1 Ke kaloku amaEfrayim athi kuGidiyon: “Bekutheni ukuze ungasibizi thina ukuphuma kwakho usiya kulwa namaMidiyan? Ngani ukuba usiphathe kanje?” Amxoxisa ngamandla.
2 Ke yena waphendula wathi: “Ukukhwahlaza kwenu, maEfrayim, kube nengeniso egqithe lé kwisivuno sethu, thina ndlu ka-Abhiyezere.
3 Kaloku uThixo uzinikele ezandleni zenu zombini iinkosi zamaMidiyan, uOrebhe noZebhe. Ngaba yintoni na mna endiyenzileyo egqithe oko nikwenzileyo nina?” Akuba etshilo ke yadamba ingqumbo yamaEfrayim ngakuGidiyon.
4 Ngeli thuba ke uGidiyon nomkhosi wakhe omakhulu mathathu bafika kwiJordan. Nakuba babediniwe bayiwela, bawasukela amaMidiyan.
5 Bakufika eSukoti uGidiyon wathi kubantu bakhona: “Umkhosi wam udiniwe; khaniwuphe isonka, kuba ndisukela ookumkani bamaMidiyan uZebha noZalmuna.”
6 Amadoda amakhulu aseSukoti ala, athi: “Yini le? Ngaba sewuboyisile ooZebha noZalmuna, khon' ukuze umkhosi wakho siwunike isonka?”
7 UGidiyon ke wathi: “Hayi ke, kulungile! Akuba ebanikele kum *uNdikhoyo ooZebha noZalmuna, nina ndiya kuniphala ngameva nenkunzane.”
8 Wagqitha ke waya kutsho ePenuweli, nalapho ke wenza kwaeso sicelo kubantu balapho; nabo ke bamphendula kwangolo hlobo lwamaSukoti.
9 Wathi ke kubo: “Akukho nto. Ndiza kubuya xa ndiloyisile utshaba, ndaye ke ndakuba ndibuyile ndiya kuyidiliza le nqaba yenu.”
10 Ke uZebha noZalmuna nomkhosi wabo babeseKarekore. Kuloo mkhosi wabantu basempumalanga kwakuwe amadoda akwisithuba samawaka alikhulu elinamashumi amabini, kwasala ishumi elinesihlanu lamawaka kuphela.
11 UGidiyon ke wenjenjalo ukumka ngaloo ndlela yabemi basentlango, ngakwimpuma yeNobha neJogebheha, waza wawuqubula loo mkhosi, wawoyisa.
12 Ke bona ookumkani abo, uZebha noZalmuna, babaleka, waza ke wabasukela wababamba, watsho nomkhosi wabo warhwaqela.
13 Ekubuyeni kwakhe kwelo dabi uGidiyon unyana kaJowashe wahamba ngendlela eqabela kwinkalo yeHeres,
14 waza wabamba umfana waseSukoti, wamncina ngemibuzo. Lo mfana wabhalela uGidiyon amagama amadoda amakhulu angamashumi asixhenxe anesixhenxe aseSukoti.
15 UGidiyon ke waya kumaSukoti, wafika wathi: “Naba ke uZebha noZalmuna enaniphoxisa ngam ngenxa yabo, nisithi: ‘Ngaba sewuboyisile na ooZebha noZalmuna, le nto selufuna siwunike isonka umkhosi wakhe odiniweyo?’ ”
16 Ngoko ke wathatha ameva nenkunzane, wawaphala ngayo, ewafundisa isifundo amadoda amakhulu aseSukoti.
17 Wayidiliza nenqaba yasePenuweli, wawabulala amadoda akhona.
18 UGidiyon wabuza uZebha noZalmuna wathi: “Ayeluhlobo luni na laa madoda nawabulalayo eTabore?”Ke bona baphendula bathi: “Ayefana nawe lowo kanye – onke ayengathi ngoonyana bokumkani.”
19 UGidiyon wathi: “Yayingabantakwethu abazalwa ngumama. Inene, ndiyafunga, ekho nje uNdikhoyo, ukuba naningawabulalanga bendingazukunibulala nani ngoku.”
20 Wayalela unyana wakhe omkhulu, uYetere, wathi: “Khwela kubo; babulale!” Kodwa ke inkwenkwe leyo yoyika, ayabinza, kuba yayiselula.
21 UZebha noZalmuna bathi ke kuGidiyon: “Sibulale ngokwakho; kaloku indoda ibonakala ngamandla ayo.” UGidiyon ke wababulala, waza wazithatha izihombiso ezazisezintanjeni zeenkamela zabo.
22 Emva koko ke amaSirayeli acela uGidiyon athi: “Masesilawulwa nguwe nenzala yakho. Kaloku nguwe osihlanguleyo kumaMidiyan.”
23 Ke yena waphendula wathi: “Hayi, soze nilawulwe ndim nangunyana wam, koko niya kulawulwa *nguNdikhoyo.”
24 Waqhuba ke wathi: “Mandicele le nto apha kuni: umntu ngamnye makandiphe icici alifumeneyo lisisabelo sakhe sempahla ethinjiweyo.” (Kaloku amaMidiyan, engamaIshmayeli nje, ayefaka amacici.)
25 AmaSirayeli aphendula athi: “Kulungile, siyavuma ukuyenza loo nto.” Baneka ingubo phantsi, yaza ke yangulowo nalowo wabeka kuyo icici alifumeneyo.
26 Loo macici egolide awawafumanayo ke uGidiyon aba kwisithuba samashumi amabini eekhilogram ubunzima bawo, ngaphandle kwentsimbi yokuhombisa, amaso, namalaphu amsobo ookumkani bamaMidiyan, nangaphandle kwezihombiso ezazifakwa ezintanyeni zeenkamela.
27 Ke uGidiyon wayithatha loo golide, wenza *isidanga sonqulo ngayo, wasibeka apho kowabo eOfra. Onke ke amaSirayeli akreqa kuThixo ngenxa yeso sidanga. Le nto yaba ngumgibe kuGidiyon nomzi wakowabo.
28 Kwaba njalo ke ukoyiswa kwamaMidiyan, akaba savusa mnyele. Ilizwe elo ke lafumana amashumi amane eminyaka yenzolo ngemihla kaGidiyon.
29 Ke kaloku uJerubhali, uGidiyon unyana kaJowashe, wagoduka waya kuhlala ekhaya.
30 Oonyana bakhe babengamashumi asixhenxe; kuba kaloku wayenabafazi abaninzi.
31 Futhi ke wayenenkazana eShekem; yona ke yazala unyana, waza wamthiya igama elinguAbhimeleki.
32 UGidiyon ke unyana kaJowashe wasweleka selekhulile, waza wafihlwa kwingcwaba likayise uJowashe eOfra, idolophu yama-Abhiyezere.
33 Emva kokusweleka kukaGidiyon ke amaSirayeli zange anyaniseke kuThixo, asuka anqula ooBhali. Asuka athi phithi nguBhali womnqophiso, emenza isithixo sawo,
34 akaba samkhumbula *uNdikhoyo uThixo wawo, owayewahlangule kuzo zonke iintshaba ezaziwaphahlile.
35 AmaSirayeli zange anyaniseke kumzi wakuloJerubhali (uGidiyon ukutsho) ngenxa yobulungisa owawubenzele bona.