Judges 8

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
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 But the Ephraimites said to him, "What have you done to us, not calling us when you went to fight against Midian?" And they quarreled bitterly with him.
2 He replied, 'What have I achieved, compared with you? Is not the gleaning of Ephraim's grapes betterthan the vintage of Abiezer?	2 "What have I accomplished now in comparison with you?" he answered them. "Is not the gleaning of Ephraim better than the vintage 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 Into your power God delivered the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. What have I been able to do in comparison with you?" When he said this, their anger against him subsided.
4 Gideon reached the Jordan and crossed it, but he and his three hundred companions were exhaustedwith the pursuit.	4 When Gideon reached the Jordan and crossed it with his three hundred men, they were exhausted and famished.
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 So he said to the men of Succoth, "Will you give my followers some loaves of bread? They are exhausted, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian."
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 But the princes of Succoth replied, "Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your possession, that we should give food to your 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 Gideon said, "Very well; when the LORD has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my power, I will grind your flesh in 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 He went up from there to Penuel and made the same request of them, but the men of Penuel answered him as had the men of Succoth.
9 And to those of Penuel he made a similar retort, 'When I return victorious, I shal destroy this tower.'	9 So to the men of Penuel, too, he said, "When I return in triumph, I will demolish 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 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their force of about fifteen thousand men; these were all who were left of the whole Kedemite army, a hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen having fallen.
11 Gideon approached them by the tent-dwellers' route, east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and attacked thearmy when it thought itself in safety.	11 Gideon went up by the route of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and attacked the camp when it felt secure.
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 Zebah and Zalmunna fled. He pursued them and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, captive, throwing the entire army into panic.
13 After the battle Gideon came back by the Ascent of Heres.	13 Then Gideon, son of Joash, returned from battle by the pass of Heres.
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 captured a young man of Succoth, who upon being questioned listed for him the seventy-seven princes and elders of Succoth.
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 So he went to the men of Succoth and said, "Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom you taunted me, 'Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your possession, that we should give food to your weary followers?'"
16 He then seized the elders of the town and, taking desert-thorn and thistles, tore the men of Succoth topieces.	16 He took the elders of the city, and thorns and briers of the desert, and ground these men of Succoth into them.
17 He destroyed the tower of Penuel and slaughtered the townsmen.	17 He also demolished the tower of Penuel 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 Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, "Where now are the men you killed at Tabor?" "They all resembled you," they replied. "They appeared to be princes."
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 "They were my brothers, my mother's sons," he said. "As the LORD lives, if you had spared their lives, I should 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 Then he said to his first-born, Jether, "Go, kill them." Since Jether was still a boy, he was afraid and did not draw his sword.
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 Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Come, kill us yourself, for a man's strength is like the man." So Gideon stepped forward and killed Zebah and Zalmunna. He also took the crescents that were on the necks of their camels.
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 The Israelites then said to Gideon, "Rule over us--you, your son, and your son's son--for you rescued us from the power of Midian."
23 But Gideon replied, 'I wil not rule you, neither wil my son. Yahweh shal rule you.'	23 But Gideon answered them, "I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you. The LORD must 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 Gideon went on to say, "I should like to make a request of you. Will each of you give me a ring from his booty?" (For being Ishmaelites, the enemy had gold rings.)
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 "We will gladly give them," they replied, and spread out a cloak into which everyone threw a ring from his booty.
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 The gold rings that he requested weighed seventeen hundred gold shekels, in addition to the crescents and pendants, the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian, and the trappings that were on the necks of their camels.
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 Gideon made an ephod out of the gold and placed it in his city Ophrah. However, all Israel paid idolatrous homage to it there, and caused the ruin of Gideon and his family.
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 Thus was Midian brought into subjection by the Israelites; no longer did they hold their heads high. And the land had rest for forty years, during the lifetime of Gideon.
29 So Jerubbaal son of Joash went to live at home.	29 Then Jerubbaal, son of Joash, went back home to stay.
30 Gideon had seventy sons begotten by him, for he had many wives.	30 Now Gideon had seventy sons, his direct descendants, 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 His concubine who lived in Shechem also bore him a son, whom he named 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 At a good old age Gideon, son of Joash, died and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
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 Gideon was dead, the Israelites again abandoned themselves to the Baals, making Baal of Berith their god
34 The Israelites no longer remembered Yahweh their God, who had rescued them from all the enemiesround them.	34 and forgetting the LORD, their God, who had delivered them from the power of their enemies all around them.
35 And to the family of Jerubbaal -- Gideon -- they showed no faithful gratitude for al the good which ithad done for Israel.	35 Nor were they grateful to the family of Jerubbaal (Gideon) for all the good he had done for Israel.