye akasema, “Ninalo ombi moja, kwamba kila mmoja wenu anipatie kipuli kutoka kwenye fungu lake la nyara.” (Ilikuwa desturi ya Waishmaeli kuvaa vipuli vya dhahabu.)
Then he added, “Let me make a request of you, that each of you give me an earring from his plunder.” (For the enemies had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.)
25 Wakajibu, “Tutafurahi kuvitoa.” Hivyo wakatanda vazi chini na kila mwanaume akatupia juu yake pete kutoka kwenye fungu lake la nyara.
“We will give them gladly,” they replied. So they spread out a garment, and each man threw an earring from his plunder onto it.
26 Uzito wa pete za dhahabu alizoomba zilifikia shekeli 1,700, bila kuhesabu mapambo mengine, pete za masikio na mavazi ya zambarau yaliyovaliwa na wafalme wa Midiani, au mikufu iliyokuwa kwenye shingo za ngamia zao.
The weight of the gold earrings he had requested was 1,700 shekels, in addition to the crescent ornaments, the pendants, the purple garments of the kings of Midian, and the chains from the necks of their camels.
27 Gideoni akatengeneza kisibau kwa kutumia ile dhahabu, ambacho alikiweka katika mji wake, yaani, Ofra. Waisraeli wote wakafanya uasherati kwa kukiabudu huko, nacho kikawa mtego kwa Gideoni na jamaa yake.
From all this Gideon made an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.
28 Hivyo Midiani ikashindwa mbele ya Israeli nayo haikuinua kichwa chake tena. Wakati wa siku za uhai wa Gideoni, nchi ikafurahia amani miaka arobaini.
In this way Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. So the land had rest for forty years in the days of Gideon,
29 Yerub-Baali mwana wa Yoashi akarudi kwenda kuishi katika nyumba yake.
and he—Jerubbaal son of Joash—returned home and settled down.
30 Alikuwa na wana sabini wa kwake mwenyewe, kwa kuwa alikuwa na wake wengi.
Gideon had seventy sons of his own, since he had many wives.
31 Suria wake, aliyekuwa anaishi huko Shekemu, pia alimzalia mwana, ambaye alimwita Abimeleki.
His concubine, who dwelt in Shechem, also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech.
32 Gideoni mwana wa Yoashi akafa akiwa na umri mzuri wa uzee, na akazikwa katika kaburi la Yoashi baba yake huko Ofra ya Waabiezeri.
Later, Gideon son of Joash died at a ripe old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
33 Mara tu alipofariki Gideoni, Waisraeli wakarudia hali ya uovu na kufanya uasherati kwa kuabudu Mabaali. Wakamsimamisha Baal-Berithi kuwa mungu wao na
And as soon as Gideon was dead, the Israelites turned and prostituted themselves with the Baals, and they set up Baal-berith as their god.
34 wala hawakumkumbuka Bwana Mungu wao, aliyewaokoa kutoka mikononi mwa adui zao wote kutoka kila upande.
The Israelites failed to remember the LORD their God who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side.
35 Pia wakashindwa kuitendea mema jamaa ya Yerub-Baali (yaani Gideoni) kwa ajili ya mambo yote mema aliyokuwa amefanya kwa ajili yao.
They did not show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) for all the good things he had done for Israel.
