Iudicum 8
1 Dixeruntque ad eum viri Ephraim: Quid est hoc quod facere voluisti, ut nos non vocares, cum ad pugnam pergeres contra Madian? Iurgantes fortiter, et prope vim inferentes.
The men of Ephraim said to Gideon, “What is this you have done to us? You did not call us when you went to fight against Midian.” Then they had a violent argument with him.
2 Quibus ille respondit: Quod enim tale facere potui, quale vos fecistis? Nonne melior est racemus Ephraim, vindemiis Abiezer?
He said to them, “What have I done now compared to you? Are not the gleanings of Ephraim's grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer?
3 In manus vestras Dominus tradidit 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 given you victory over the princes of Midian—Oreb and Zeeb! What have I accomplished compared to you?” Their anger toward him died down when he said this.
4 Cumque venisset Gedeon ad Iordanem, transivit eum cum trecentis viris, qui secum erant: et præ lassitudine, fugientes persequi non poterant.
Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over it, he and the three hundred men who were with him. They were exhausted, yet they still kept up the pursuit.
5 Dixitque ad viros Soccoth: Date, obsecro, panes populo, qui mecum est, quia valde defecerunt: ut possimus persequi Zebee, et Salmana reges Madian.
He said to the men of Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”
6 Responderunt principes Soccoth: Forsitan palmæ manuum Zebee et Salmana in manu tua sunt, et idcirco postulas ut demus exercitui tuo panes.
Then the officials said, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand? Why should we 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.
Gideon said, “When Yahweh has given us victory over Zebah and Zalmunna, I will tear your skin with the desert thorns and briers.”
8 Et inde conscendens, venit in Phanuel: locutusque est ad viros loci illius similia. Cui et illi responderunt, sicut responderant viri Soccoth.
He went up from there to Peniel and spoke to the people there in the same way, but the men of Peniel answered him just as the men of Succoth had answered.
9 Dixit itaque et eis: Cum reversus fuero victor in pace, destruam turrim hanc.
He spoke also to the men of Peniel and said, “When I come again in peace, I will pull down this tower.”
10 Zebee autem et Salmana requiescebant cum omni exercitu suo. Quindecim enim millia viri remanserant ex omnibus turmis Orientalium populorum, cæsis centum viginti millibus bellatorum educentium gladium.
Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army, about fifteen thousand men, all who remained out of the entire army of the people of the East, for there had fallen 120,000 men who drew the sword.
11 Ascendensque Gedeon per viam eorum, qui in tabernaculis morabantur, ad Orientalem partem Nobe, et Iegbaa, percussit castra hostium, qui securi erant, et nihil adversi suspicabantur.
Gideon went up the road taken by tent dwellers, past Nobah and Jogbehah. He defeated the enemy army, because they were not expecting an attack.
12 Fugeruntque Zebee et Salmana, quos persequens Gedeon comprehendit, turbato omni exercitu eorum.
Zebah and Zalmunna fled, and as Gideon pursued them, he captured the two kings of Midian—Zebah and Zalmunna—and set their whole army into a panic.
13 Revertensque de bello ante solis ortum,
Gideon, son of Joash, returned from the battle going through the pass of Heres.
14 apprehendit puerum de viris Soccoth: interrogavitque eum nomina principum et seniorum Soccoth, et descripsit septuaginta septem viros.
He caught a young man of Succoth and questioned him. The young man wrote down the names of seventy-seven officials 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.
Gideon came to the men of Succoth and said, “Look at Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you mocked me and said, 'Have you already conquered Zebah and Zalmunna? We do not know that we should give bread to your army.'”
16 Tulit ergo seniores civitatis et spinas deserti ac tribulos, et contrivit cum eis, atque comminuit viros Soccoth.
Gideon took the elders of the city, and he punished the men of Succoth with the desert thorns and briers.
17 Turrim quoque Phanuel subvertit, occisis habitatoribus civitatis.
Then he pulled down the tower of Peniel and killed the men of that 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.
Then Gideon said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?” They answered, “As you are, so were they. Every one of them looked like the son of a king.”
19 Quibus ille respondit: Fratres mei fuerunt, filii matris meæ. Vivit Dominus, quia si servassetis eos, non vos occiderem.
