Suci 8

1 Tada Efrajimovi ljudi rekoše Gideonu: “Kako si postupio prema nama: nisi nas pozvao kada si pošao u boj protiv Midjanaca?” I žestoko mu prigovoriše.

And the men of Ephraim came and said to him, Why did you not send for us when you went to war against Midian? And they said sharp and angry words to him.

2 On im odgovori: “Pa što sam ja učinio kad se usporedim s vama? Nije li Efrajimovo pabirčenje bolje od Abiezerove berbe?

And he said to them, What have I done in comparison with you? Is not that which Ephraim took up after the grape-cutting better than all the grapes which Abiezer got in from the grape-cutting?

3 U vaše je ruke Jahve predao knezove midjanske, Oreba i Zeeba. Može li se usporediti moje djelo s onim što ste vi učinili?” Na te riječi utiša se njihova srdžba prema njemu.

God has given into your hands the chiefs of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; what have I been able to do in comparison with you? And when he said this, their feeling about him became kinder.

4 Kad je Gideon došao do Jordana, prijeđe ga, ali i on i tri stotine ljudi s njim bijahu iznemogli i gladni.

Then Gideon came to Jordan and went over it with his three hundred, overcome with weariness and in need of food.

5 Stoga reče ljudima iz Sukota: “Dajte kruha ljudima koji idu za mnom, iznemogli su. Ja gonim Zebaha i Salmunu, kraljeve midjanske.”

And he said to the men of Succoth, Give bread cakes to my people, for they are overcome with weariness, and I am going on after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.

6 Ali mu sukotski glavari odgovoriše: “Zar je Zebahova i Salmunina šaka već u tvojoj ruci da dademo kruha tvojoj vojsci?”

But the chiefs of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna even now in your hand that we are to give bread to your army?

7 Gideon im reče: “Dobro! Kad mi Jahve preda u ruke Zebaha i Salmunu, iskidat ću vam meso trnjem i dračem pustinjskim.”

Then Gideon said, Because of this, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hands, I will have you stretched on a bed of thorns of the waste land and on sharp stems, and have you crushed as grain is crushed on a grain-floor.

8 Odatle ode u Penuel i zatraži isto od Penuelaca, a oni mu odgovore kao što su mu odgovorili i Sukoćani.

So he went up from there to Penuel and made the same request to the men of Penuel; but they gave him the same answer as the men of Succoth had given.

9 On zaprijeti i Penuelcima: “Kad se vratim kao pobjednik, porušit ću ovu kulu.”

So he said to the men of Penuel, When I come back in peace, I will have this tower broken down.

10 Zebah i Salmuna bijahu u Karkoru i vojska njihova s njima, oko petnaest tisuća ljudi, što ih god osta od vojske sinova Istoka; sto dvadeset tisuća ratnika bijaše palo.

Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor and their armies with them, about fifteen thousand men, those of all the army of the children of the east who were still living; for a hundred and twenty thousand of their swordsmen had been put to death.

11 Gideon pođe putem kojim prolaze oni što žive pod šatorima, istočno od Nobaha i Jogbohe, te potuče vojsku kad stajaše bezbrižna.

And Gideon went up by the way used by the people living in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and made an attack on the army when they had no thought of danger.

12 Zebah i Salmuna pobjegoše. On ih pogna i uhvati dva kralja midjanska, Zebaha i Salmunu. A vojsku im svu uništi.

And Zebah and Zalmunna went in flight; and he went after them, and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and put all the army to the curse.

13 Poslije bitke Gideon, sin Joašev, vrati se preko Hareške uzvisine.

Then Gideon, the son of Joash, went back from the fight:

14 I uhvati nekog momka iz Sukota te ga uze ispitivati; a on mu popisa imena sukotskih knezova i starješina, sedamdeset i sedam ljudi.

And taking prisoner a young man of the people of Succoth, he got from him, in answer to his questions, a list of the chiefs of Succoth and the responsible men, seventy-seven men.

15 Potom Gideon ode Sukoćanima i reče: “Evo Zebaha i Salmune zbog kojih ste mi se rugali govoreći: 'Je li Zebahova i Salmunina šaka već u tvojoj ruci pa da dademo kruha tvojim iznemoglim ljudima?'”

So he came to the men of Succoth and said, Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, on account of whom you made sport of me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna even now in your hand, that we are to give bread to your army who are overcome with weariness?

16 I uhvati starješine gradske, nabra pustinjskog trnja i drača da ih oćute leđa Sukoćana.

Then he took the responsible men of the town and had them crushed on a bed of thorns and sharp stems.

17 Poruši Penuelsku kulu i pobi građane.

And he had the tower of Penuel broken down and the men of the town put to death.

18 Onda reče Zebahu i Salmuni: “Kakvi bijahu ljudi koje pobiste na Taboru?” “Bili su nalik na te”, odgovoriše. “Svaki bijaše kao kraljev sin.”

Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, Where are the men whom you put to death at Tabor? And they gave answer, As you are, so were they; every one of them was like a king's son.

19 “To su bila moja braća, sinovi moje matere”, reče Gideon. “Tako mi Jahve, da ste ih ostavili na životu, ne bih vas ubio.”

And he said, They were my brothers, my mother's sons: by the life of the Lord, if you had kept them safe, I would not put you to death.

20 Potom zapovjedi svom prvencu Jeteru: “Ustani, pogubi ih!” Ali dječak ne izvuče mača: bojao se, bijaše još mlad.

Then he said to Jether, his oldest son, Up! Put them to death. But the boy did not take out his sword, fearing because he was still a boy.

21 Tada rekoše Zebah i Salmuna: “Ustani ti i navali na nas, jer kakav je čovjek, onakva mu i snaga.” I ustavši, Gideon pogubi Zebaha i Salmunu i uze mjesečiće što su visjeli o vratu njihovih deva.

Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Up! Put an end to us yourself: for you have a man's strength. Then Gideon got up and put Zebah and Zalmunna to death and took the ornaments which were on their camels' necks.

22 Izraelci rekoše Gideonu: “Vladaj nad nama, ti, sin tvoj i unuk tvoj, jer si nas ti izbavio iz ruku Midjanaca.”

Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, Be our ruler, you and your son and your son's son after him; for you have been our saviour from the hands of Midian.

23 Ali im Gideon odgovori: “Ne, neću ja vladati nad vama, a ni moj sin; Jahve će biti vaš vladar.”

But Gideon said to them, I will not be a ruler over you, and my son will not be a ruler over you: it is the Lord who will be ruler over you.

24 Još im reče Gideon: “Jedno samo od vas tražim: da mi svaki dade prsten od svog plijena.” Pobijeđeni su nosili zlatne prstenove jer bijahu Jišmaelci.

Then Gideon said to them, I have a request to make to you; let every man give me the ear-rings he has taken. (For they had gold ear-rings, because they were Ishmaelites.)

25 “Vrlo rado”, odgovore oni. On nato razastrije svoj plašt, a svaki od njih baci od svog plijena po prsten.

And they gave answer, We will gladly give them. So they put down a robe, every man dropping into it the ear-rings he had taken.

26 Težina zlatnih prestenova što ih je zaiskao iznosila je tisuću i sedam stotina zlatnih šekela, osim mjesečića, naušnica i skrletnih haljina koje su nosili midjanski kraljevi i osim lančića što bijahu oko vrata njihovih deva.

The weight of the gold ear-rings which he got from them was one thousand, seven hundred shekels of gold; in addition to the moon-ornaments and jewels and the purple robes which were on the kings of Midian, and the chains on their camels' necks.

27 Gideon načini od toga efod i postavi ga u svome gradu Ofri. I sav Izrael udari za njim u nevjeru i bijaše to zamka Gideonu i njegovu domu.

And Gideon made an ephod from them and put it up in his town Ophrah; and all Israel went after it there and were false to the Lord; and it became a cause of sin to Gideon and his house.

28 Tako su Midjanci bili poniženi pred Izraelcima. Više ne dizahu glave i zemlja bi mirna četrdeset godina, koliko još potraja vijek Gideonov.

So Midian was broken before the children of Israel and the Midianites never got back their strength. And the land had peace for forty years, in the days of Gideon.

29 Jerubaal, sin Joašev, otišao je i živio u svojoj kući.

And Jerubbaal, the son of Joash, went back to his house and was living there.

30 Gideon je imao sedamdeset sinova koji su potekli od njega jer je imao mnogo žena.

Gideon had seventy sons, the offspring of his body; for he had a number of wives.

31 Njegova inoča koja je živjela u Šekemu rodi mu sina komu nadjenu ime Abimelek.

And the servant-wife he had in Shechem had a son by him, to whom he gave the name Abimelech.

32 Gideon, sin Joašev, umrije u dubokoj starosti; sahraniše ga u grobu njegova oca Joaša u Abiezerovoj Ofri.

And Gideon, the son of Joash, came to his end when he was very old, and his body was put in the resting-place of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

33 Po Gideonovoj smrti Izraelci okrenuše u preljub s baalima te postaviše sebi za boga Baal-Berita.

And after the death of Gideon, the children of Israel again went after the gods of Canaan and were false to the Lord, and made Baal-berith their god.

34 Izraelci se nisu više sjećali Jahve, svoga Boga, koji ih je izbavio iz ruku svih njihovih neprijatelja unaokolo.

And the children of Israel did not keep in their minds the Lord their God, who had been their saviour from all their haters on every side;

35 I nisu iskazivali zahvalnost domu Jerubaala Gideona za dobro što ga je učinio Izraelu.

And they were not kind to the house of Jerubbaal, that is, Gideon, in reward for all the good he had done to Israel.