AbAhluleli 7 - IBHAYIBHELI ELINGCWELE

UGideyoni uyanqoba abakwaMidiyani

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 ahambe 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 ngizakunisindisa, 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 yileyo 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 ngezandla 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.