Gideon said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As Yahweh lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not kill you.”
20 Dixitque Iether primogenito suo: Surge, et interfice eos. Qui non eduxit gladium: timebat enim, quia adhuc puer erat.
He said to Jether (his firstborn), “Get up and kill them!” But the young man did not draw his sword for he was afraid, because he was still a young boy.
21 Dixeruntque Zebee et Salmana: Tu surge, et irrue in nos: quia iuxta ætatem 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 yourself and kill us! For as the man is, so is his strength.” Gideon rose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna. He also took off the crescent-shaped ornaments that were on their camels' necks.
22 Dixeruntque omnes viri Israel ad Gedeon: Dominare nostri tu, et filius tuus, et filius filii tui: quia liberasti nos de manu Madian.
Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you, your son, and your grandson—because you have saved us out of the hand of Midian.”
23 Quibus ille ait: Non dominabor vestri, nec dominabitur in vos filius meus, sed dominabitur vobis Dominus.
Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, neither will my son rule over you. Yahweh will rule over you.”
24 Dixitque ad eos: Unam petitionem postulo a vobis: Date mihi inaures ex præda vestra. Inaures enim aureas Ismaelitæ habere consueverant.
Gideon said to them, “Let me make a request of you: Every one of you would give me the earrings from his plunder.” (The Midianites had golden earrings because they were Ishmaelites.)
25 Qui responderunt: Libentissime dabimus. Expandentesque super terram pallium, proiecerunt in eo inaures de præda:
They answered, “We are glad to give them to you.” They spread out a cloak and every man threw on it the earrings from his plunder.
26 et fuit pondus postulatarum inaurium, mille septingenti auri sicli, absque ornamentis, et monilibus, et veste purpurea, quibus reges Madian uti soliti erant, et præter torques aureas camelorum.
The weight of the golden earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold. This plunder was in addition to the crescent ornaments, the pendants, the purple clothing that was worn by the kings of Midian, and in addition to the chains that had been around their camels' necks.
27 Fecitque ex eo Gedeon ephod, et posuit illud in civitate sua Ephra. Fornicatusque est omnis Israel in eo, et factum est Gedeoni et omni domui eius in ruinam.
Gideon made an ephod out of the earrings and put it in his city, in Ophrah, and all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there. It became a trap for Gideon and for those in his house.
28 Humiliatus est autem Madian coram filiis Israel, nec potuerunt ultra cervices elevare: sed quievit terra per quadraginta annos, quibus Gedeon præfuit.
So Midian was subdued before the people of Israel and they did not raise their heads up again. So the land had peace for forty years in the days of Gideon.
29 Abiit itaque Ierobaal filius Ioas, et habitavit in domo sua:
Jerub Baal, son of Joash, went and lived in his own house.
30 habuitque septuaginta filios, qui egressi sunt de femore eius: eo quod plures haberet uxores.
Gideon had seventy sons who were his descendants, for he had many wives.
31 Concubina autem illius, quam habebat in Sichem, genuit ei filium nomine Abimelech.
His concubine, who was in Shechem, also bore him a son, and Gideon gave him the name Abimelech.
32 Mortuusque est Gedeon filius Ioas in senectute bona, et sepultus est in sepulchro Ioas patris sui in Ephra de familia Ezri.
Gideon, son of Joash, died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, at Ophrah of the clan of Abiezer.
33 Postquam autem mortuus est Gedeon, aversi sunt filii Israel, et fornicati sunt cum Baalim. Percusseruntque cum Baal fœdus, ut esset eis in deum:
It came about, as soon as Gideon was dead, the people of Israel turned again and prostituted themselves by worshiping the Baals. They made Baal-Berith their god.
34 nec recordati sunt Domini Dei sui, qui eruit eos de manibus inimicorum suorum omnium per circuitum:
The people of Israel did not remember to honor Yahweh, their God, who had rescued them from the hand of all their enemies on every side.
35 nec fecerunt misericordiam cum domo Ierobaal Gedeon iuxta omnia bona, quæ fecerat Israeli.
They did not keep their promises to the house of Jerub Baal (that is, Gideon), in return for all the good he had done in Israel.
