Judges 8

1 Then the descendants of Ephraim said to Gideon, “Why have you acted toward us like this? When you went out to fight against the people of Midian, why did you not summon us [to help you]?” They rebuked Gideon severely.

Pea naʻe pehē ʻe he kau tangata ʻo ʻIfalemi kiate ia, “Ko e hā ʻae meʻa ni kuo ke fai, naʻe ʻikai te ke ui ʻakimautolu, ʻi hoʻo ʻalu ke tauʻi ʻae kakai Mitiane?” Pea naʻa nau lea mālohi kiate ia.

2 But Gideon replied, “I have done [RHQ] very little compared with what you have done! My small clan of descendants of Abiezer only started the battle, but [your very large group of] descendants of Ephraim [helped me to finish the task very well. It is like] the final grapes of the harvest being much better than the first grapes that are picked.

Pea pehē ʻe ia kiate kinautolu, “Ko e hā ia kuo fai ʻeau, ke fakatatau ki he meʻa kuo fai ʻekimoutolu? ʻIkai kuo lelei lahi hake ʻae tufi ʻoe toenga kālepi ʻo ʻIfalemi ʻi he ututaʻu kātoa ʻa ʻApiesa?

3 God enabled you to defeat Oreb and Zeeb, the generals of the army from Midian. That is [RHQ] much more important than what I did!” After Gideon told them that, they no longer resented what he had done.

Kuo tukuange ʻe he ʻOtua ki homou nima ʻae ongo ʻeiki ʻo Mitiane ko Olepi mo Siipi: pea ko e hā ia te u mafai ʻeau, ke fakatatau mo kimoutolu?” Pea hili ʻene lea ko ia kiate kinautolu, naʻe ʻosi leva ʻenau ʻita kiate ia.

4 Then Gideon and his 300 men [went east and] crossed the Jordan [River]. Although they were very tired, they continued to pursue their enemies.

Pea naʻe haʻu ʻa Kitione ki Sioatani, pea ʻalu ki he kauvai ʻe taha, ʻa ia, mo e kau tangata ʻe toko tolungeau naʻe ʻiate ia, naʻe vaivai kae tuli pē.

5 When they arrived at Succoth [town], Gideon said to the town leaders, “Please give my men some food! They are very tired. We are pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”

Pea pehē ʻe ia ki he kau tangata ʻo Sukote, “ʻOku ou kole kiate kimoutolu, tuku mai ʻae ngaahi foʻi mā ki he kakai ʻoku muimui ʻiate au, he ʻoku nau vaivai, pea ʻoku ou tuli kia Sipa mo Salimuna, ko e ongo tuʻi ʻo Mitiane.”

6 But the leaders of Succoth replied, “You have not caught [RHQ] Zebah and Zalmunna yet. So why should we give food to your troops [now? Catch them first, and then we will give you food].”

Pea naʻe pehē ʻe he houʻeiki ʻo Sukote, “He ʻoku ʻi ho nima ʻoʻou ʻae nima ʻo Sipa mo Salimuna koeʻuhi ke mau ʻatu ʻae mā ki hoʻo kau tau?”

7 Gideon replied, “[Because you said that], after Yahweh enables us to defeat Zebah and Zalmunna, we will return. And then we will make whips from thorns from the desert, and with them we will rip the flesh off your bones!”

Pea naʻe pehē ʻe Kitione, “Ko ia ʻi he tuku ʻe Sihova ki hoku nima ʻa Sipa mo Salimuna, te u toki haha homou kakano ʻaki ʻae ngaahi ʻakau talatala ʻoe toafa mo e talatalaʻāmoa.”

8 From there, Gideon [and his 300 men] went to Peniel and asked for food there, but the people gave him the same answer.

Pea naʻe ʻalu hake mei ai ia ki Penieli, ʻo ne lea tatau pe kiate kinautolu: pea naʻe tali ia ʻe he kau tangata ʻo Penieli ʻo hangē ko hono tali ia ʻe he kau tangata ʻa Sukote.

