Judges 8

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 Now the men of Ephraim said to Gideon, 'What do you mean by treating us like this, not summoning uswhen you went to fight Midian?' And they reproached him bitterly.	1 And the men of Ephraim said to him: What is this that thou meanest to do, that thou wouldst not call us when thou wentest to fight against Madian? and they chid him sharply and almost offered violence.
2 He replied, 'What have I achieved, compared with you? Is not the gleaning of Ephraim's grapes betterthan the vintage of Abiezer?	2 And he answered them: What could I have done like to that which you have done? Is not one bunch of grapes of Ephraim better than the vintages of Abiezer?
3 God delivered Oreb and Zeeb, the chieftains of Midian, into your power. What was I able to do, incomparison with what you have done?' At these words, their anger with him died down.	3 The Lord hath delivered into your bands the princes of Madian, Oreb and Zeb: what could I have done like to what you have done? And when he had said this, their spirit was appeased, with which they swelled against him.
4 Gideon reached the Jordan and crossed it, but he and his three hundred companions were exhaustedwith the pursuit.	4 And when Gedeon was come to the Jordan, he passed over it with the three hundred men, that were with him: who were so weary that they could not pursue after them that fled.
5 So he said to the men of Succoth, 'Please give my fol owers some loaves of bread, since they areexhausted, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna the kings of Midian.'	5 And he said to the men of Soccoth: Give, I beseech you, bread to the people that is with me, for they are faint: that we may pursue Zebee, and Salmana the kings of Madian.
6 The headmen of Succoth replied, 'Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your grasp, that weshould give bread to your army?'	6 The princes of Soccoth answered: Peradventure the palms of the hands of Zebee and Salmana are in thy hand, and therefore thou demandest that we should give bread to thy army.
7 'Very wel ,' retorted Gideon, 'when Yahweh has put Zebah and Zalmunna into my power, I shal tearyour flesh off with desert-thorn and thistles.'	7 And he said to them: When the Lord therefore shall have delivered Zebee and Salmana into my hands, I will thresh your flesh with the thorns and briers of the desert.
8 From there he went up to Penuel and asked the men of Penuel the same thing; they replied as those ofSuccoth had done.	8 And going up from thence, he came to Phanuel: and he spoke the like things to the men of that place. And they also answered him, as the men of Soccoth had answered.
9 And to those of Penuel he made a similar retort, 'When I return victorious, I shal destroy this tower.'	9 He said therefore to them also: When I shall return a conqueror in peace, I will destroy this tower.
10 Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army, about fifteen thousand men, al that was left ofthe entire army of the sons of the East. Of men bearing arms, a hundred and twenty thousand had fal en.	10 But Zebee and Salmana were resting with all their army. For fifteen thousand men were left of all the troops of the eastern people, and one hundred and twenty thousand warriors that drew the sword, were slain.
11 Gideon approached them by the tent-dwellers' route, east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and attacked thearmy when it thought itself in safety.	11 And Gedeon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents, on the east of Nobe and Jegbaa, and smote the camp of the enemies, who were secure, and suspected no hurt.
12 Zebah and Zalmunna fled. He pursued them; he took the two kings of Midian prisoner -- Zebah andZalmunna -- and the whole army he routed in panic.	12 And Zebee and Salmana fled, and Gedeon pursued and took them, all their host being put in confusion.
13 After the battle Gideon came back by the Ascent of Heres.	13 And returning from the battle before the sun rising,
14 He caught a young man, one of the people of Succoth, and questioned him, and the latter wrote downthe names of the headmen and elders of Succoth for him -- seventy-seven men.	14 He took a boy of the men of Soccoth: and he asked him the names of the princes and ancients of Soccoth, and he described unto him seventy-seven men.
15 Gideon son of Joash then went to the people of Succoth and said, 'Here you see Zebah andZalmunna, about whom you taunted me and said, "Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your grasp,that we should give bread to your exhausted troops?" '	15 And he came to Soccoth and said to them: Behold Zebee and Salmana, concerning whom you upbraided me, saying: Peradventure the hands of Zebee and Salmana, are in thy hands, and therefore thou demandest that we should give bread to the men that are weary and faint.
16 He then seized the elders of the town and, taking desert-thorn and thistles, tore the men of Succoth topieces.	16 So he took the ancients of the city and thorns and briers of the desert, and tore them with the same, and cut in pieces the men of Soccoth.
17 He destroyed the tower of Penuel and slaughtered the townsmen.	17 And he demolished the tower of Phanuel, and slew the men of the city.
