Ukoyiswa kwamaMidiyan
1Ke kaloku amaEfrayim athi kuGidiyon: “Bekutheni ukuze ungasibizi thina ukuphuma kwakho usiya kulwa namaMidiyan? Ngani ukuba usiphathe kanje?” Amxoxisa ngamandla.
2Ke yena waphendula wathi: “Ukukhwahlaza kwenu, maEfrayim, kube nengeniso egqithe lé kwisivuno sethu, thina ndlu ka-Abhiyezere. 3Kaloku uThixo uzinikele ezandleni zenu zombini iinkosi zamaMidiyan, uOrebhe noZebhe. Ngaba yintoni na mna endiyenzileyo egqithe oko nikwenzileyo nina?” Akuba etshilo ke yadamba ingqumbo yamaEfrayim ngakuGidiyon.
4Ngeli thuba ke uGidiyon nomkhosi wakhe omakhulu mathathu bafika kwiJordan. Nakuba babediniwe bayiwela, bawasukela amaMidiyan. 5Bakufika eSukoti uGidiyon wathi kubantu bakhona: “Umkhosi wam udiniwe; khaniwuphe isonka, kuba ndisukela ookumkani bamaMidiyan uZebha noZalmuna.”
6Amadoda amakhulu aseSukoti ala, athi: “Yini le? Ngaba sewuboyisile ooZebha noZalmuna, khon' ukuze umkhosi wakho siwunike isonka?”
7UGidiyon ke wathi: “Hayi ke, kulungile! Akuba ebanikele kum *uNdikhoyo ooZebha noZalmuna, nina ndiya kuniphala ngameva nenkunzane.” 8Wagqitha ke waya kutsho ePenuweli, nalapho ke wenza kwaeso sicelo kubantu balapho; nabo ke bamphendula kwangolo hlobo lwamaSukoti. 9Wathi ke kubo: “Akukho nto. Ndiza kubuya xa ndiloyisile utshaba, ndaye ke ndakuba ndibuyile ndiya kuyidiliza le nqaba yenu.”
10Ke uZebha noZalmuna nomkhosi wabo babeseKarekore. Kuloo mkhosi wabantu basempumalanga kwakuwe amadoda akwisithuba samawaka alikhulu elinamashumi amabini, kwasala ishumi elinesihlanu lamawaka kuphela. 11UGidiyon ke wenjenjalo ukumka ngaloo ndlela yabemi basentlango, ngakwimpuma yeNobha neJogebheha, waza wawuqubula loo mkhosi, wawoyisa. 12Ke bona ookumkani abo, uZebha noZalmuna, babaleka, waza ke wabasukela wababamba, watsho nomkhosi wabo warhwaqela.
13Ekubuyeni kwakhe kwelo dabi uGidiyon unyana kaJowashe wahamba ngendlela eqabela kwinkalo yeHeres, 14waza wabamba umfana waseSukoti, wamncina ngemibuzo. Lo mfana wabhalela uGidiyon amagama amadoda amakhulu angamashumi asixhenxe anesixhenxe aseSukoti. 15UGidiyon ke waya kumaSukoti, wafika wathi: “Naba ke uZebha noZalmuna enaniphoxisa ngam ngenxa yabo, nisithi: ‘Ngaba sewuboyisile na ooZebha noZalmuna, le nto selufuna siwunike isonka umkhosi wakhe odiniweyo?’ ”
16Ngoko ke wathatha ameva nenkunzane, wawaphala ngayo, ewafundisa isifundo amadoda amakhulu aseSukoti. 17Wayidiliza nenqaba yasePenuweli, wawabulala amadoda akhona.
18UGidiyon wabuza uZebha noZalmuna wathi: “Ayeluhlobo luni na laa madoda nawabulalayo eTabore?”
Ke bona baphendula bathi: “Ayefana nawe lowo kanye – onke ayengathi ngoonyana bokumkani.”
19UGidiyon wathi: “Yayingabantakwethu abazalwa ngumama. Inene, ndiyafunga, ekho nje uNdikhoyo, ukuba naningawabulalanga bendingazukunibulala nani ngoku.” 20Wayalela unyana wakhe omkhulu, uYetere, wathi: “Khwela kubo; babulale!” Kodwa ke inkwenkwe leyo yoyika, ayabinza, kuba yayiselula.
21UZebha noZalmuna bathi ke kuGidiyon: “Sibulale ngokwakho; kaloku indoda ibonakala ngamandla ayo.” UGidiyon ke wababulala, waza wazithatha izihombiso ezazisezintanjeni zeenkamela zabo.
UGidiyon uzenzela isidanga sonqulo
22Emva koko ke amaSirayeli acela uGidiyon athi: “Masesilawulwa nguwe nenzala yakho. Kaloku nguwe osihlanguleyo kumaMidiyan.”
23Ke yena waphendula wathi: “Hayi, soze nilawulwe ndim nangunyana wam, koko niya kulawulwa *nguNdikhoyo.” 24Waqhuba ke wathi: “Mandicele le nto apha kuni: umntu ngamnye makandiphe icici alifumeneyo lisisabelo sakhe sempahla ethinjiweyo.” (Kaloku amaMidiyan, engamaIshmayeli nje, ayefaka amacici.)
25AmaSirayeli aphendula athi: “Kulungile, siyavuma ukuyenza loo nto.” Baneka ingubo phantsi, yaza ke yangulowo nalowo wabeka kuyo icici alifumeneyo. 26Loo macici egolide awawafumanayo ke uGidiyon aba kwisithuba samashumi amabini eekhilogram ubunzima bawo, ngaphandle kwentsimbi yokuhombisa, amaso, namalaphu amsobo ookumkani bamaMidiyan, nangaphandle kwezihombiso ezazifakwa ezintanyeni zeenkamela. 27Ke uGidiyon wayithatha loo golide, wenza *isidanga sonqulo ngayo, wasibeka apho kowabo eOfra. Onke ke amaSirayeli akreqa kuThixo ngenxa yeso sidanga. Le nto yaba ngumgibe kuGidiyon nomzi wakowabo.
28Kwaba njalo ke ukoyiswa kwamaMidiyan, akaba savusa mnyele. Ilizwe elo ke lafumana amashumi amane eminyaka yenzolo ngemihla kaGidiyon.
Ukufa kukaGidiyon
29Ke kaloku uJerubhali, uGidiyon unyana kaJowashe, wagoduka waya kuhlala ekhaya. 30Oonyana bakhe babengamashumi asixhenxe; kuba kaloku wayenabafazi abaninzi. 31Futhi ke wayenenkazana eShekem; yona ke yazala unyana, waza wamthiya igama elinguAbhimeleki. 32UGidiyon ke unyana kaJowashe wasweleka selekhulile, waza wafihlwa kwingcwaba likayise uJowashe eOfra, idolophu yama-Abhiyezere.
33Emva kokusweleka kukaGidiyon ke amaSirayeli zange anyaniseke kuThixo, asuka anqula ooBhali. Asuka athi phithi nguBhali womnqophiso, emenza isithixo sawo, 34akaba samkhumbula *uNdikhoyo uThixo wawo, owayewahlangule kuzo zonke iintshaba ezaziwaphahlile. 35AmaSirayeli zange anyaniseke kumzi wakuloJerubhali (uGidiyon ukutsho) ngenxa yobulungisa owawubenzele bona.
