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