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Gidyoni ayungula abalwanyi ebikumi bisatu

(A)Awo Gidyoni gwe baakazaako erya Yerubbaali, ne be yali nabo bonna, ne bakeera mu makya, ne basiisira ku luzzi Kalodi; Olusiisira lwa Bamidiyaani lwali mu bukiika obwa kkono mu kiwonvu, kumpi n’olusozi Mole. (B)Mukama Katonda n’agamba Gidyoni nti, “Abalwanyi bo basusse obungi; nze sibaganye kuwangula Abamidiyaani, Abayisirayiri baleme okwennyumiriza nti amaanyi gaabwe ge gabawanguzza. (C)Noolwekyo kaakano genda olangirire eri abalwanyi bo nti, ‘Buli mutiitiizi yenna n’oyo akankana, ave ku lusozi luno Gireyaadi addeyo ewuwe.’ ” Abalwanyi emitwalo ebiri mu enkumi bbiri ne baddayo ewaabwe, ne wasigalawo omutwalo gumu.

(D)Mukama Katonda n’agamba Gidyoni nti, “Era abalwanyi bo bakyasusse obungi, baserengese ku mugga, eyo gye naabayunguliramu abasaanidde okugenda naawe n’abatasaanidde.”

Awo Gidyoni n’aserengesa abalwanyi ku mugga, Mukama Katonda n’amugamba nti, “Buli mulwanyi anaasena amazzi n’engalo ze era n’aganywa ng’embwa mwawule okuva mu abo abanaafukamira ku mugga ne bakubamu emimwa ne banywa. Abo bonna abaasena amazzi n’engalo zaabwe ne baganywa ng’embwa baali ebikumi bisatu, naye abalala bonna baafukamira ku mugga ne bakubamu emimwa okunywa.”

(E)Mukama Katonda n’agamba Gidyoni nti, “Nzija kubanunula era mbawe n’obuwanguzi ku ba Midiyaani nga nkozesa abalwanyi ebikumi ebisatu abaanywedde amazzi ng’embwa, naye abo bonna abasigaddewo bagambe beddireyo ewaabwe.” Awo Gidyoni n’asigaza abalwanyi be ebikumi ebisatu, bali abalala n’abakuŋŋaanyaako emmere n’amakondeere gaabwe, n’abalagira ne beddirayo ewaabwe.

Olusiisira lw’Abamidiyaani lwamuli kyemmanga mu kiwonvu. (F)Ekiro ekyo Mukama Katonda n’amulagira nti, “Situkiramu olumbe eggye ly’Abamidiyaani mu lusiisira kubanga mbawaddeyo mu mikono gyo. 10 Naye obanga otya okubalumba genda ne Pula omuweerezaawo: 11 era bw’onoowulira bye boogera onoofuna obuvumu okubalumba. Gidyoni n’omuweereza we Pula ne basemberera olusiisira lw’Abamidiyaani.” 12 (G)Abamidiyaani, Abamaleki n’Abamawanga amalala ag’ebuvanjuba abaali mu kiwonvu, mu bungi baali ng’enzige; era n’eŋŋamira zaabwe mu bungi, nga ziri ng’empeke z’omusenyu oguli ku lubalama lw’ennyanja.

13 Gidyoni aba atuuka bw’ati ku lusiisira n’awulira omukuumi ng’ategeeza munne ekirooto nti, “Naloota nga omugaati gwa sayiri guyiringise, gutomedde eweema ne yevuunika.” 14 Munne n’amuddamu nti, “Ekyo si kirala wabula kitala ky’omusajja Omuyisirayiri Gidyoni mutabani wa Yowaasi. Era oyo Katonda amuwadde obuwanguzi ku ba Midiyaani n’eggye lyaffe lyonna.”

