Judges 8
1 And the men of Ephraim say to him, “What [is] this thing you have done to us—not to call for us when you went to fight with Midian?” And they strive with him severely;
And the men of Effraym seiden to hym, What is this thing, which thou woldist do, that thou clepidist not vs, whanne thou yedist to batel ayens Madian? And thei chidden strongli, and almest diden violence.
2 and he says to them, “What have I now done like you? Are the gleanings of Ephraim not better than the harvest of Abi-Ezer?
To whiche he answeride, `What sotheli siche thing myyte Y do, what maner thing ye diden? Whethir a reisyn of Effraym is not betere than the vindagis of Abiezer?
3 God has given the heads of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, into your hand; and what have I been able to do like you?” Then their temper desisted from off him in his speaking this thing.
And the Lord bitook in to youre hondis the princes of Madian, Oreb and Zeb. What sich thing myyte Y do, what maner thing ye diden? And whanne he hadde spoke this thing, the spirit of hem restide, bi which thei bolneden ayens hym.
4 And Gideon comes to the Jordan, passing over, he and the three hundred men who [are] with him—wearied, yet pursuing—
And whanne Gedeon hadde come to Jordan, he passide it with thre hundrid men, that weren with hym; and for weerynesse thei myyten not pursue hem that fledden.
5 and he says to the men of Succoth, “Please give cakes of bread to the people who [are] at my feet, for they [are] wearied, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.”
And he seide to the men of Socoth, Y biseche, yyue ye looues to the puple, which is with me; for thei failiden greetli, that we moun pursue Zebee and Salmana, kyngis of Madian.
6 And the heads of Succoth say, “Is the hand of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we give bread to your host?”
The princes of Socoth answeriden in scorne, In hap the pawmes of the hondis of Zebee and of Salmana ben in thin hond, and therfor thou axist, that we yyue looues to thin oost.
7 And Gideon says, “Therefore—in YHWH’s giving Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand—I have threshed your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness, and with the threshing instruments.”
To whiche he seide, Therfor, whanne the Lord schal bitake Zebee and Salmana in to myn hondis, and whanne Y schal turne ayen ouercomere in pees, Y schal to-reende youre fleischis with the thornes and breris of deseert.
8 And he goes up there [to] Penuel, and speaks to them thus; and the men of Penuel answer him as the men of Succoth answered.
And he stiede fro thennus, and cam in to Phanuel; and he spak lijk thingis to men of that place, to whom also thei answeriden, as the men of Socoth hadden answerid.
9 And he also speaks to the men of Penuel, saying, “In my turning back in peace, I break down this tower.”
And so he seide to hem, Whanne Y schal turne ayen ouercomere in pees, Y schal distrie this tour.
10 And Zebah and Zalmunna [are] in Karkor, and their camps with them, about fifteen thousand, all who are left of all the camp of the sons of the east; and those falling [are] one hundred and twenty thousand men, drawing sword.
Forsothe Zebee and Salmana restiden with al her oost; for fiftene thousynde men leften of alle the cumpenyes of the `puplis of the eest, whanne an hundrid and twenti thousynde of `fiyteris and of men drawynge out swerd weren slayn.
11 And Gideon goes up the way of those who dwell in tents, on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and strikes the camp, and the camp was confident;
And Gedeon stiede bi the weye of hem that dwelliden in tabernaclis at the eest coost of Nobe and of Lethoa, and smoot the `tentis of enemyes, that weren sikur, and supposiden not ony thing of aduersite.
12 and Zebab and Zalmunna flee, and he pursues after them, and captures the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and he has caused all the camp to tremble.
And Zebee and Salmana fledden, whiche Gedeon pursuede and took, whanne al `the oost of hem was disturblid.
13 And Gideon son of Joash turns back from the battle, at the going up of the sun,
And he turnede ayen fro batel bifor the `risyng of the sunne,
14 and captures a young man of the men of Succoth, and asks him, and he describes to him the heads of Succoth, and its elderly—seventy-seven men.
and took a child of the men of Socoth; and he axide hym the names of the princes and eldere men of Socoth; and he descryuede seuene and seuenti men in noumbre.
15 And he comes to the men of Succoth and says, “Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom you reproached me, saying, Is the hand of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand that we give bread to your men who [are] wearied?”
And he cam to Socoth, and seide to hem, Lo Zebee and Salmana! of whiche ye vpbreideden me, and seiden, In hap the hondis of Zebee and of Salmana ben in thin hondis, and therfor thou axist, that we yyue looues to men, that ben weeri and failiden.
16 And he takes the elderly of the city, and [the] thorns of the wilderness, and the threshing instruments, and teaches the men of Succoth by them,
Therfor Gedeon took the eldere men of the citee, and thornes and breris of deseert, and he to-rente with tho, and al to-brak the men of Socoth; also he destriede the tour of Phanuel,
17 and he has broken down the Tower of Penuel, and slays the men of the city.
whanne the dwelleris of the citee weren slayn.
18 And he says to Zebah and to Zalmunna, “What manner of men [were they] whom you slew in Tabor?” And they say, “As you—so they, [each] one as the form of the king’s sons.”
