Atemmufoɔ 8
1 Afei, Efraimfoɔ no bisaa Gideon sɛ, “Adɛn enti na woyɛ yɛn saa? Adɛn enti na worekɔko atia Midian kane no, woamfrɛ yɛn?” Na wɔne Gideon kasaa anibereɛ so.
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 Na Gideon buaa wɔn sɛ, “Ɛdeɛn na mayɛ a mede bɛtoto mo ho? Na Efraim bobe aba a ɛka wɔ twaberɛ akyi no nyɛ nsene Abieser bobe a wɔnteeɛ nyinaa?
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 Onyankopɔn ma modii Oreb ne Seeb a na wɔyɛ Midian asahene no so. Ɛdeɛn na matumi ayɛ a ɛsɛ yei?” Efraim mmarima no tee Gideon mmuaeɛ no, wɔn bo tɔɔ wɔn yam.
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 Gideon ne ne mmarima ahasa no twaa Asubɔnten Yordan, ɛwom sɛ na wɔabrɛ deɛ, nanso wɔtoaa so taa atamfoɔ no.
Then Gideon and his three hundred men came to the Jordan and crossed it, exhausted yet still in pursuit.
5 Wɔduruu Sukot no, Gideon ka kyerɛɛ ntuanofoɔ a wɔwɔ hɔ no sɛ, “Momma mʼakofoɔ no aduane nni na wɔabrɛ. Meretaa Midian ahemfo Seba ne Salmuna.”
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 Na Sukot ntuanofoɔ no buaa sɛ, “Kyere Seba ne Salmuna ansa na yɛama wʼakofoɔ no aduane adi.”
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 Gideon buaa sɛ, “Sɛ Awurade ma medi Seba ne Salmuna so nkonim a, mɛsane aba de ɛserɛ so nkasɛɛ ne akraateɛ abɛsunsuane mo honam ani.”
“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 Na Gideon firii hɔ kɔɔ Penuel kɔsrɛɛ aduane bio, na ɔnyaa mmuaeɛ korɔ no ara.
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 Na ɔka kyerɛɛ Penuelfoɔ no sɛ, “Sɛ mefiri nkonimdie mu ba a, mɛbubu saa abantenten yi.”
So Gideon told the men of Penuel, “When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower!”
10 Saa ɛberɛ yi na Seba ne Salmuna ne akofoɔ mpem dunum wɔ Karkor, aboafoɔ a wɔfiri apueeɛ fam a na emu ɔpeha aduonu atotɔ dada no nkaeɛfoɔ.
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 Gideon faa atutenafoɔ ɛkwan a ɛda Noba ne Yogbeha apueeɛ fam no ho hyiaeɛ, na wɔto hyɛɛ Midian akodɔm a na wɔn ani nna wɔn ho soɔ no so.
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 Midian ahemfo baanu a wɔn din de Seba ne Salmuna no dwaneeɛ, nanso Gideon taa wɔn faa wɔn akofoɔ nyinaa nnommum.
When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, Gideon pursued and captured these two kings of Midian, routing their entire army.
13 Yei akyi no, Yoas ba Gideon faa Heres kwantempɔn so saneeɛ.
After this, Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle along the Ascent of Heres.
14 Ɛhɔ na ɔkyeree aberanteɛ bi a ɔfiri Sukot. Ɔhyɛɛ no sɛ ɔntwerɛ nnipa aduɔson nson a wɔyɛ sodifoɔ ne ntuanofoɔ a wɔwɔ kuro no mu no din mma no.
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 Afei, Gideon sane kɔɔ Sukot kɔka kyerɛɛ ɛhɔ ntuanofoɔ no sɛ, “Seba ne Salmuna nie. Yɛbaa ha no modii me ho fɛ, kaa sɛ, ‘Kyere Seba ne Salmuna ansa na yɛama wʼakofoɔ a wɔabrɛ no aduane adi.’”
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 Afei Gideon faa kuro no mu ntuanofoɔ kyerɛɛ wɔn nyansa. Ɔde ɛserɛ so nkasɛɛ ne akraateɛ twee wɔn aso.
Then he took the elders of the city, and using the thorns and briers of the wilderness, he disciplined the men of Succoth.
17 Ɔsane dwirii Penuel abantenten no guu fam, kunkumm kuro no mu mmarima nyinaa.
He also pulled down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
18 Afei, ɔbisaa Seba ne Salmuna sɛ, “Mmarima a mokumm wɔn wɔ Tabor no, na wɔte sɛn?” Wɔbuaa sɛ, “Mmarima no te sɛ wo. Na wɔn mu biara te sɛ ɔheneba.”