15 (H)Gidyoni bwe yamala okuwulira ekirooto ekyo n’amakulu gaakyo, n’avuunama n’asinza Mukama Katonda; era n’addayo mu lusiisira lw’Abayisirayiri n’abalagira nti, “Musitukiremu; kubanga Mukama abawadde obuwanguzi ku ggye ly’Abamidiyaani.” 16 (I)Awo Abasajja bali ebikumi ebisatu n’abawulamu ebibinja bisatu, buli omu ku bo n’amukwasa ekkondeere n’ensuwa ng’erimu ekitawuliro.

17 N’abagamba nti, “Munnekalirize, bwe tunaaba tunaatera okutuuka ku lusiisira buli kye nnaakola nammwe nga mukikola. 18 (J)Nze n’abo benaabeera nabo, bwe tunaafuuwa amakondeere gaffe, nammwe ne mufuuwa agammwe, ne muleekaanira waggulu nti, ‘Ku lwa Mukama Katonda ne ku lwa Gidyoni.’ ”

Aba Midiyaani balinnyibwa ku nfeete

19 Eyo mu ttumbi nga Abamidiyaani baakajja bakyuse ekibinja ky’abakuumi, Gidyoni n’abalwanyi ekikumi be yali nabo, ne basemberera olusiisira, ne bafuuwa amakondeere, ne baasa n’ensuwa ze baali bakutte. 20 (K)Ebibinja ebirala nabo ne bafuuwa amakondeere, ne baasa ensuwa zaabwe, ne bakwata ebitawuliro mu mikono gyabwe egya kkono, n’amakondeere mu mikono gyabwe egya ddyo, ne bafuuwa nga bwe baleekaanira waggulu nti, “Ekitala kya Mukama Katonda era n’ekya Gidyoni.” 21 (L)Buli mulwanyi n’ayimirira mu kifo kye okwetooloola olusiisira: eggye lyonna ery’Abamidiyaani ne bafubutuka nga bwe baleekaanira waggulu.

22 (M)Awo amakondeere ebikumi ebisatu bwe gaafuuyibwa, Mukama Katonda n’atabulatabula Abamidiyaani ne battiŋŋana bokka na bokka n’ebitala byabwe era n’eggye lyabwe lyonna ne lifubutulwa okutuukira ddala e Besusitta okwolekera e Zerera, era n’okutuukira ddala Aberumekola okumpi ne Tabbasi. 23 (N)Abalwanyi ba Isirayiri bonna okuva mu kika ekya Nafutaali n’ekya Aseri n’ekya Manase, ne bakoowoolebwa okuwondera Abamidiyaani. 24 (O)Gidyoni n’asindika ababaka okubuna ekitundu kyonna ekya Efulayimu eky’ensozi: babalagire nti, “Muserengete era muwondere Abamidiyaani, mubasooke okwekwata omugga Yoludaani era n’enzizi okutuukira ddala e Besubata.”

Awo abalwanyi bonna ab’omu kika kya Efulayimu ne bakoowoolwa, ne bawamba omugga Yoludaani n’enzizi zonna okutuukira ddala e Besubata. 25 (P)Ne bawamba Olebu ne Zeebu bombi abalangira ba Midiyaani; Olebu ne bamuttira ku lwazi olumanyiddwa nga “Olwazi lwa Olebu” ne Zeebu ne bamuttira ku ssogolero erimanyiddwa nga “essogolero lya Zeebu”, ne bongera okuwondera Abamidiyaani. Omutwe gwa Olebu n’ogwa Zeebu, Gidyoni ne bagimusanza emitala wa Yoludaani.

Gideon Surprises and Routs the Midianites

Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the troops who were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod, and the camp of Midian was north of them, below[a] the hill of Moreh, in the valley.(A)

The Lord said to Gideon, “The troops with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand. Israel would only take the credit away from me, saying, ‘My own hand has delivered me.’(B) Now, therefore, proclaim this in the hearing of the troops, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home.’ ” Thus Gideon sifted them out;[b] twenty-two thousand returned, and ten thousand remained.(C)

