Waamuzi 8
1 Watu wa Efraimu wakamwambia Gideoni, “Ni nini hiki umetutenda? Haukuita wakati ulipokwenda kupigana na Midiani.” Wakamwambia kwa nguvu.
Then the men of Ephraim said to Gideon, “Why have you done this to us? Why did you fail to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they contended with him violently.
2 Akawaambia, “Nimefanya nini sasa kulinganisha na mlichofanya ninyi? Je! Mavuno ya zabibu za Efraimu si bora zaidi kuliko mavuno ya zabibu ya Abiezeri?
But Gideon answered them, “Now what have I accomplished compared to you? Are not the gleanings of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer?
3 Mungu amewapa ushindi juu ya wakuu wa Midiani-Orebu na Zeeb! Mimi nimefanya nini ukilinganisha na ninyi?” Hasira yao ikashuka chini aliposema hili.
God has delivered Oreb and Zeeb, the two princes of Midian, into your hand. What was I able to do compared to you?” When he had said this, their anger against him subsided.
4 Gideoni alikuja Yordani na akavuka juu yake, yeye na watu mia tatu waliokuwa pamoja naye. Walikuwa wamechoka, lakini bado waliendelea kufuatilia.
Then Gideon and his three hundred men came to the Jordan and crossed it, exhausted yet still in pursuit.
5 Akawaambia watu wa Sukothi, “Tafadhali wape mikate kwa watu wanaonifuata, kwa kuwa wamechoka, nami niwafuatilia Zeba na Salmuna, wafalme wa Midiani.
So Gideon said to the men of Succoth, “Please give my troops some bread, for they are exhausted, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”
6 Na wakuu wakasema, “Je, mikono ya Zeba na Salmuna sasa ipo mikononi mwako? Kwa nini tulipe jeshi lako mikate?”
But the leaders of Succoth asked, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your possession, that we should give bread to your army?”
7 Gideoni akasema, “Bwana akitupa ushindi juu ya Zeba na Salmunna, nitainyunyiza ngozi yenu kwa miiba ya jangwani na michongoma.
“Very well,” Gideon replied, “when the LORD has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with the thorns and briers of the wilderness!”
8 Akatoka huko, akaenda Penieli, akawaambia watu maneno hayo hayo; lakini watu wa Penieli wakamjibu kama watu wa Sukothi walivyojibu.
From there he went up to Penuel and asked the same from them, but the men of Penuel gave the same response as the men of Succoth.
9 Akawaambia pia watu wa Penieli, akasema, “Nitakapokuja kwa amani, nitauangusha mnara huu.”
So Gideon told the men of Penuel, “When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower!”
10 Sasa Zeba na Salmuna walikuwa huko Karkori pamoja na jeshi lao, karibu na watu elfu kumi na tano, wote waliosalia nje ya jeshi lote la watu wa Mashariki, kwa kuwa walianguka watu 120, 000 waliofundishwa kupigana na upanga.
Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army of about fifteen thousand men—all that were left of the armies of the people of the east. A hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had already fallen.
11 Gideoni akapanda barabara iliyochukuliwa na wakaazi wa hema, Noba na Yogbena. Akalishinda jeshi la adui, kwa sababu hawakuwa wanatarajia shambulio.
And Gideon went up by way of the caravan route east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and he attacked their army, taking them by surprise.
12 Zeba na Salmuna walikimbia, na Gideoni alipowafuata, akawatwaa wafalme wawili wa Midiani-Zeba na Salmunna- na kulifanya jeshi lote kuwa na hofu.
When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, Gideon pursued and captured these two kings of Midian, routing their entire army.
13 Gideoni, mwana wa Yoashi, alirudi kutoka kwenye vita kwenda kupitia Heresi.
After this, Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle along the Ascent of Heres.
14 Akamkimbilia kijana mmoja wa watu wa Sukothi na kutafuta ushauri kutoka kwake. Kijana huyo alimwelezea viongozi wa Sukothi na wazee wake, watu sabini na saba.
There he captured a young man of Succoth and interrogated him. The young man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven leaders and elders of Succoth.
15 Gideoni akaja kwa watu wa Sukothi, akasema, “Tazameni Zeba na Salmuna, ambao mlinidhihaki kwa ajili yao, nikasema, 'Je! mmemshinda Zeba na Salmuna? Hatujui kwamba tunapaswa kulipa jeshi lako mkate.”
And Gideon went to the men of Succoth and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your possession, that we should give bread to your weary men?’”
16 Gideoni akawachukua wazee wa mji, naye akawaadhibu watu wa Sukothi pamoja na miiba ya jangwa na michongoma.
Then he took the elders of the city, and using the thorns and briers of the wilderness, he disciplined the men of Succoth.
17 Akaangusha mnara wa Penieli na kuwaua watu wa mji huo.
He also pulled down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
18 Gideoni akamwambia Zeba na Salmuna, “Ni watu wa aina gani mliwauawa Tabori?” Wakajibu, “Kama wewe ulivyo, ndivyo walivyokuwa. Kila mmoja wao alionekana kama mwana wa mfalme.”
