Font Size
Mga Hukom 8
Magandang Balita Biblia (with Deuterocanon)
Mga Hukom 8
Magandang Balita Biblia (with Deuterocanon)
Nalupig ang mga Midianita
8 Pagkatapos, pumunta kay Gideon ang mga kalalakihan ng Efraim. “Bakit mo kami ginanito? Bakit hindi mo kami tinawag bago ninyo lusubin ang mga Midianita?” pagalit nilang tanong.
2 “Ang nagawa ko ay hindi maipapantay sa nagawa ninyo. Ang maliit ninyong nagawa ay higit pa sa nagawa ng angkan namin,” sagot ni Gideon. 3 “Niloob(A) ng Diyos na sa inyong mga kamay mahulog ang dalawang pinunong Midianitang sina Oreb at Zeeb. Alin sa mga nagawa ko ang maipapantay riyan?” Nang marinig nila ito, napawi ang kanilang galit.
4 Si Gideon at ang tatlong daan niyang tauhan ay nakatawid na ng Ilog Jordan. Pagod na pagod na sila ngunit patuloy pa rin nilang hinahabol ang mga Midianita. 5 Nang umabot sila sa Sucot, nakiusap siya sa mga tagaroon, “Maaari po bang bigyan ninyo ng makakain ang aking mga tauhan? Latang-lata na sila sa gutom at hinahabol pa namin ang dalawang hari ng mga Midianita na sina Zeba at Zalmuna.”
6 Ngunit sumagot ang mga taga-Sucot, “Bakit namin kayo bibigyan ng pagkain? Hindi pa naman ninyo nabibihag sina Zeba at Zalmuna.”
7 Dahil dito, sinabi ni Gideon, “Kayo ang bahala. Kapag nahuli na namin sina Zeba at Zalmuna, hahagupitin ko kayo ng latigong tinik na mula sa halamang disyerto.” 8 Pagkasabi nito'y nagtuloy sila sa Penuel at doon humingi ng pagkain. Ngunit ang sagot ng mga tagaroon ay tulad din ng sagot ng mga taga-Sucot. 9 Sinabi niya sa kanila, “Tinitiyak ko sa inyong kami'y matagumpay na makakabalik dito. Pagbalik namin, gigibain ko ang tore ninyo.”
10 Sina Zeba at Zalmuna ay nasa Carcor noon, kasama ang nalalabi nilang kawal na 15,000 sapagkat 120,000 na ang napapatay sa kanila. 11 Dumaan sina Gideon sa gilid ng ilang, sa silangan ng Noba at Jogbeha, saka biglang sumalakay. 12 Tatakas sana sina Zeba at Zalmuna, ngunit nahuli sila nina Gideon. Dahil dito, nataranta ang mga kawal ng dalawang haring Midianita.
13 Nang magbalik sina Gideon mula sa labanan, sa Pasong Heres sila nagdaan. 14 Nakahuli sila ng isang binatang taga-Sucot. Itinanong niya rito kung sinu-sino ang mga opisyal at pinuno ng Sucot, at isa-isa namang isinulat nito. Umabot ng pitumpu't pito ang kanyang naisulat. 15 Pagkatapos, pinuntahan ni Gideon ang mga ito at tinanong, “Natatandaan ba ninyo nang ako'y humingi sa inyo ng pagkain? Sinabi ninyo sa akin na hindi ninyo kami bibigyan ng pagkain hanggang hindi namin nahuhuli sina Zeba at Zalmuna, kahit na noo'y lupaypay na kami sa gutom. Bihag na namin sila ngayon!” 16 At nagpakuha siya ng mga tinikang sanga ng kahoy at sa pamamagitan nito'y pinarusahan ang mga pinuno ng Sucot. 17 Pagkatapos, giniba niya ang tore sa Penuel at pinatay ang mga kalalakihan roon.
18 Pagkaraan, tinanong niya sina Zeba at Zalmuna, “Anong hitsura ng mga lalaking pinatay ninyo sa Tabor?”
“Kamukha mo silang lahat, parang mga anak ng hari,” sagot nila.
19 Sinabi ni Gideon, “Sila'y mga kapatid ko at mga anak ng aking ina. Saksi si Yahweh, ang Diyos na buháy,[a] kung hindi ninyo sila pinatay ay hindi ko rin sana kayo papatayin.” 20 At sinabi niya sa pinakamatanda niyang anak na si Jeter, “Patayin mo sila!” Palibhasa'y bata, natakot itong bumunot ng tabak at pumatay ng tao.
21 Dahil dito, sinabi nina Zeba at Zalmuna kay Gideon, “Bakit hindi ikaw ang pumatay sa amin? Mga tunay na lalaki lamang ang maaaring pumatay ng tao.” Kaya sila'y pinatay ni Gideon at kinuha ang mga palamuti sa leeg ng kanilang mga kamelyo.
22 Pagkatapos, nagtipun-tipon ang mga Israelita at sinabi nila kay Gideon, “Ikaw rin lamang ang nagligtas sa amin sa mga Midianita, ikaw na at ang iyong angkan ang maghari sa amin!”
23 Sumagot si Gideon, “Hindi ako ni ang aking mga anak ang dapat maghari sa inyo. Si Yahweh ang dapat maghari sa inyo. 24 Ngunit mayroon akong hihilingin sa inyo: Ibigay ninyo sa akin ang mga hikaw na nasamsam ninyo mula sa kanila.” (Nakahikaw ng ginto ang mga Midianita sapagkat iyon ang ugali ng mga taong taga-disyerto.)