And he seide to Zebee and Salmana, What maner men weren thei, whiche ye killiden in Thabor? Whiche answeriden, Thei weren lijk thee, and oon of hem was as the sone of a kyng.
19 And he says, “They [were] my brothers—sons of my mother; YHWH lives, if you had kept them alive—I would not kill you.”
To whiche he seide, Thei weren my britheren, the sones of my modir; the Lord lyueth, if ye hadden saued hem, Y `nolde sle you.
20 And he says to his firstborn Jether, “Rise, slay them”; and the young man has not drawn his sword, for he has been afraid, for he [is] yet a youth.
And he seide to Jepther, his firste gendrid sone, Rise thou, and sle hem. Which drow not swerd; for he dredde, for he was yit a child.
21 And Zebah and Zalmunna say, “Rise and fall on us; for as the man—his might”; and Gideon rises, and slays Zebah and Zalmunna, and takes the crescents which [are] on the necks of their camels.
And Zebee and Salmana seiden, Ryse thou, and falle on vs; for thou art bi the age and strengthe of man. Gedeon roos, and killide Zebee and Salmana, and took the ournementis, and bellis, with whiche the neckis of kyngis camels ben wont to be maad fair.
22 And the men of Israel say to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you, and your son, and your son’s son, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.”
And alle the men of Israel seiden to Gedeon, Be thou lord of vs, thou, and thi sone, and the sone of thi sone; for thou deliueridist vs fro the hond of Madian.
23 And Gideon says to them, “I do not rule over you, nor does my son rule over you; YHWH rules over you.”
To whiche he seide, Y schal not be lord of you, nethir my sone schal be lord on you, but the Lord schal be lord.
24 And Gideon says to them, “Let me ask a petition of you, and each give to me the ring of his prey, for they have rings of gold, for they [are] Ishmaelites.”
And he seide to hem, Y axe oon axyng of you, yyue ye to me the eere ryngis of youre prey; for Ismaelitis weren wont to haue goldun eere ryngis.
25 And they say, “We certainly give”; and they spread out the garment, and each casts the ring of his prey there;
Whiche answeriden, We schulen yyue moost gladli. And thei spredden forth a mentil on the erthe, and castiden forth therynne `eere ryngis of the prey;
26 and the weight of the rings of gold which he asked for is one thousand and seven hundred [shekels] of gold, apart from the crescents, and the pendants, and the purple garments, which [are] on the kings of Midian, and apart from the chains which [are] on the necks of their camels,
and the weiyte of `eere ryngis axid was a thousynde and seuene hundrid siclis of gold, with out ournementis and brochis and cloth of purpur, whiche the kyngis of Madian weren wont to vse, and outakun goldun bies of camels.
27 and Gideon makes it into an ephod, and sets it up in his city, in Ophrah, and all Israel go whoring after it there, and it is for a snare to Gideon and to his house.
And Gedeon made therof ephot, that is, a preestis cloth, `and propir cloth of the hiyeste preest, and he puttide it in his citee Ephra; and al Israel diden fornycacioun, `that is ydolatrye, ther ynne; and it was maad to Gedeon and to al his hows in to fallyng.
28 And Midian is humbled before the sons of Israel, and have not added to lift up their head; and the land rests [for] forty years in the days of Gideon.
Forsothe Madian was maad low bifor the sones of Israel, and thei myyten no more reise nollis; but the lond restide fourti yeer, in whiche Gedeon was souereyn.
29 And Jerubba‘al son of Joash goes and dwells in his own house,
And so Jerobaal, sone of Joas, yede, and dwellide in his hows;
30 and there have been seventy sons of Gideon, coming out of his loin, for he had many wives;
and he hadde seuenti sones, that yeden out of his thiy, for he hadde many wyues.
31 and his concubine, who [is] in Shechem, has borne to him—even she—a son, and he appoints his name Abimelech.
Forsothe a concubyn, `that is, secoundarie wijf, of hym, whom he hadde in Sichem, gendride to hym a sone, Abymelech bi name.
32 And Gideon son of Joash dies, in a good old age, and is buried in the burying-place of his father Joash, in Ophrah of the Abi-Ezrite.
And Gedeon, sone of Joas, diede in good elde, and was biried in the sepulcre of Joas, his fadir, in Ephra, of the meynee of Ezri.
33 And it comes to pass, when Gideon [is] dead, that the sons of Israel turn back and go whoring after the Ba‘alim, and set Ba‘al-Berith over them for a god;
Forsothe aftir that Gedeon was deed, the sones of Israel turneden awey `fro Goddis religioun, and diden fornycacioun, `that is, idolatrie, with Baalym; and thei smytiden boond of pees with Baal, that he schulde be to hem in to God,
34 and the sons of Israel have not remembered their God YHWH, who is delivering them out of the hand of all their surrounding enemies,
nether thei hadden mynde of her Lord God, that delyuerede hem fro the hond of alle her enemyes `bi cumpas;
35 neither have they done kindness with the house of Jerubba‘al—Gideon—according to all the good which he did with Israel.
nether thei diden merci with the hous of Gerobaal Gedeon, bi alle the goodis whiche he `hadde do to Israel.
