Iudicum 8
1 dixeruntque ad eum viri Ephraim quid est hoc quod facere voluisti ut non nos vocares cum ad pugnam pergeres contra Madian iurgantes fortiter et prope vim inferentes
Then the men of Ephraim said to Gideon, “Why have you done this to us? Why did you fail to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they contended with him violently.
2 quibus ille respondit quid enim tale facere potui quale vos fecistis nonne melior est racemus Ephraim vindemiis Abiezer
But Gideon answered them, “Now what have I accomplished compared to you? Are not the gleanings of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer?
3 in manus vestras tradidit Dominus principes Madian Oreb et Zeb quid tale facere potui quale vos fecistis quod cum locutus esset requievit spiritus eorum quo tumebant contra eum
God has delivered Oreb and Zeeb, the two princes of Midian, into your hand. What was I able to do compared to you?” When he had said this, their anger against him subsided.
4 cumque venisset Gedeon ad Iordanem transivit eum cum trecentis viris qui secum erant et prae lassitudine fugientes persequi non poterant
Then Gideon and his three hundred men came to the Jordan and crossed it, exhausted yet still in pursuit.
5 dixitque ad viros Soccoth date obsecro panes populo qui mecum est quia valde defecerunt ut possimus persequi Zebee et Salmana reges Madian
So Gideon said to the men of Succoth, “Please give my troops some bread, for they are exhausted, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”
6 responderunt principes Soccoth forsitan palmae manuum Zebee et Salmana in manu tua sunt et idcirco postulas ut demus exercitui tuo panes
But the leaders of Succoth asked, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your possession, that we should give bread to your army?”
7 quibus ille ait cum ergo tradiderit Dominus Zebee et Salmana in manus meas conteram carnes vestras cum spinis tribulisque deserti
“Very well,” Gideon replied, “when the LORD has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with the thorns and briers of the wilderness!”
8 et inde conscendens venit in Phanuhel locutusque est ad viros eius loci similia cui et illi responderunt sicut responderant viri Soccoth
From there he went up to Penuel and asked the same from them, but the men of Penuel gave the same response as the men of Succoth.
9 dixit itaque et eis cum reversus fuero victor in pace destruam turrem hanc
So Gideon told the men of Penuel, “When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower!”
10 Zebee autem et Salmana requiescebant cum omni exercitu suo quindecim milia enim viri remanserant ex omnibus turmis orientalium populorum caesis centum viginti milibus bellatorum et educentium gladium
Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army of about fifteen thousand men—all that were left of the armies of the people of the east. A hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had already fallen.
11 ascendensque Gedeon per viam eorum qui in tabernaculis morabantur ad orientalem partem Nobee et Iecbaa percussit castra hostium qui securi erant et nihil adversi suspicabantur
And Gideon went up by way of the caravan route east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and he attacked their army, taking them by surprise.
12 fugeruntque Zebee et Salmana quos persequens Gedeon conprehendit turbato omni exercitu eorum
When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, Gideon pursued and captured these two kings of Midian, routing their entire army.
13 revertensque de bello ante solis ortum
After this, Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle along the Ascent of Heres.
14 adprehendit puerum de viris Soccoth interrogavitque eum nomina principum et seniorum Soccoth et descripsit septuaginta septem viros
There he captured a young man of Succoth and interrogated him. The young man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven leaders and elders of Succoth.
15 venitque ad Soccoth et dixit eis en Zebee et Salmana super quibus exprobrastis mihi dicentes forsitan manus Zebee et Salmana in manibus tuis sunt et idcirco postulas ut demus viris qui lassi sunt et defecerunt panes
And Gideon went to the men of Succoth and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your possession, that we should give bread to your weary men?’”
16 tulit ergo seniores civitatis et spinas deserti ac tribulos et contrivit cum eis atque comminuit viros Soccoth
Then he took the elders of the city, and using the thorns and briers of the wilderness, he disciplined the men of Succoth.
