UGideyoni uyanqoba abakwaMidiyani
1UJerubali* onguGideyoni nabantu bonke ababenaye bavuka ekuseni, bamisa ngasemthonjeni waseHarodi; ikamu* lakwaMidiyani lalingasenyakatho kwabo ngasegqumeni laseMore esigodini.
2UJehova wathi kuGideyoni: Abantu abanawe baningi kakhulu ukuba nginikele abakwaMidiyani esandleni sabo, funa uIsrayeli aziqhenye ngakimi ngokuthi: Isandla sami singisindisile.
3Ngalokho memeza ezindlebeni zabantu, uthi: Owesabayo ethuthumela makabuye, amuke entabeni yakwaGileyadi. Kwabuya abantu abayizinkulungwane ezingamashumi amabili nambili, kwasala abayizinkulungwane eziyishumi.
4UJehova wathi kuGideyoni: Abantu basebaningi; behlisele ngasemanzini, ngikulingele bona khona; kuyakuthi lowo engizakusho ngaye kuwe ukuthi: Lo uzakuhamba nawe, yena ahambe nawe; nalowo engizakusho ngaye kuwe ukuthi: Lo akayikuhamba nawe, yena akayikuhamba.
5Wayesebehlisela abantu ngasemanzini; uJehova wathi kuGideyoni: Bonke abaxhapha amanzi ngolimi lwabo njengokuxhapha kwenja babeke bodwa, kanjalo nabo bonke abaguqa ngamadolo ukuba baphuze.
6Umumo wabaxhaphayo bebeka isandla emlonyeni wawungamadoda angamakhulu amathathu, kepha bonke abanye abantu baguqa ngamadolo ukuba baphuze amanzi.
7Wayesethi uJehova kuGideyoni: Ngalawomadoda amakhulu amathathu axhaphayo ngizakunisindisa, ngibanikele abakwaMidiyani esandleni sakho; bonke abanye abantu mabahambe, yilowo nalowo aye endaweni yakhe.
8Abantu base bethatha umphako ngesandla sabo namacilongo abo; bonke abanye abakwaIsrayeli wabathuma, kwabayilowo nalowo etendeni lakhe, wagcina lawomadoda amakhulu amathathu; ikamu* lakwaMidiyani laliphansi kwakhe esigodini.
9Kwathi ngalobobusuku uJehova wathi kuye: Vuka wehlele ekamu, ngokuba sengilinikele esandleni sakho.
10Kepha uma wesaba ukwehla, yehla noPhura udibi lwakho, niye ekamu;
11uzakuzwa ukuthi bathini, andukuba kuqiniswe izandla zakho ukuba wehlele ekamu. Khona wehla noPhura udibi lwakhe emaphethelweni abahlomileyo abasekamu.
12AbakwaMidiyani nama-Amaleki nabo bonke abasempumalanga bahlala esigodini njengesikhonyane ngobuningi; amakamela abo ayengenakubalwa, angangesihlabathi esisogwini lolwandle ngobuningi.
13Lapho efika uGideyoni, bheka, umuntu wayelandisa umngane wakhe iphupho, wathi: Ngaphupha iphupho; bheka, iqebelengwane lesinkwa sebhali* lagingqikela ekamu lakwaMidiyani, lafika etendeni, lalishaya laze lawa, laligumbuqela, labhadalala.
14Umngane wakhe waphendula wathi: Lokhu akulutho ngaphandle kwenkemba kaGideyoni indodana kaJowashi, umuntu wakwaIsrayeli; uNkulunkulu unikele esandleni sakhe uMidiyani nempi yonke.
15Kwathi uGideyoni ekuzwa ukulandwa kwephupho nokuchazwa kwalo, wakhuleka; wabuyela ekamu lakwaIsrayeli, wathi: Vukani, ngokuba uJehova unikele esandleni senu impi yakwaMidiyani.
16Wahlukanisela amadoda angamakhulu amathathu izigaba ezintathu, wawanika, kwaba-yileyo naleyo amacilongo ezandleni zawo, nezitsha ezingenalutho, nezimbaqa zisezitsheni.
17Wathi kuwo: Ngibukeni, nenze kanjalo; bhekani, nxa nifika emaphethelweni ekamu, kuyakuthi njengalokho kwenza mina, nenze nani.
18Nxa ngibetha icilongo, mina nabo bonke abanami, bethani nani amacilongo nxazonke zekamu, nithi: EkaJehova nekaGideyoni.
19UGideyoni namadoda ayikhulu ayenaye base befika emaphethelweni ekamu ngasekuqaleni komlindo ophakathi, besand' ukubeka abalindi; babetha amacilongo, baphohloza izitsha abaziphetheyo ngezandla.
20Izigaba zontathu zabetha amacilongo, zaphohloza izitsha, zaphatha izimbaqa ngezandla zokhohlo namacilongo ngezandla zokunene ukuba ziwabethe; zamemeza zathi: Inkemba kaJehova nekaGideyoni.
21Onke amadoda ayemi, kwaba-yileyo naleyo, ahaqa ikamu; bonke abasekamu bagijima bamemeza.
22Abetha amacilongo angamakhulu amathathu, uJehova wabekisa inkemba yalowo nalowo ngakumngane wakhe nakulo ikamu lonke; ikamu labaleka kwaze kwaba-seBeti-Shitha ngaseSerera, laze lafika emkhawulweni weAbela-Mehola ngaseThabati.
23Amadoda akwaIsrayeli ayebuthene evela kwaNafetali, nakwa-Asheri, nakulo lonke lakwaManase, abaxosha abakwaMidiyani.
24UGideyoni wayesethuma izithunywa ezintabeni zonke zakwaEfrayimi, wathi: Yehlani, nihlangabezane nabakwaMidiyani, nibavimbe emanzini kuze kube-seBetha-Bara naseJordani. Onke amadoda akwaEfrayimi ayesebuthana, abavimbela emanzini kwaze kwaba-seBetha-Bara naseJordani.
25Abamba izikhulu ezimbili zakwaMidiyani, o-Orebi noZebi, ambulala uOrebi ngasedwaleni likaOrebi, noZebi bambulala ngasesikhamweni sewayini sikaZebi, abaxosha abakwaMidiyani; aletha ikhanda likaOrebi nelikaZebi kuGideyoni phesheya kweJordani.