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 Gideon ka kyerɛɛ wɔn sɛ, “Na wɔyɛ me nuanom. Sɛ Awurade te ase yi, sɛ moankum wɔn a, anka me nso merenkum mo.”
“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 Ɔdanee nʼani kyerɛɛ ne babarima panin Yeter sɛ, “Ku wɔn.” Nanso Yeter antwe nʼakofena, ɛfiri sɛ, na ɔyɛ abarimaa enti na ɔsuro.
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 Seba ne Salmuna ka kyerɛɛ Gideon sɛ, “Mma abarimaa nyɛ ɔpanin adwuma! Wo ankasa yɛ!” Enti, Gideon kumm wɔn baanu, faa adehyeɛ agudeɛ a ɛsensɛn wɔn yoma kɔn mu no.
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 Na Israelfoɔ no ka kyerɛɛ Gideon sɛ, “Di yɛn so ɔhene. Wo ne wo babarima ne wo nana bɛyɛ yɛn ahemfo, ɛfiri sɛ, woagye yɛn afiri Midianfoɔ nsam.”
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 Nanso, Gideon buaa sɛ, “Merenni mo so ɔhene na me babarima nso renni mo so ɔhene. Awurade na ɔbɛdi mo so.”
But Gideon replied, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The LORD shall rule over you.”
24 Mmom Gideon ka kyerɛɛ wɔn sɛ, mewɔ adebisa baako. “Mo mu biara mma me asomuadeɛ baako a mofa firii asadeɛ a monya firii mo atamfoɔ a modii wɔn so no nkyɛn.” (Atamfoɔ a na wɔyɛ Ismaelfoɔ no na obiara hyɛ sikakɔkɔɔ asomuadeɛ).
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 Wɔbuaa sɛ, “Yɛpene so dodo.” Wɔde akatasoɔ sɛɛ fam. Na obiara de ne sikakɔkɔɔ asomuadeɛ a ɔnyaeɛ bɛguu so.
“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 Na sikakɔkɔɔ asomuadeɛ dodoɔ a wɔnyaeɛ no karii kilogram aduonu a asrane nketewa ne kɔnmuadeɛ, Midian ahemfo adehyeɛ ahyehyɛdeɛ ne nkɔnsɔnkɔnsɔn a ɛgu wɔn yoma kɔn mu nka ho.
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 Gideon de yɛɛ asɔfotadeɛ kronkron na ɔde sii kuro Ofra, ne kurom, mu. Nanso, ankyɛre na Israelfoɔ no kɔsom no de guu wɔn ho fi na ɛdanee afidie maa Gideon ne ne fiefoɔ.
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 Yei ne abasɛm a ɛkyerɛ sɛdeɛ Israelfoɔ dii Midianfoɔ so nkonim a wantumi ansɔre bio. Gideon nna a ɛtwa toɔ bɛyɛ mfeɛ aduanan mu no, na asomdwoeɛ wɔ asase no so.
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 Afei, Yoas babarima Yerub-Baal sane kɔɔ ne kurom.
and he—Jerubbaal son of Joash—returned home and settled down.
30 Na ɔwɔ yerenom bebree enti ɔwoo mmammarima aduɔson.
Gideon had seventy sons of his own, since he had many wives.
31 Na ɔwɔ mpena nso wɔ Sekem a ɔne no woo ɔbabarima, too ne din Abimelek.
His concubine, who dwelt in Shechem, also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech.
32 Gideon wuiɛ no na wanyini yie. Na wɔsiee no wɔ nʼagya Yoas damena mu wɔ Ofra wɔ Abieserfoɔ abusuasase so.
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 Gideon wuiɛ ara pɛ, Israelfoɔ no kɔsom Baal ahoni, de bɔɔ wɔn ho ahohwi. Wɔnam so yɛɛ Baal-Berit wɔn nyame.
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 Wɔn werɛ firii Awurade, wɔn Onyankopɔn a ɔgyee wɔn firii wɔn atamfoɔ a wɔatwa wɔn ho ahyia no nsam no.
The Israelites failed to remember the LORD their God who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side.
35 Na mpo, wɔanni nokorɛ ankyerɛ Yerub-Baal (a ɔne Gideon) fiefoɔ wɔ nneɛma pa a ɔyɛ maa Israelfoɔ no ho.
They did not show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) for all the good things he had done for Israel.
