Judges 8

vayyomeru elayw ish efrayim mah-haddavar hazzeh asita lanu levilti qerovt lanu ki halakhta lehillakhem bemidyan vayerivun itto bekhozqah

And those in Ephraim’s contingent said to him, “Why did you do that to us—not calling us when you went to fight the Midianites?” And they rebuked him severely.

vayyomer alehem meh-asiti attah kakhem halo tov olelot efrayim mivtsir avi'ezer

But he answered them, “After all, what have I accomplished compared to you? Why, Ephraim’s gleanings are better than Abiezer’s vintage!

beyedkhem natan elohim et-sare midyan et-orev ve'et-ze'ev umah-yyakholeti asot kakhem az rafetah rukham me'alayw bedabbero haddavar hazzeh

God has delivered the Midianite generals Oreb and Zeeb into your hands, and what was I able to do compared to you?” And when he spoke in this fashion, their anger against him abated.

vayyavo gidon hayyardenah over hu ushelosh-me'ot ha'ish asher itto ayefim verodefim

Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed it. The three hundred men with him were famished, but still in pursuit.

vayyomer le'anshe sukkot tenu-na kikkerot lekhem la'am asher beraglay ki-ayefim hem ve'anokhi rodef akhare zevakh vetsalmunna malkhe midyan

He said to the people of Succoth, “Please give some loaves of bread to the troops who are right behind me, for they are famished, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”

vayyomer sare sukkot hakhaf zevakh vetsalmunna attah beyadekha ki-nitten litsva'akha lakhem

But the officials of Succoth replied, “Are Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hands, that we should give bread to your army?”

vayyomer gidon lakhen betet Adonai et-zevakh ve'et-tsalmunna beyadi vedashti et-besarkhem et-qotse hammidbar ve'et-habbarqonim

“I swear,” declared Gideon, “when GOD delivers Zebah and Zalmunna into my hands, I’ll thresh your bodies upon desert thorns and briers!”

vayya'al misham penu'el vayedabber alehem kazot vayya'anu oto anshe fenu'el ka'asher anu anshe sukkot

From there he went up to Penuel and made the same request of them; but the people of Penuel gave him the same reply as the people of Succoth.

vayyomer gam-le'anshe fenu'el lemor beshuvi veshalom ettots et-hammigdal hazzeh

So he also threatened the people of Penuel: “When I come back safe, I’ll tear down this tower!”

vezevakh vetsalmunna baqqarqor umakhanehem immam kakhameshet asar elef kol hannotarim mikkol makhaneh vene-qedem vehannofelim me'ah ve'esrim elef ish sholef-kharev

Now Zebah and Zalmunna were at Karkor with their army of about 15,000; these were all that remained of the entire host of the Kedemites, for the slain numbered 120,000 fighters.

vayya'al gidon derekh hashekhune vo'ohalim miqqedem lenovakh veyogbehah vayyakh et-hammakhaneh vehammakhaneh hayah vetakh

Gideon marched up the road of the tent dwellers, up to east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and routed the camp, which was off guard.

vayyanusu zevakh vetsalmunna vayyirdof akharehem vayyilkod et-shene malkhe midyan et-zevakh ve'et-tsalmunna vekhol-hammakhaneh hekherid

Zebah and Zalmunna took to flight, with Gideon in pursuit. He captured Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian, and threw the whole army into panic.

vayyashov gidon ben-yo'ash min-hammilkhamah milma'aleh hekhares

On his way back from the battle at the Ascent of Heres, Gideon son of Joash

vayyilkod-na'ar me'anshe sukkot vayyishalehu vayyikhtov elayw et-sare sukkot ve'et-zeqeneha shivim veshivah ish

captured a young man from among the people of Succoth and interrogated him. The latter drew up for him a list of the officials and elders of Succoth, seventy-seven in number.

vayyavo el-anshe sukkot vayyomer hinneh zevakh vetsalmunna asher kheraftem oti lemor hakhaf zevakh vetsalmunna attah beyadekha ki nitten la'anashekha hayye'efim lakhem

Then he came to the people of Succoth and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you mocked me, saying, ‘Are Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hands, that we should give your famished men bread?’”

vayyiqqakh et-ziqne ha'ir ve'et-qotse hammidbar ve'et-habbarqonim vayyoda bahem et anshe sukkot

And he took the elders of the city and, [bringing] desert thorns and briers, he punished the people of Succoth with them.

ve'et-migdal penu'el natats vayyaharog et-anshe ha'ir

As for Penuel, he tore down its tower and killed the townspeople.