9 So he said to the men of Peniel, “After I defeat those kings, I will return and tear down this tower!”

Pea naʻe lea ia ki he kau tangata ʻo Penieli, ʻo pehē, “ʻI heʻeku toe haʻu ʻi he melino, te u holoki hifo ʻae fale māʻolunga ni.”

10 By that time, Zebah and Zalmunna had gone to Karkor [town] with 15,000 troops. They were all that were left of the armies that had come from the east. 120,000 of their men had already been killed.

Pea naʻe ʻi Kalikoa ʻa Sipa mo Salimuna, mo honau ngaahi tau, ko e kau tangata ʻe tokotaha mano mo e toko nima afe nai, ko hono kātoa ia naʻe toe ʻi he ngaahi tau ʻoe fānau kotoa pē ʻoe potu hahake: he naʻe tō ʻae tokotaha kilu mo e toko ua mano ʻi he kau tangata naʻe unuhi ʻae heletā.

11 Gideon [and his men] went east along the road on which caravans travel. They went past Nobah and Jogbehah [villages] and arrived at the enemy camp by surprise.

Pe naʻe ʻalu hake ʻa Kitione ʻi he hala ʻokinautolu naʻe nofo ʻi he ngaahi fale fehikitaki ʻi he potu hahake ki Nopa mo Sokipa, ʻo ne teʻia ʻae tau: he naʻe nofo fiemālie pē ʻae tau.

12 Zebah and Zalmunna fled, but Gideon’s men pursued them and captured them and all their warriors.

Pea ʻi he hola ʻa Sipa mo Salimuna, naʻe tuli ʻe ia ʻakinaua, ʻo ne maʻu ʻae ongo tuʻi ʻo Mitiane, ko Sipa mo Salimuna, ʻo ne veuveuki ʻa e tau kotoa.

13 After that, Gideon and his men [took Zebah and Zalmunna with them and] started to return, going through Heres Pass.

Pea naʻe liu mai ʻa Kitione ko e foha ʻo Soasi mei he tau ʻoku teʻeki ai hopo hake ʻae laʻā.

14 There he captured a young man from Succoth, and demanded that he write down the names of all of the leaders in the town. The young man wrote down seventy-seven names.

Pea naʻa ne puke ʻae talavou ʻi he kakai ʻo Sukote, ʻo ne fehuʻi ʻiate ia: pea naʻa ne fakahā kiate ia ʻae houʻeiki ʻo Sukote, mo e kau mātuʻa ʻo ia, ʻio, ʻae kau tangata ʻe toko fitungofulu ma toko fitu.

15 Then Gideon and his men returned to Succoth and said to those leaders, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna. When we were here before, you made fun of me and said ‘You have not [RHQ] caught Zebah and Zalmunna yet! After you catch them, we will give your exhausted men some food.’”

Pea naʻe haʻu ia ki he kau tangata ʻo Sukote, ʻo ne pehē, “Vakai kia Sipa mo Salimuna, ʻaia naʻa mou manuki ai kiate au, ʻo pehē, Ko eni, he ʻoku ʻi ho nima ʻae nima ʻo Sipa mo Salimuna, koeʻuhi ke mau ʻatu ai ha mā ki ho kau tangata ʻoku vaivai?”

16 Then Gideon’s men took the town leaders and whipped them with whips made from briers from the desert, to teach them [that they deserved to be punished for not giving them any food].

Pea naʻa ne ʻave ʻae kau mātuʻa ʻoe kolo, mo e ngaahi ʻakau talatala ʻoe toafa, mo e talatalaʻāmoa, pea ne ako ʻaki ia ʻae kau tangata ʻoe kolo.

17 Then [they went to] Peniel and tore down the tower, and killed all the men in the town.

Pea naʻa ne tā ʻo holoki hifo ʻae fale māʻolunga ʻo Penieli, ʻo ne tāmateʻi ʻae kau tangata ʻoe kolo.

18 Then Gideon said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “The men you killed near Tabor [Mountain], what did they look like?” They replied, “They were like you; they all looked like they were sons of a king.”

