Gideon Wins the Battle Over the Midianites
1Early in the morning Jerub-Baal and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. Jerub-Baal was another name for Gideon. The camp of Midian was north of Gideon’s camp. It was in the valley near the hill of Moreh. 2The Lord said to Gideon, “I want to hand Midian over to you. But you have too many men for me to do that. Then Israel might brag, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ 3So here is what I want you to announce to the army. Tell them, ‘Those who tremble with fear can turn back. They can leave Mount Gilead.’ ” So 22,000 men left. But 10,000 remained.
4The Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. So take them down to the water. There I will reduce the number of them for you. If I say, ‘This one will go with you,’ he will go. But if I say, ‘That one will not go with you,’ he will not go.”
5So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord said to him, “Some men will drink the way dogs do. They will lap up the water with their tongues. Separate them from those who get down on their knees to drink.” 6Three hundred men brought up the water to their mouths with their hands. And they lapped it up the way dogs do. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.
7The Lord spoke to Gideon. He said, “With the help of the 300 men who lapped up the water I will save you. I will hand the Midianites over to you. Let all the other men go home.” 8So Gideon sent those Israelites home. But he kept the 300 men. They took over the supplies and trumpets the others had left.
The Midianites had set up their camp in the valley below where Gideon was. 9During that night the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up. Go down against the camp. I am going to hand it over to you. 10But what if you are afraid to attack? Then go down to the camp with your servant Purah. 11Listen to what they are saying. After that, you will not be afraid to attack the camp.” So Gideon and his servant Purah went down to the edge of the camp. 12The Midianites had set up their camp in the valley. So had the Amalekites and all the other tribes from the east. There were so many of them that they looked like huge numbers of locusts. Like the grains of sand on the seashore, their camels couldn’t be counted.
13Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend about his dream. “I had a dream,” he was saying. “A round loaf of barley bread came rolling into the camp of Midian. It hit a tent with great force. The tent turned over and fell down flat.”
14His friend replied, “That can only be the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash. Gideon is from Israel. God has handed the Midianites over to him. He has given him the whole camp.”
15Gideon heard the man explain what the dream meant. Then Gideon bowed down and worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel. He called out, “Get up! The Lord has handed the Midianites over to you.” 16Gideon separated the 300 men into three fighting groups. He put a trumpet and an empty jar into the hands of each man. And he put a torch inside each jar.
17“Watch me,” he told them. “Do what I do. I’ll go to the edge of the enemy camp. Then do exactly as I do. 18I and everyone with me will blow our trumpets. Then blow your trumpets from your positions all around the camp. And shout the battle cry, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’ ”
19Gideon and the 100 men with him reached the edge of the enemy camp. It was about ten o’clock at night. It was just after the guard had been changed. Gideon and his men blew their trumpets. They broke the jars that were in their hands. 20The three fighting groups blew their trumpets. They smashed their jars. They held their torches in their left hands. They held in their right hands the trumpets they were going to blow. Then they shouted the battle cry, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21Each man stayed in his position around the camp. But all the Midianites ran away in fear. They were crying out as they ran.
22When the 300 trumpets were blown, the Lord caused all the men in the enemy camp to start fighting one another. They attacked one another with their swords. The army ran away to Beth Shittah toward Zererah. They ran all the way to the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. 23Israelites from the tribes of Naphtali, Asher and all of Manasseh were called out. They chased the Midianites. 24Gideon sent messengers through the entire hill country of Ephraim. They said, “Come on down against the Midianites. Take control of the waters of the Jordan River before they get there. Do it all the way to Beth Barah.”
So all the men of Ephraim were called out. They took control of the waters of the Jordan all the way to Beth Barah. 25They also captured Oreb and Zeeb. Those men were two of the Midianite leaders. The men of Ephraim killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb. They killed Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. They chased the Midianites. And they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon. He was by the Jordan River.
Gideoni Agonjetsa Amidiyani
1Yeru-Baala (Gideoni) ndi anthu ake onse anadzuka mʼmamawa nakamanga misasa pambali pa kasupe ku Harodi. Misasa ya Amidiyani inali mʼchigwa kumpoto kwa phiri la More. 2Yehova anati kwa Gideoni, “Anthu uli nawowa andichulukira kwambiri kuti ndigonjetse Amidiyani chifukwa Aisraeli angamadzitukumule pamaso panga ndi kumanena kuti, ‘Tadzipulumutsa ndi mphamvu zathu.’ 3Tsono lengeza kwa anthu kuti, ‘Aliyense amene akuchita mantha ndi kunjenjemera abwerere kwawo, ndipo achoke kuno ku phiri la Giliyadi.’ ” Choncho anthu 22,000 anachoka, ndipo anatsalira anthu 10,000.
4Koma Yehova anawuza Gideoni kuti, “Anthuwa achulukabe. Uwatenge upite nawo ku mtsinje ndipo ndikawayesa kumeneko mʼmalo mwako. Ndikadzanena kuti, ‘Uyu apite nawe’ adzapita nawe; koma ndikanena kuti ‘Uyu asapite nawe,’ sadzapita nawe.”
