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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
Judges 8
King James Version
Judges 8
King James Version
8 And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? And they did chide with him sharply.
2 And he said unto them, What have I done now in comparison of you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?
3 God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison of you? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.
4 And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing them.
5 And he said unto the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me; for they be faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.
6 And the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thine army?
7 And Gideon said, Therefore when the Lord hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.
8 And he went up thence to Penuel, and spake unto them likewise: and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered him.
9 And he spake also unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.
10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the east: for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword.
11 And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host; for the host was secure.
12 And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued after them, and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the host.
13 And Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle before the sun was up,
14 And caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and enquired of him: and he described unto him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, even threescore and seventeen men.
15 And he came unto the men of Succoth, and said, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom ye did upbraid me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thy men that are weary?
16 And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.
17 And he beat down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.
18 Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king.
19 And he said, They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother: as the Lord liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you.
20 And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth.
21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels' necks.
22 Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian.
23 And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the Lord shall rule over you.
24 And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)
25 And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey.
26 And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels' necks.
27 And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house.
28 Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon.
29 And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house.
30 And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives.
31 And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.
32 And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
33 And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baalberith their god.
34 And the children of Israel remembered not the Lord their God, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side:
35 Neither shewed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, namely, Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had shewed unto Israel.
Judges 8
New King James Version
Judges 8
New King James Version
Gideon Subdues the Midianites
8 Now (A)the men of Ephraim said to him, “Why have you done this to us by not calling us when you went to fight with the Midianites?” And they reprimanded him sharply.
2 So he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the [a]gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than [b]the vintage of (B)Abiezer? 3 (C)God has delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. And what was I able to do in comparison with you?” Then their (D)anger toward him subsided when he said that.
4 When Gideon came (E)to the Jordan, he and (F)the three hundred men who were with him crossed over, exhausted but still in pursuit. 5 Then he said to the men of (G)Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.”
6 And the leaders of Succoth said, (H)“Are[c] the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that (I)we should give bread to your army?”
7 So Gideon said, “For this cause, when the Lord has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, (J)then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers!” 8 Then he went up from there (K)to Penuel and spoke to them in the same way. And the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered. 9 So he also spoke to the men of Penuel, saying, “When I (L)come back in peace, (M)I will tear down this tower!”
10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were at Karkor, and their armies with them, about fifteen thousand, all who were left of (N)all the army of the people of the East; for (O)one hundred and twenty thousand men who drew the sword had fallen. 11 Then Gideon went up by the road of those who dwell in tents on the east of (P)Nobah and Jogbehah; and he [d]attacked the army while the camp felt (Q)secure. 12 When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued them; and he (R)took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and routed the whole army.
13 Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle, from the Ascent of Heres. 14 And he caught a young man of the men of Succoth and interrogated him; and he wrote down for him the leaders of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men. 15 Then he came to the men of Succoth and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you (S)ridiculed me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your weary men?’ ” 16 (T)And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he [e]taught the men of Succoth. 17 (U)Then he tore down the tower of (V)Penuel and killed the men of the city.
18 And he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men were they whom you killed at (W)Tabor?”
So they answered, “As you are, so were they; each one resembled the son of a king.”
19 Then he said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the Lord lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.” 20 And he said to Jether his firstborn, “Rise, kill them!” But the youth would not draw his sword; for he was afraid, because he was still a youth.
21 So Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Rise yourself, and kill us; for as a man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon arose and (X)killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescent ornaments that were on their camels’ necks.
Gideon’s Ephod
22 Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, (Y)“Rule over us, both you and your son, and your grandson also; for you have (Z)delivered us from the hand of Midian.”
23 But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; (AA)the Lord shall rule over you.” 24 Then Gideon said to them, “I would like to [f]make a request of you, that each of you would give me the earrings from his plunder.” For they had golden earrings, (AB)because they were Ishmaelites.
25 So they answered, “We will gladly give them.” And they spread out a garment, and each man threw into it the earrings from his plunder. 26 Now the weight of the gold earrings that he requested was one thousand seven hundred shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments, pendants, and purple robes which were on the kings of Midian, and besides the chains that were around their camels’ necks. 27 Then Gideon (AC)made it into an ephod and set it up in his city, (AD)Ophrah. And all Israel (AE)played the harlot with it there. It became (AF)a snare to Gideon and to his house.
28 Thus Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted their heads no more. (AG)And the country was quiet for forty years in the days of Gideon.
Death of Gideon
29 Then (AH)Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house. 30 Gideon had (AI)seventy sons who were his own offspring, for he had many wives. 31 (AJ)And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, whose name he called Abimelech. 32 Now Gideon the son of Joash died (AK)at a good old age, and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, (AL)in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
33 So it was, (AM)as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel again (AN)played the harlot with the Baals, (AO)and made Baal-Berith their god. 34 Thus the children of Israel (AP)did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side; 35 (AQ)nor did they show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (Gideon) in accordance with the good he had done for Israel.
Footnotes
- Judges 8:2 Few grapes left after the harvest
- Judges 8:2 The whole harvest
- Judges 8:6 Lit. Is the palm
- Judges 8:11 Lit. struck
- Judges 8:16 disciplined
- Judges 8:24 Lit. request a request
Giudici 8
La Nuova Diodati
Giudici 8
La Nuova Diodati
8 Gli uomini di Efraim dissero a Gedeone: «Perché ti sei comportato in questo modo con noi, non chiamandoci quando sei andato a combattere contro Madian?». Ed ebbero con lui un'aspra contesa.
2 Egli rispose loro: «Che ho fatto io a vostro confronto? La racimolatura di Efraim non vale forse di piú della vendemmia di Abiezer?