Pea naʻe pehē ʻe ia kia Sipa mo Salimuna, “Ko e kau tangata fē ʻakinautolu naʻa mou tāmateʻi ʻi Tepoa? Pea naʻa na pehēange, Hangē ko koe, naʻe pehē pe ʻakinautolu: naʻe ngalingali tuʻi ʻakinautolu taki taha kotoa pē.”

19 Gideon replied, “They were my brothers! Just as surely as Yahweh lives, I would not kill you if you had not killed them.”

Pea pehē ʻe ia, “Ko hoku ngaahi kāinga ʻakinautolu, ʻio, ko e ngaahi fānau ʻa ʻeku faʻē: ʻoku moʻui ʻa Sihova, ka ne mo fakamoʻui ʻakinautolu, pehē ʻe ʻikai te u tāmateʻi ʻakimoua.”

20 Then he turned to his oldest son, Jether. He said to him, “Kill them!” But Jether was only a boy, and he was afraid, so he did not pull out his dagger [to kill them].

Pea pehē ʻe ia kia Sesa ko hono ʻuluaki tupu, “Tuʻu hake, ʻo tāmateʻi ʻakinaua.” Ka naʻe ʻikai unuhi ʻene heletā ʻe he tamasiʻi: he naʻe manavahē ia, koeʻuhi naʻe kei siʻi ia.

21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, “Do not ask a young boy to do the work that a man should do!” So Gideon killed both of them. Then he took the gold ornaments from the necks of their camels.

Pea naʻe pehē ʻe Sipa mo Salimuna, “Tuʻu ʻa koe, ʻo taaʻi ʻakimaua: he ʻoku hangē ko e tangata ʻoku pehē ʻene mālohi.” Pea naʻe tuʻu ʻa Kitione ʻo ne tāmateʻi ʻa Sipa mo Salimuna; ʻo ne toʻo ʻo ʻave ʻae ngaahi teunga naʻe ʻi he kia ʻo ʻena ongo kāmeli.

22 Then a group of Israeli men [came to] Gideon and said to him, “You be our ruler! [We want] you and your son and your grandsons [to] be our rulers, because you rescued us from the Midian army.”

Pea naʻe pehē ai ʻe he kau tangata ʻo ʻIsileli kia Kitione, “Ke ke pule koe kiate kimautolu, ʻa koe mo ho foha, mo e foha ʻo ho foha: he kuo ke fakamoʻui ʻakimautolu mei he nima ʻo Mitiane.”

23 But Gideon replied, “No, I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you. Yahweh will rule over you.”

Pea naʻe pehē ʻe Kitione kiate kinautolu, “ʻE ʻikai te u pule kiate kimoutolu, pea ʻe ʻikai pule ʻa hoku foha kiate kimoutolu: ko Sihova ko ia ia ʻe pule kiate kimoutolu.”

24 Then he said, “I request only one thing. I request that each of you give me one earring from the things you captured after the battle.” [All the men descended from Ishmael wore gold earrings.]

Pea naʻe pehē ʻe Kitione kiate kinautolu, “ʻOku ou fie fai atu ʻeku kole kiate kimoutolu, koeʻuhi ke mou tuku mai kiate au ʻae ngaahi mama kuo mou maʻu ʻi he vete.” (He naʻa nau ʻai ʻae hau koula, he ko e kau ʻIsimeʻeli ʻakinautolu.)

25 They replied, “We will be glad to give earrings to you!” So they spread a cloth [on the ground], and each man threw on it one gold earring that he had taken [from a man he had killed in the battle].

Pea naʻe pehēange ʻekinautolu, “Te mau ʻatu fiemālie pe ia.” Pea naʻa nau folahi ʻae kofu pea naʻe sī ki ai taki taha ʻe he tangata ʻae ngaahi hau mei heʻene meʻa.

26 The weight of all the earrings was (43 pounds/19.4 kg.). That did not include other things [that they gave to Gideon]—the other ornaments or the pendants or the clothes that the kings of Midian wore or the gold chains that were on the necks of their camels.