vayyomer el-zevakh ve'el-tsalmunna efoh ha'anashim asher haragtem betavor vayyomeru kamokha khemohem ekhad keto'ar bene hammelekh

Then he asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “Those men you killed at Tabor, what were they like?” “They looked just like you,” they replied, “like sons of a king.”

vayyomar akhay bene-immi hem khay-Adonai lu hakhayitem otam lo haragti etkhem

“They were my brothers,” he declared, “the sons of my mother. As GOD lives, if you had spared them, I would not kill you.”

vayyomer leyeter bekhoro qum harog otam velo-shalaf hanna'ar kharbo ki yare ki odennu na'ar

And he commanded his oldest son Jether, “Go kill them!” But the boy did not draw his sword, for he was timid, being still a boy.

vayyomer zevakh vetsalmunna qum attah ufega-banu ki kha'ish gevurato vayyaqom gidon vayyaharog et-zevakh ve'et-tsalmunna vayyiqqakh et-hassaharonim asher betsavvere gemallehem

Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Come, you slay us; for strength comes with manhood.” So Gideon went over and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescents that were on the necks of their camels.

vayyomeru ish-yisra'el el-gidon meshal-banu gam-attah gam-binkha gam ben-benekha ki hoshatanu miyyad midyan

Then those [who fought] on Israel’s side said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you, your son, and your grandson as well; for you have saved us from the Midianites.”

vayyomer alehem gidon lo-emshol ani bakhem velo-yimshol beni bakhem Adonai yimshol bakhem

But Gideon replied, “I will not rule over you myself, nor shall my son rule over you; GOD alone shall rule over you.”

vayyomer alehem gidon eshalah mikkem she'elah utenu-li ish nezem shelalo ki-nizme zahav lahem ki yishme'elim hem

And Gideon said to them, “I have a request to make of you: Each of you give me the earring you received as booty.” (The Midianites had golden earrings, for they were Ishmaelites.)

vayyomeru naton nitten vayyifresu et-hassimlah vayyashlikhu shammah ish nezem shelalo

“Certainly!” they replied. And they spread out a cloth, and everyone threw onto it the earring he had received as booty.

vayehi mishqal nizme hazzahav asher sha'al elef usheva-me'ot zahav levad min-hassaharonim vehannetifot uvigde ha'argaman she'al malkhe midyan ulevad min-ha'anaqot asher betsavvere gemallehem

The weight of the golden earrings that he had requested came to 1,700 shekels of gold; this was in addition to the crescents and the pendants and the purple robes worn by the kings of Midian and in addition to the collars on the necks of their camels.

vayya'as oto gidon le'efod vayyatseg oto ve'iro be'ofrah vayyiznu khol-yisra'el akharayw sham vayehi legidon uleveto lemoqesh

Gideon made an ephod of this gold and set it up in his own town of Ophrah. There all Israel went astray after it, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.

vayyikkana midyan lifne bene yisra'el velo yasefu laset rosham vattishqot ha'arets arba'im shanah bime gidon

Thus Midian submitted to the Israelites and did not raise its head again; and the land was tranquil for forty years in Gideon’s time.

vayyelekh yerubba'al ben-yo'ash vayyeshev beveto

So Jerubbaal son of Joash retired to his own house.

ulegidon hayu shivim banim yotse'e yerekho ki-nashim rabbot hayu lo

Gideon had seventy sons of his own issue, for he had many wives.

ufilagsho asher bishkhem yaledah-llo gam-hi ben vayyasem et-shemo avimelekh

A son was also born to him by his concubine in Shechem, and he named him Abimelech.

vayyamot gidon ben-yo'ash besevah tovah vayyiqqaver beqever yo'ash aviv be'ofrah avi ha'ezri

Gideon son of Joash died at a ripe old age, and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash at Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

vayehi ka'asher met gidon vayyashuvu bene yisra'el vayyiznu akhare habbe'alim vayyasimu lahem ba'al berit lelohim

After Gideon died, the Israelites again went astray after the Baalim, and they adopted Baal-berith as a god.

velo zakheru bene yisra'el et-Adonai elohehem hammatsil otam miyyad kol-oyevehem missaviv

The Israelites gave no thought to the ETERNAL their God, who saved them from all the enemies around them.

velo-asu khesed im-bet yerubba'al gidon kekhol-hattovah asher asah im-yisra'el

Nor did they show loyalty to the house of Jerubbaal-Gideon in return for all the good that he had done for Israel.