25 Sumagot sila, “Buong puso naming ibibigay sa iyo.” Naglatag sila sa lupa ng isang malapad na damit at inilagay roon ang lahat ng nasamsam nilang hikaw. 26 Nang timbangin nila ang mga hikaw na ginto, ito'y umabot ng animnapung libra, hindi pa kasama ang mga hiyas, kuwintas, at mga kulay ubeng kasuotan ng mga hari ng Midian. Hindi rin kasama roon ang mga palamuti sa leeg ng mga kamelyo. 27 Mula sa gintong nasamsam, si Gideon ay nagpagawa ng isang diyus-diyosan at dinala sa Ofra na kanyang lunsod. Ang mga Israelita'y tumalikod sa Diyos at naglingkod sa diyus-diyosang ipinagawa ni Gideon. Ito ang naging malaking kapulaan kay Gideon at sa kanyang sambahayan.
28 Lubusang natalo ng Israel ang Midian at ito'y hindi na nakabawi. Nagkaroon ng kapayapaan sa Israel sa loob ng apatnapung taon, habang nabubuhay si Gideon.
Ang Pagkamatay ni Gideon
29 Umuwi si Gideon[b] sa sarili niyang bahay at doon nanirahan. 30 Pitumpu ang kanyang naging anak sapagkat marami siyang asawa. 31 Mayroon pa siyang isang asawang-lingkod sa Shekem na nagkaanak ng isang lalaki na pinangalanan niyang Abimelec. 32 Matandang-matanda na nang mamatay si Gideon na anak ni Joas. Inilibing siya sa libingan ng kanyang ama sa Ofra, ang bayan ng angkan ni Abiezer.
33 Mula nang mamatay si Gideon, ang mga Israelita'y hindi na namuhay nang tapat sa Diyos. Sa halip, naglingkod sila sa mga Baal, at ang kanilang kinilalang diyos ay si Baal-berit. 34 Hindi na sila naglingkod sa Diyos nilang si Yahweh na nagligtas sa kanila sa mga kaaway na nakapalibot sa kanila. 35 Hindi sila tumanaw ng utang na loob sa sambahayan ni Gideon sa lahat ng kabutihang ginawa nito para sa Israel.
Judges 8
New International Version
Judges 8
New International Version
Zebah and Zalmunna
8 Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon,(A) “Why have you treated us like this? Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight Midian?(B)”(C) And they challenged him vigorously.(D)
2 But he answered them, “What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t the gleanings of Ephraim’s grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer?(E) 3 God gave Oreb and Zeeb,(F) the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?” At this, their resentment against him subsided.
4 Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan(G) and crossed it. 5 He said to the men of Sukkoth,(H) “Give my troops some bread; they are worn out,(I) and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna,(J) the kings of Midian.”
6 But the officials of Sukkoth(K) said, “Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread(L) to your troops?”(M)
7 Then Gideon replied, “Just for that, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna(N) into my hand, I will tear your flesh with desert thorns and briers.”
8 From there he went up to Peniel[a](O) and made the same request of them, but they answered as the men of Sukkoth had. 9 So he said to the men of Peniel, “When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower.”(P)
10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with a force of about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of the armies of the eastern peoples; a hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had fallen.(Q) 11 Gideon went up by the route of the nomads east of Nobah(R) and Jogbehah(S) and attacked the unsuspecting army. 12 Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian, fled, but he pursued them and captured them, routing their entire army.
13 Gideon son of Joash(T) then returned from the battle by the Pass of Heres.(U) 14 He caught a young man of Sukkoth and questioned him, and the young man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven officials of Sukkoth,(V) the elders(W) of the town. 15 Then Gideon came and said to the men of Sukkoth, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me by saying, ‘Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your exhausted men?(X)’” 16 He took the elders of the town and taught the men of Sukkoth a lesson(Y) by punishing them with desert thorns and briers. 17 He also pulled down the tower of Peniel(Z) and killed the men of the town.(AA)
18 Then he asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?(AB)”
“Men like you,” they answered, “each one with the bearing of a prince.”
19 Gideon replied, “Those were my brothers, the sons of my own mother. As surely as the Lord lives,(AC) if you had spared their lives, I would not kill you.” 20 Turning to Jether, his oldest son, he said, “Kill them!” But Jether did not draw his sword, because he was only a boy and was afraid.
21 Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Come, do it yourself. ‘As is the man, so is his strength.’” So Gideon stepped forward and killed them, and took the ornaments(AD) off their camels’ necks.
Gideon’s Ephod
22 The Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you, your son and your grandson—because you have saved us from the hand of Midian.”
23 But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule(AE) over you.” 24 And he said, “I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring(AF) from your share of the plunder.(AG)” (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites(AH) to wear gold earrings.)
25 They answered, “We’ll be glad to give them.” So they spread out a garment, and each of them threw a ring from his plunder onto it. 26 The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels,[b] not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains(AI) that were on their camels’ necks. 27 Gideon made the gold into an ephod,(AJ) which he placed in Ophrah,(AK) his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare(AL) to Gideon and his family.(AM)
Gideon’s Death
28 Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head(AN) again. During Gideon’s lifetime, the land had peace(AO) forty years.
29 Jerub-Baal(AP) son of Joash(AQ) went back home to live. 30 He had seventy sons(AR) of his own, for he had many wives. 31 His concubine,(AS) who lived in Shechem, also bore him a son, whom he named Abimelek.(AT) 32 Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age(AU) and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
33 No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals.(AV) They set up Baal-Berith(AW) as their god(AX) 34 and did not remember(AY) the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. 35 They also failed to show any loyalty to the family of Jerub-Baal(AZ) (that is, Gideon) in spite of all the good things he had done for them.(BA)
Footnotes
- Judges 8:8 Hebrew Penuel, a variant of Peniel; also in verses 9 and 17
- Judges 8:26 That is, about 43 pounds or about 20 kilograms
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.