Pea ko hono mamafa ʻoe ngaahi hau koula ʻaia naʻa ne kole, ko e [sikeli ]koula ʻe taha afe mo e fitungeau: ka ʻoku lau kehe ʻae ngaahi teunga, mo e ngaahi kahoa, mo e ngaahi kofu lanumoana naʻe ʻi he ongo tuʻi ʻo Mitiane, pea mo e ngaahi kahoa naʻe ʻi he kia ʻo ʻenau fanga kāmeli.

27 Gideon made/decorated a sacred vest from the gold, and later he put it in his hometown, Ophrah. But soon the Israeli people started to worship the vest. So it became like a trap [MET] for the people, [causing them to worship it instead of worshiping only God].

Pea naʻe ngaohi ʻaki ia ʻe Kitione ʻae ʻefoti pea naʻe tuku ia ki he kolo, ʻaia ko Ofila: pea naʻe ʻalu ki ai ʻa ʻIsileli kotoa pē ʻo fai angahala: pea naʻe hoko ʻae meʻa ko ia ko e tauhele kia Kitione, pea ki hono fale.

28 That is how the Israelis defeated the people from Midian. The people of Midian did not become strong enough to attack Israel again. So while Gideon was alive, there was peace in the land for 40 years.

Naʻe pehē ʻae fakamoʻulaloa ʻo Mitiane ʻi he ʻao ʻoe fānau ʻa ʻIsileli, ko ia naʻe ʻikai tenau toe hiki hake honau ʻulu. Pea naʻe nofo fiemālie pe ʻae fonua ʻi he taʻu ʻe fāngofulu ʻi he ngaahi ʻaho ʻo Kitione.

29 Gideon went back home to live there.

Pea naʻe ʻalu ʻa Selupeali ko e foha ʻo Soasi ʻo nofo ʻi hono fale ʻoʻona.

30 He had many wives, and they bore him seventy sons.

Pea naʻe ʻia Kitione ʻae foha ʻe toko fitungofulu naʻe tupu ʻiate ia: he naʻe tokolahi hono uaifi.

31 He also had a slave wife in Shechem [town], who bore him a son whom he named Abimelech.

Pea naʻe fānau kiate ia ʻe he kaunanga naʻe ʻi Sikemi ʻae tama, ʻaia naʻa ne ui ko ʻApimeleki.

32 Gideon died when he was very old. They buried his body in the grave where his father Joash was buried, at Ophrah, in the land belonging to the descendants of Abiether.

Pea naʻe pekia ʻa Kitione ko e foha ʻo Soasi kuo aʻu ʻa hono taʻu, pea naʻe tanu ia ʻi he faʻitoka ʻo ʻene tamai ko Soasi, ʻi Ofila ʻoe kakai ʻApiesa.

33 But as soon as Gideon died, the Israelis [stopped worshiping God and started worshiping the images of the god Baal, like] [MET] adultresses [leave their husbands and go to sleep with other men]. They made a [statue of a] new god called Baal-Berith.

Pea kuo pekia leva ʻa Kitione naʻe hoko ʻo pehē, naʻe toe tafoki ʻae fānau ʻa ʻIsileli, ʻonau muimui holi kovi kia Peali, ʻonau ʻotua ʻaki ʻa Peali-Piliti.

34 They forgot about Yahweh, the one who had rescued them from all their enemies that surrounded them.

Pea naʻe ʻikai manatuʻi ʻe he fānau ʻa ʻIsileli kia Sihova ko honau ʻOtua, ʻaia naʻa ne fakamoʻui ʻakinautolu mei he nima ʻo honau ngaahi fili ʻi he potu kotoa pē.

35 And even though Gideon had done many good things for the Israelis, they were not kind to Gideon’s family.

Pea naʻe ʻikai tenau fakahā ʻae ʻofa ki he fale ʻo Selupeali, ʻaia ko Kitione, ʻo hangē ko e ngāue lelei ʻaia naʻe fakahā ʻe ia ki ʻIsileli.