17 turrem quoque Phanuhel subvertit occisis habitatoribus civitatis
He also pulled down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
18 dixitque ad Zebee et Salmana quales fuerunt viri quos occidistis in Thabor qui responderunt similes tui et unus ex eis quasi filius regis
Next, Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?” “Men like you,” they answered, “each one resembling the son of a king.”
19 quibus ille ait fratres mei fuerunt filii matris meae vivit Dominus si servassetis eos non vos occiderem
“They were my brothers,” Gideon replied, “the sons of my mother! As surely as the LORD lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.”
20 dixitque Ietther primogenito suo surge et interfice eos qui non eduxit gladium timebat enim quia adhuc puer erat
So he said to Jether, his firstborn, “Get up and kill them.” But the young man did not draw his sword; he was fearful because he was still a youth.
21 dixeruntque Zebee et Salmana tu surge et inrue in nos quia iuxta aetatem robur est hominis surrexit Gedeon et interfecit Zebee et Salmana et tulit ornamenta ac bullas quibus colla regalium camelorum decorari solent
Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Get up and kill us yourself, for as the man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon got up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent ornaments from the necks of their camels.
22 dixeruntque omnes viri Israhel ad Gedeon dominare nostri tu et filius tuus et filius filii tui quia liberasti nos de manu Madian
Then the Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you and your son and grandson—for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.”
23 quibus ille ait non dominabor vestri nec dominabitur in vos filius meus sed dominabitur Dominus
But Gideon replied, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The LORD shall rule over you.”
24 dixitque ad eos unam petitionem postulo a vobis date mihi inaures ex praeda vestra inaures enim aureas Ismahelitae habere consuerant
Then he added, “Let me make a request of you, that each of you give me an earring from his plunder.” (For the enemies had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.)
25 qui responderunt libentissime dabimus expandentesque super terram pallium proiecerunt in eo inaures de praeda
“We will give them gladly,” they replied. So they spread out a garment, and each man threw an earring from his plunder onto it.
26 et fuit pondus postulatarum inaurium mille septingenti auri sicli absque ornamentis et monilibus et veste purpurea quibus Madian reges uti soliti erant et praeter torques aureos camelorum
The weight of the gold earrings he had requested was 1,700 shekels, in addition to the crescent ornaments, the pendants, the purple garments of the kings of Midian, and the chains from the necks of their camels.
27 fecitque ex eo Gedeon ephod et posuit illud in civitate sua Ephra fornicatusque est omnis Israhel in eo et factum est Gedeoni et omni domui eius in ruinam
From all this Gideon made an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.
28 humiliatus est autem Madian coram filiis Israhel nec potuerunt ultra elevare cervices sed quievit terra per quadraginta annos quibus praefuit Gedeon
In this way Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. So the land had rest for forty years in the days of Gideon,
29 abiit itaque Hierobbaal filius Ioas et habitavit in domo sua
and he—Jerubbaal son of Joash—returned home and settled down.
30 habuitque septuaginta filios qui egressi sunt de femore eius eo quod plures haberet uxores
Gideon had seventy sons of his own, since he had many wives.
31 concubina autem illius quam habebat in Sychem genuit ei filium nomine Abimelech
His concubine, who dwelt in Shechem, also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech.
32 mortuusque est Gedeon filius Ioas in senectute bona et sepultus in sepulchro Ioas patris sui in Ephra de familia Ezri
Later, Gideon son of Joash died at a ripe old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
33 postquam autem mortuus est Gedeon aversi sunt filii Israhel et fornicati cum Baalim percusseruntque cum Baal foedus ut esset eis in deum
And as soon as Gideon was dead, the Israelites turned and prostituted themselves with the Baals, and they set up Baal-berith as their god.
34 nec recordati sunt Domini Dei sui qui eruit eos de manu omnium inimicorum suorum per circuitum
The Israelites failed to remember the LORD their God who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side.
35 nec fecerunt misericordiam cum domo Hierobbaal Gedeon iuxta omnia bona quae fecerat Israheli
They did not show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) for all the good things he had done for Israel.