Next, Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?” “Men like you,” they answered, “each one resembling the son of a king.”
19 Gideoni akasema, 'Wao walikuwa ndugu zangu, wana wa mama yangu. Kama Bwana anaishivyo, kama mngewaacha hai, nisingewauwa.”
“They were my brothers,” Gideon replied, “the sons of my mother! As surely as the LORD lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.”
20 Akamwambia Yetheri (mzaliwa wake wa kwanza), “Simama uwaue!” Lakini kijana huyo hakutoa upanga wake kwa kuwa aliogopa, kwa sababu alikuwa bado kijana mdogo.
So he said to Jether, his firstborn, “Get up and kill them.” But the young man did not draw his sword; he was fearful because he was still a youth.
21 Ndipo Zeba na Salmuna wakasema, simama mwenyewe, utuue! Kwa maana kama mtu alivyo, ndivyo zilivyo nguvu zake. Gideoni akasimama na kumwua Zeba na Salmuna. Pia aliondoa mapambo yaliyokuwa juu ya shingo za ngamia zao.
Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Get up and kill us yourself, for as the man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon got up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent ornaments from the necks of their camels.
22 Ndipo wana wa Israeli wakamwambia Gideoni, “Ututawale, wewe, mtoto wako, na mjukuu wako; kwa sababu umetuokoa mikononi mwa Midiani.”
Then the Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you and your son and grandson—for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.”
23 Gideoni akawaambia, “Mimi sitatawala juu yenu, wala mtoto wangu hatatawala juu yenu. Bwana atatawala juu yenu.”
But Gideon replied, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The LORD shall rule over you.”
24 Gideoni akawaambia, “Nina haja yangu niitakayo kwenu kwamba kila mmoja wenu atanipe pete kutoka kwenye nyara zake.” (Wamidiani walikuwa na pete za dhahabu kwa sababu walikuwa Waishmaeli.)
Then he added, “Let me make a request of you, that each of you give me an earring from his plunder.” (For the enemies had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.)
25 Wakamjibu, “Tunafurahi kukupa.” Wakatandika vazi na kila mtu akatupa pete kutoka kwenye nyara zake.
“We will give them gladly,” they replied. So they spread out a garment, and each man threw an earring from his plunder onto it.
26 Uzito wa pete za dhahabu alizoomba zilikuwa shekeli 1, 700 za dhahabu. Nyara hizi zilikuwa ni pamoja na mapambo ya makoja, vidani, nguo ya rangi ya zambarau waliyovaa na wafalme wa Midiani, na zaidi ya minyororo iliyokuwa karibu na shingo za ngamia zao.
The weight of the gold earrings he had requested was 1,700 shekels, in addition to the crescent ornaments, the pendants, the purple garments of the kings of Midian, and the chains from the necks of their camels.
27 Gideoni akafanya efodi kutoka katika pete na kuiweka katika mji wake, huko Ofra, na Israeli wote wakaiandama kwa ukahaba na kuabudu. Ilikuwa mtego kwa Gideoni na kwa wale walio nyumbani kwake.
From all this Gideon made an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.
28 Kwa hiyo Midiani ilishindwa mbele ya watu wa Israeli na hawakuinua vichwa vyao tena. Na nchi ikawa na amani kwa miaka arobaini siku za Gideoni.
In this way Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. So the land had rest for forty years in the days of Gideon,
29 Yerubaali, mwana wa Yoashi, akaenda akakaa nyumbani kwake.
and he—Jerubbaal son of Joash—returned home and settled down.
30 Gideoni alikuwa na wana sabini, waliokuwa uzao wake, kwa kuwa alikuwa na wake wengi.
Gideon had seventy sons of his own, since he had many wives.
31 Mwanamke wake, aliyekuwa Shekemu, akamzaa pia mwana, na Gideoni akampa jina lake Abimeleki.
His concubine, who dwelt in Shechem, also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech.
32 Gideoni, mwana wa Yoashi, akafa katika uzee mzuri, akazikwa huko Ofra katika kaburi la baba yake Joashi, wa jamaa ya Abiyezeri.
Later, Gideon son of Joash died at a ripe old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
33 Ikawa, Gideoni alipokufa, watu wa Israeli wakageuka tena na kujifanyia ukahaba wenyewe kwa kuabudu Mabaali. Wamlifanya Baali Berith kuwa mungu wao.
And as soon as Gideon was dead, the Israelites turned and prostituted themselves with the Baals, and they set up Baal-berith as their god.
34 Watu wa Israeli hawakukumbuka kumtukuza Bwana, Mungu wao, aliyewaokoa kutoka kwa mikono ya adui zao kila upande.
The Israelites failed to remember the LORD their God who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side.
35 Hawakuweka ahadi zao kwa nyumba ya Yerubaali (yaani Gidioni), kwa ajili ya mema yote aliyoyafanya katika Israeli.
They did not show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) for all the good things he had done for Israel.