Then the Lord said to Gideon, “The troops are still too many; take them down to the water, and I will sift them out for you there. When I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go with you, and when I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”(D) So he brought the troops down to the water, and the Lord said to Gideon, “All those who lap the water with their tongues, as a dog laps, you shall put to one side; all those who kneel down to drink, putting their hands to their mouths,[c] you shall put to the other side.” The number of those who lapped was three hundred, but all the rest of the troops knelt down to drink water. Then the Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred who lapped I will deliver you and give the Midianites into your hand. Let all the others go to their homes.”(E) So the people took provisions in their hands and their trumpets, and he sent all the rest of Israel back to their own tents but retained the three hundred. The camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

That same night the Lord said to him, “Get up; attack the camp, for I have given it into your hand.(F) 10 But if you fear to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah, 11 and you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to attack the camp.” Then he went down with his servant Purah to the outposts of the armed men who were in the camp.(G) 12 The Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the east lay along the valley as thick as locusts, and their camels were without number, countless as the sand on the seashore.(H) 13 When Gideon arrived, there was a man telling a dream to his comrade, and he said, “I had a dream, and in it a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell; it turned upside down, and the tent collapsed.” 14 And his comrade answered, “This is no other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, a man of Israel; into his hand God has given Midian and all the army.”(I)

15 When Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped, and he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Get up, for the Lord has given the army of Midian into your hand.”(J) 16 After he divided the three hundred men into three companies and put trumpets into the hands of all of them and empty jars, with torches inside the jars, 17 he said to them, “Look at me, and do the same; when I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. 18 When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets around the whole camp and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’ ”(K)

19 So Gideon and the hundred who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch, and they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands. 20 So the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars, holding in their left hands the torches and in their right hands the trumpets to blow, and they cried, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”(L) 21 Every man stood in his place all around the camp, and all the men in camp ran; they cried out and fled.(M) 22 When they blew the three hundred trumpets, the Lord set every man’s sword against his fellow and against all the army, and the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah,[d] as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.(N) 23 And the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali and from Asher and from all Manasseh, and they pursued after the Midianites.(O)

24 Then Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters against them, as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they seized the waters as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan.(P) 25 They captured the two captains of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; they killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb, as they pursued the Midianites. They brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon beyond the Jordan.(Q)

Footnotes

  1. 7.1 Heb from
  2. 7.3 Cn: Heb home, and depart from Mount Gilead’ ”
  3. 7.5 Heb places putting their hands to their mouths after lapped in 7.6
  4. 7.22 Another reading is Zeredah

Gideon Defeats the Midianites

Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal(A) (that is, Gideon(B)) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod.(C) The camp of Midian(D) was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh.(E) The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength(F) has saved me.’ Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.(G)’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.

But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many(H) men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”

So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.” Three hundred of them(I) drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.

The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands.(J) Let all the others go home.”(K) So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others.

Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. During that night the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands.(L) 10 If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah 11 and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp. 12 The Midianites, the Amalekites(M) and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts.(N) Their camels(O) could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.(P)

13 Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. “I had a dream,” he was saying. “A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.”

14 His friend responded, “This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash,(Q) the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.”

15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshiped.(R) He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.”(S) 16 Dividing the three hundred men(T) into three companies,(U) he placed trumpets(V) and empty jars(W) in the hands of all of them, with torches(X) inside.

17 “Watch me,” he told them. “Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. 18 When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets,(Y) then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’”

19 Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars(Z) that were in their hands. 20 The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches(AA) in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, “A sword(AB) for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled.(AC)

22 When the three hundred trumpets sounded,(AD) the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other(AE) with their swords.(AF) The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah(AG) near Tabbath. 23 Israelites from Naphtali, Asher(AH) and all Manasseh were called out,(AI) and they pursued the Midianites.(AJ) 24 Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan(AK) ahead of them as far as Beth Barah.”

So all the men of Ephraim were called out and they seized the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth Barah. 25 They also captured two of the Midianite leaders, Oreb and Zeeb(AL). They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb,(AM) and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued the Midianites(AN) and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was by the Jordan.(AO)