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 asked Gideon, “Why have you treated us like this? Why didn't you call us when you went to attack the Midianite?” They argued furiously with him.
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?
“Now what have I achieved in comparison to you?” Gideon replied. “Even Ephraim's left-over grapes are better than Abiezer's whole grape harvest!
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 handed over to you Oreb and Zeeb, the two Midianite commanders. What have I managed to achieve in comparison to you?” When he told them this their animosity towards him died down.
4 Gideoni akiwa pamoja na wale watu 300 waliofuatana naye, wakiwa wamechoka na wenye njaa lakini bado wakiwafuatia, wakafika Yordani na kuuvuka.
Then Gideon crossed the Jordan with his three hundred men. Even though they were exhausted they continued the chase.
5 Akawaambia watu wa Sukothi, “Tafadhali lipatieni jeshi langu mikate, kwa maana wamechoka, nami ningali ninawafuatia Zeba na Salmuna, wafalme wa Midiani.”
When they got to Succoth, Gideon asked the people there, “Please provide some bread to the men with me because they're worn out—I'm pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the Midianite kings.”
6 Lakini maafisa wa Sukothi wakasema, “Je, mikono ya Zeba na Salmuna tayari mnayo sasa ili tuweze kulipatia jeshi lako mikate?”
But the Succoth town leaders replied, “Why should we give your army bread when you haven't even captured Zebah and Zalmunna yet?”
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.”
“In that case, once the Lord has handed Zebah and Zalmunna over to me, I'll return and thrash you with thorns and briers from the desert!” Gideon replied.
8 Kutoka hapo alikwea mpaka Penieli na kutoa ombi lile lile, lakini nao watu wa Penieli wakamjibu kama watu wa Sukothi walivyokuwa wamemjibu.
He left and went to Penuel and asked them the same thing, but the people of Penuel answered the same way as the people of Succoth.
9 Hivyo akawaambia watu wa Penieli, “Nitakaporudi baada ya kushinda, nitaubomoa mnara huu.”
So he told them, “When I return victorious, I'll demolish 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.
Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their armies of around fifteen thousand men. These were all who remained of the armies of the people of the East—one hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had already been killed.
11 Basi Gideoni akakwea kwa njia ya wasafiri mashariki ya Noba na Yogbeha na kulishambulia jeshi ambalo halikushuku lolote.
Gideon took the caravan route to the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and he attacked their army, catching them offguard.
12 Zeba na Salmuna, hao wafalme wawili wa Midiani, wakakimbia lakini yeye Gideoni akawafuata na kuwakamata, akalishinda hilo jeshi lao lote.
Zebah and Zalmunna ran away, but he chased after the two Midianite kings and captured them, defeating the whole of their terrified army.
13 Gideoni mwana wa Yoashi akarudi kutoka vitani kwa kupitia Mwinuko wa Heresi.
Then Gideon, son of Joash, returned from the battle through the Heres Pass.
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 from Succoth and questioned him. The 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?’”
Gideon went and said to the Sukkoth town leaders, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, the ones you taunted me about when you said, ‘Why should we give your exhausted army bread when you haven't even captured Zebah and Zalmunna yet?’”
16 Akawachukua hao viongozi wa mji na kuwafundisha watu wa Sukothi somo kwa kuwaadhibu kwa miiba na michongoma ya nyikani.
So he took the town elders of Succoth and taught them a lesson using thorns and briers from the desert.
17 Pia akaubomoa mnara wa Penieli na kuwaua watu wa mji.
He also demolished the tower of Peniel and killed the men of the town.
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.”
Then Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What were they like, the men you killed at Tabor?” “They looked like you,” they answered. “Each of them had the stature of a prince.”
19 Gideoni akajibu, “Hao walikuwa ndugu zangu, wana wa mama yangu hasa. Hakika kama aishivyo Bwana, kama mngekuwa mmewaacha hai, mimi nisingewaua ninyi.”
“Those were my brothers, my mother's sons,” Gideon burst out. “As the Lord lives, if you had let them live, I wouldn't 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.
He told Jether, his oldest son, “Go on, kill them!” But the boy refused to draw his sword, because he was young and afraid.
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.
Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, “Come on, you do it! Show yourself a man and kill us!” So Gideon went over and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent-shaped 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, “You must become our ruler, you, your son, and your grandson; because you've saved us from the Midianites.”
23 Lakini Gideoni akawaambia, “Mimi sitatawala juu yenu, wala wanangu hawatatawala juu yenu. Bwana ndiye atakayetawala juu yenu ninyi.”
“I won't be your ruler, and my son won't either,” Gideon replied. “The Lord will be your ruler.”
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 Gideon said, “I have a request to ask of you: that each of you give me an earring from your plunder.” (Their enemies were Ishmaelites and wore gold earrings.)
25 Wakajibu, “Tutafurahi kuvitoa.” Hivyo wakatanda vazi chini na kila mwanaume akatupia juu yake pete kutoka kwenye fungu lake la nyara.
“We'll happily give them to you,” they replied. They spread out a cloak, and each of them threw on it earrings from their plunder.
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 earrings he'd asked for was 1,700 shekels, not including the ornaments, the pendants, and the purple garments worn by the Midianite kings or the chains that were round their camels' necks.
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 the gold Gideon made an ephod, which he placed in his hometown of Ophrah. All Israel prostituted themselves there by worshiping it as an idol, and it became a trap to Gideon and his family.
28 Hivyo Midiani ikashindwa mbele ya Israeli nayo haikuinua kichwa chake tena. Wakati wa siku za uhai wa Gideoni, nchi ikafurahia amani miaka arobaini.
This is how the Midianites was subjugated before the Israelites and did not gain power again. So the land was at peace for forty years during the lifetime of Gideon.
29 Yerub-Baali mwana wa Yoashi akarudi kwenda kuishi katika nyumba yake.
Jerub-baal, son of Joash, went home, living his own house.
30 Alikuwa na wana sabini wa kwake mwenyewe, kwa kuwa alikuwa na wake wengi.
Gideon had seventy sons, all his own, because he had many wives.
31 Suria wake, aliyekuwa anaishi huko Shekemu, pia alimzalia mwana, ambaye alimwita Abimeleki.
His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also had a son. 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.
Gideon, son of Joash, died at a good 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
But as soon as Gideon died, the Israelites went back to prostituting themselves, worshiping before the Baals. They made Baal-berith their god.
34 wala hawakumkumbuka Bwana Mungu wao, aliyewaokoa kutoka mikononi mwa adui zao wote kutoka kila upande.
They forgot about the Lord their God, who had saved them from all their enemies that surrounded them.
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 any respect to the family of Jerub-baal (Gideon) for all the good he had done for Israel.