3 DIO vi ha dato nelle mani i principi di Madian, Oreb e Zeeb; che cosa ho potuto fare io a vostro confronto?». Quando disse questo, la loro ira contro di lui si calmò.
4 Gedeone arrivò quindi al Giordano e lo passò con i trecento uomini che erano con lui; benché stanchi, essi continuavano a inseguire il nemico.
5 Disse a quelli di Sukkoth: «Date, vi prego, dei pani alla gente che mi segue, perché è stanca, e io sto inseguendo Zebah e Tsalmunna, re di Madian».
6 Ma i capi di Sukkoth risposero: «Sono forse Zebah e Tsalmunna già nelle tue mani, perché dobbiamo dare del pane al tuo esercito?».
7 Allora Gedeone disse: «Per questo quando l'Eterno mi avrà dato nelle mani Zebah e Tsalmunna, lacererò il vostro corpo con le spine del deserto e con i rovi».
8 Di là sali a Penuel e parlò a quei di Penuel nello stesso modo; gli uomini di Penuel gli risposero come avevano fatto gli uomini di Sukkoth.
9 Così egli parlò anche agli uomini di Penuel, dicendo: «Quando tornerò in pace, abbatterò questa torre».
10 Or Zebah e Tsalmunna erano a Karkor col loro esercito di circa quindicimila uomini, tutto ciò che rimaneva dell'intero esercito dei figli dell'est, poiché centoventimila uomini che brandivano la spada erano stati uccisi.
11 Gedeone salì per la via di quelli che abitavano in tende, a est di Nobah e di Jogbehah, e sconfisse l'esercito che si credeva al sicuro.
12 E Zebah e Tsalmunna si diedero alla fuga; ma egli li inseguì, prese i due re di Madian, Zebah e Tsalmunna, e sbaragliò l'intero esercito.
13 Poi Gedeone, figlio di Joash, tornò alla battaglia per la salita di Heres.
14 Catturò un giovane della gente di Sukkoth e lo interrogò ed egli gli mise per scritto i nomi dei capi e degli anziani di Sukkoth, settantasette uomini.
15 Poi venne dagli uomini di Sukkoth e disse: «Ecco Zebah e Tsalmunna, a proposito dei quali mi avete deriso dicendo: "Sono forse Zebah e Tsalmunna già nelle tue mani, perché dobbiamo dare del pane alla tua gente stanca?"».
16 prese quindi gli anziani della città e con le spine del deserto e con i rovi diede una lezione agli uomini di Sukkoth.
17 Abbatté pure la torre di Penuel e uccise gli uomini della città.
18 Poi disse a Zebah e a Tsalmunna: «Come erano gli uomini che avete ucciso al Tabor?». Essi risposero: «Erano come te ognuno di loro aveva l'aspetto di un figlio di re».
19 Egli riprese: «Erano miei fratelli, figli di mia madre; come è vero che l'Eterno vive, se aveste risparmiato la loro vita, io non vi ucciderei!».
20 Poi disse a Jether, suo primogenito: «Levati e uccidili!». Ma il giovane non estrasse la spada, perché aveva paura poiché era ancora giovane.
21 Allora Zebah e Tsalmunna dissero: «Levati tu stesso e dacci addosso, poiché qual è l'uomo tale è la sua forza». Così Gedeone si levò e uccise Zebah e Tsalmunna, e prese le mezzelune che i loro camelli portavano al collo.
22 Allora gli uomini d'Israele dissero a Gedeone: Regna su di noi tu, tuo figlio e il figlio di tuo figlio, perché ci hai liberati dalla mano di Madian».
23 Ma Gedeone rispose loro: «Io non regnerò su di voi, e neppure mio figlio regnerà su di voi!».
24 Poi Gedeone disse loro: «Voglio però chiedervi una cosa: ciascuno di voi mi dia gli orecchini del suo bottino». Essi avevano degli orecchini d'oro perché erano Ismaeliti.
25 Essi risposero: «Noi li daremo volentieri». Così stesero un mantello e ciascuno vi gettò gli orecchini del suo bottino.
26 Il peso degli orecchini d'oro che egli aveva chiesto fu di millesettecento sicli d'oro oltre le mezzelune, i pendenti e le vesti di porpora che i re di Madian indossavano, e oltre i collari che i loro cammelli avevano al collo.
27 Poi Gedeone ne fece un efod, che pose in Ofrah, sua città; tutto Israele vi andò a prostituirsi con esso, e diventò un laccio per Gedeone e per la sua casa.
28 Così Madian fu umiliato davanti ai figli d'Israele e non alzò piú il capo; e il paese ebbe riposo per quarant'anni, durante la vita di Gedeone.
29 Poi Jerubbaal, figlio di Joash, tornò a dimorare a casa sua.
30 Or Gedeone ebbe settanta figli che uscirono dai suoi lombi, perché ebbe molte mogli.
31 La sua concubina, che stava a Sichem, gli partorì anch'ella un figlio, a cui pose nome Abimelek.
32 Poi Gedeone, figlio di Joash, morì in buona vecchiaia e fu sepolto nella tomba di Joash suo padre, a Ofrah degli Abiezeriti.
33 Dopo la morte di Gedeone i figli d'Israele ricominciarono a prostituirsi ai Baal, e presero Baal-Berith come loro dio.
34 I figli d'Israele non si ricordarono dell'Eterno, il loro DIO, che li aveva liberati dalle mani di tutti i loro nemici tutt'intorno,
35 e non dimostrarono alcuna gratitudine alla casa di Jerubbaal (cioè di Gedeone per tutto il bene che egli aveva fatto a Israele.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
La Nuova Diodati (LND)
Copyright © 1991 by La Buona Novella s.c.r.l.