5Choncho Gideoni anatenga anthuwo ndi kupita nawo ku madzi. Kumeneko Yehova anamuwuza kuti, “Amene amwe madzi mokhathira ndi manja ngati galu uwayike pawokha, ndipo amene amwe atagwada pansi uwayikenso pawokha.” 6Ndipo anthu 300 anamwa mokhathira, pamene ena onse anagwada pansi pakumwa.
7Yehova anati kwa Gideoni, “Ndi anthu 300 amene anamwa madzi mokhathira ndi manja awo ndidzakupulumutsani ndipo ndidzapereka Amidiyani mʼmanja mwanu. Koma anthu ena onse apite ku nyumba kwawo.” 8Choncho analola anthu ena onse kuti apite ku nyumba zawo kupatula anthu 300 osankhika aja. Iwowa anatenga zakudya ndi malipenga a anthuwo.
Ndipo misasa ya ankhondo Amidiyani inali kumunsi kwa chigwa. 9Usiku umenewo Yehova anati kwa Gideoni, “Dzuka, pita kachite nkhondo ku misasayo, chifukwa ndayipereka mʼmanja mwako. 10Ngati ukuopa, upite ku msasako ndi Pura wantchito wako, 11ndipo ukamvere zimene akunena ndipo pambuyo pake udzalimba mtima ndi kupita kukayithira nkhondo misasayo.” Choncho iye ndi wantchito wake Pura anapita kumbali ina ya msasawo kumene kunali ankhondo. 12Amidiyani, Aamaleki ndi anthu ena onse akummawa anadzaza chigwa chonse ngati dzombe. Ngamira zawo zinali zambiri zosawerengeka ngati mchenga wa mʼmbali mwa nyanja.
13Gideoni atafika anangomva munthu wina akuwuza mnzake maloto ake kuti, “Ine ndinalota nditaona dengu la buledi wa barele likugubuduzika kupita ku misasa ya Amidiyani. Litafika linawomba tenti moti inagwa ndi kuphwasukaphwasuka.”
14Ndipo mnzakeyo anamuyankha kuti, “Iyi ndi nkhondo ya Gideoni mwana wa Yowasi, wa ku Israeli. Mulungu wapereka Amidiyani pamodzi ndi ankhondo ake onse mʼdzanja mwake.”
15Gideoni atamva za malotowo ndi kumasulira kwake, anapembedza Mulungu. Kenaka anabwerera ku msasa wa Israeli nawawuza kuti, “Dzukani popeza Yehova wapereka msasa wa Midiyani mʼmanja mwanu.” 16Anawagawa anthu 300 aja magulu atatu, nawapatsa malipenga mʼmanja mwawo ndi mbiya zimene mʼkati mwake munali nsakali zoyaka.
17Anawuza anthuwo kuti, “Muzikayangʼana ine ndi kuchita zimene ndizikachita. Ndikakafika kumalire a msasa, mukachite zomwe ndikachita ine. 18Ndikadzaliza lipenga ndi onse amene ali ndi ine, inunso mukalize malipenga kumbali zonse za misasa yonse ndi kufuwula kuti, ‘Lupanga la Yehova ndi la Gideoni.’ ”
19Choncho Gideoni pamodzi ndi amuna 100 omwe anali nawo anafika ku malire a msasa pakati pa usiku, alonda atangosinthana kumene. Iwo analiza malipenga awo ndi kuphwanya mbiya zimene zinali mʼmanja mwawo. 20Magulu awiri ena aja anayimbanso malipenga ndi kuswa mbiya zawo. Aliyense ananyamula nsakali ya moto ku dzanja lamanzere ndi lipenga ku dzanja lamanja ndipo anafuwula kuti, “Lupanga la Yehova ndi la Gideoni.” 21Aliyense anayima pa malo pake kuzungulira misasa. Ankhondo a mʼmisasa muja anadzuka nayamba kuthawa akufuwula.
22Anthu 300 aja ataliza malipenga, Yehova anawasokoneza ankhondo a Midiyani aja motero kuti ankamenyana okhaokha. Ankhondowo anathawira ku Beti-Sita cha ku Zerera mpaka ku malire a Abeli-Mehola pafupi ndi Tabati. 23Aisraeli a fuko la Nafutali, fuko la Aseri, ndi fuko lonse la Manase anayitanidwa, ndipo iwo anathamangitsa Amidiyaniwo. 24Gideoni anatumiza amithenga ku dziko lonse la ku mapiri la Efereimu kukanena kuti, “Tsikani mumenyane ndi Amidiyani ndipo mulande madooko awo owolokera mpaka ku Beti-Bara.”
Choncho anthu onse a fuko la Efereimu anasonkhana ndipo analanda madooko awo owolokera mpaka ku Betibaala. 25Iwo anagwiranso atsogoleri awiri a nkhondo a Amidiyani, Orebu ndi Zeebu. Anapha Orebu ku thanthwe la Orebu, koma Zeebu anamuphera ku malo ofinyira mphesa ku Zeebu pothamangitsa Amidiyani. Mitu ya Orebu ndi Zeebu anabwera nayo kwa Gideoni kutsidya kwa Yorodani.