18 He then said to Zebah and Zalmunna, 'The men you kil ed at Tabor -- what were they like?' Theyreplied, 'They looked like you. Every one of them carried himself like the son of a king.'	18 And he said to Zebee and Salmana: What manner of men were they whom you slew in Thabor? They answered: They were like thee, and one of them as the son of a king.
19 Gideon replied, 'They were my brothers, the sons of my own mother; as Yahweh lives, if you hadspared their lives I would not kil you.'	19 He answered them: They were my brethren, the sons of my mother. As the Lord liveth, if you had saved them, I would not kill you.
20 To Jether his eldest son he said, 'Stand up and kil them!' But the boy did not draw his sword; he darednot; he was stil only a lad.	20 And he said to Jether his eldest son: Arise, and slay them. But he drew not his sword: for he was afraid, being but yet a boy.
21 Zebah and Zalmunna then said, 'Stand up yourself, and strike us down; for as a man is, so is hisstrength.' Then Gideon stood up and kil ed Zebah and Zalmunna; and he took the crescents from round theircamels' necks.	21 And Zebee and Salmana said: Do thou rise, and run upon us: because the strength of a man is according to his age: Gedeon rose up and slew Zebee and Salmana: and he took the ornaments and bosses, with which the necks of the camels of kings are wont to be adorned.
22 The men of Israel said to Gideon, 'Rule over us, you, your son and your grandson, since you haverescued us from the power of Midian.'	22 And all the men of Israel said to Gedeon: Rule thou over us and thy son, and thy son's son: because thou hast delivered us from the hand of Madian.
23 But Gideon replied, 'I wil not rule you, neither wil my son. Yahweh shal rule you.'	23 And he said to them: I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you, but the Lord shall rule over you.
24 Gideon went on, however, 'Let me make you one request. Each of you give me one ring out of hisbooty' -- for the vanquished had had gold rings, being Ishmaelites.	24 And he said to them: I desire one request of you: Give me the earlets of your spoils. For the Ismaelites were accustomed to wear golden earlets.
25 'We shal give them gladly,' they replied. So he spread out his cloak, and on it each of them threw aring from his booty.	25 They answered: We will give them most willingly. And spreading a mantle on the ground, they cast upon it the earlets of the spoils.
26 The weight of the gold rings which he had asked for amounted to seventeen hundred shekels of gold,besides the crescents and the earrings and purple garments worn by the kings of Midian, and besides the col arsround their camels' necks.	26 And the weight of the earlets that he requested, was a thousand seven hundred sicles of gold, besides the ornaments, and jewels, and purple raiment which the kings of Madian were went to use, and besides the golden chains that were about the camels' necks.
27 From this Gideon made an ephod and set it up in his town, in Ophrah. All Israel, fol owing his example,prostituted themselves to it, and it was a snare for Gideon and his family.	27 And Gedeon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city Ephra. And all Israel committed fornication with it, and it became a ruin to Gedeon and to all his house.
28 Thus Midian was humbled before the Israelites. He did not raise his head again, and the country hadpeace for forty years, as long as Gideon lived.	28 But Madian was humbled before the children of Israel, neither could they any more lift up their beads: but the land rested for forty years, while Gedeon presided.
29 So Jerubbaal son of Joash went to live at home.	29 So Jerobaal the son of Joas went, and dwelt in his own house.
30 Gideon had seventy sons begotten by him, for he had many wives.	30 And he had seventy sons, who came out of his thigh, for he had many wives.
31 His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also bore him a son, to whom he gave the name Abimelech.	31 And his concubine, that he had in Sichem, bore him a son, whose name was Abimelech.
32 Gideon son of Joash died after a happy old age and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, atOphrah of Abiezer.	32 And Gedeon the son of Joas died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father in Ephra of the family of Ezri.
33 After Gideon's death, the people of Israel again began to prostitute themselves to the Baals, takingBaal-Berith for their god.	33 But after Gedeon was dead, the children of Israel turned again, and committed fornication with Baalim. And they made a covenant with Baal, that he should be their god:
34 The Israelites no longer remembered Yahweh their God, who had rescued them from all the enemiesround them.	34 And they remembered not the Lord their God, who delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies round about:
35 And to the family of Jerubbaal -- Gideon -- they showed no faithful gratitude for al the good which ithad done for Israel.	35 Neither did they shew mercy to the house of Jerobaal Gedeon, according to all the good things he had done to Israel.