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A gwŷr Effraim a ddywedasant wrtho ef, Paham y gwnaethost y peth hyn â ni, heb alw arnom ni pan aethost i ymladd yn erbyn y Midianiaid? A hwy a’i dwrdiasant ef yn dost. Ac efe a ddywedodd wrthynt, Beth a wneuthum i yn awr wrth a wnaethoch chwi? Onid gwell yw lloffiad grawnwin Effraim, na chasgliad grawnwin Abieser? Duw a roddodd yn eich llaw chwi dywysogion Midian, Oreb a Seeb: a pheth a allwn i ei wneuthur wrth a wnaethoch chwi? Yna yr arafodd eu dig hwynt tuag ato ef, pan lefarodd efe y gair hwn.

A daeth Gedeon i’r Iorddonen; ac a aeth drosti hi, efe a’r tri channwr oedd gydag ef, yn ddiffygiol, ac eto yn eu herlid hwy. Ac efe a ddywedodd wrth wŷr Succoth, Rhoddwch, atolwg, dorthau o fara i’r bobl sydd i’m canlyn i: canys lluddedig ydynt hwy; a minnau yn erlid ar ôl Seba a Salmunna, brenhinoedd Midian.

A dywedodd tywysogion Succoth, A yw llaw Seba a Salmunna yn awr yn dy law di, fel y rhoddem ni fara i’th lu di? A dywedodd Gedeon, Oherwydd hynny, pan roddo yr Arglwydd Seba a Salmunna yn fy llaw i, yna y drylliaf eich cnawd chwi â drain yr anialwch, ac â mieri. Ac efe a aeth i fyny oddi yno i Penuel, ac a lefarodd wrthynt hwythau yn yr un modd. A gwŷr Penuel a’i hatebasant ef fel yr atebasai gwŷr Succoth. Ac efe a lefarodd hefyd wrth wŷr Penuel, gan ddywedyd, Pan ddychwelwyf mewn heddwch, mi a ddistrywiaf y tŵr yma.

10 A Seba a Salmunna oedd yn Carcor, a’u lluoedd gyda hwynt, ynghylch pymtheng mil, yr hyn oll a adawsid o holl fyddin meibion y dwyrain: canys lladdwyd cant ac ugain mil o wŷr yn tynnu cleddyf. 11 A Gedeon a aeth i fyny ar hyd ffordd y rhai oedd yn trigo mewn pebyll, o’r tu dwyrain i Noba a Jogbeha: ac efe a drawodd y fyddin: canys y fyddin oedd ysgafala. 12 A Seba a Salmunna a ffoesant: ac efe a erlidiodd ar eu hôl hwynt; ac a ddaliodd ddau frenin Midian, Seba a Salmunna, ac a darfodd yr holl lu.

13 A Gedeon mab Joas a ddychwelodd o’r rhyfel cyn codi yr haul. 14 Ac efe a ddaliodd lanc o wŷr Succoth, ac a ymofynnodd ag ef. Ac yntau a ysgrifennodd iddo dywysogion Succoth, a’r henuriaid; sef dau ŵr ar bymtheg a thrigain. 15 Ac efe a ddaeth at wŷr Succoth, ac a ddywedodd, Wele Seba a Salmunna, trwy y rhai y danodasoch i mi, gan ddywedyd, A ydyw llaw Seba a Salmunna yn awr yn dy law di, fel y rhoddem fara i’th wŷr lluddedig? 16 Ac efe a gymerth henuriaid y ddinas, a drain yr anialwch, a mieri, ac a ddysgodd wŷr Succoth â hwynt. 17 Tŵr Penuel hefyd a ddinistriodd efe, ac a laddodd wŷr y ddinas.

18 Yna efe a ddywedodd wrth Seba a Salmunna, Pa fath wŷr oedd y rhai a laddasoch chwi yn Tabor? A hwy a ddywedasant, Tebyg i ti, pob un o ddull meibion brenin. 19 Ac efe a ddywedodd, Fy mrodyr, meibion fy mam, oeddynt hwy: fel mai byw yr Arglwydd, pe gadawsech hwynt yn fyw, ni laddwn chwi. 20 Ac efe a ddywedodd wrth Jether ei gyntaf‐anedig, Cyfod, lladd hwynt. Ond ni thynnai y llanc ei gleddyf: oherwydd efe a ofnodd, canys bachgen oedd efe eto. 21 Yna y dywedodd Seba a Salmunna, Cyfod di, a rhuthra i ni: canys fel y byddo y gŵr, felly y bydd ei rym. A Gedeon a gyfododd, ac a laddodd Seba a Salmunna, ac a gymerth y colerau oedd am yddfau eu camelod hwynt.

22 A gwŷr Israel a ddywedasant wrth Gedeon, Arglwyddiaetha arnom ni, tydi, a’th fab, a mab dy fab hefyd: canys gwaredaist ni o law Midian. 23 A Gedeon a ddywedodd wrthynt, Ni arglwyddiaethaf fi arnoch, ac ni arglwyddiaetha fy mab arnoch, eithr yr Arglwydd a arglwyddiaetha arnoch. 24 Dywedodd Gedeon hefyd wrthynt, Gofynnaf ddymuniad gennych, ar roddi o bob un ohonoch i mi glustlysau ei ysglyfaeth: canys clustlysau aur oedd ganddynt hwy, oherwydd mai Ismaeliaid oeddynt hwy. 25 A dywedasant, Gan roddi y rhoddwn hwynt. A lledasant ryw wisg, a thaflasant yno bob un glustlws ei ysglyfaeth. 26 A phwys y clustlysau aur a ofynasai efe, oedd fil a saith gant o siclau aur; heblaw y colerau, a’r arogl‐bellennau, a’r gwisgoedd porffor, y rhai oedd am frenhinoedd Midian; ac heblaw y tyrch oedd am yddfau eu camelod hwynt. 27 A Gedeon a wnaeth ohonynt effod, ac a’i gosododd yn ei ddinas ei hun, Offra: a holl Israel a buteiniasant ar ei hôl hi yno: a bu hynny yn dramgwydd i Gedeon, ac i’w dŷ.

28 Felly y darostyngwyd Midian o flaen meibion Israel, fel na chwanegasant godi eu pennau. A’r wlad a gafodd lonydd ddeugain mlynedd yn nyddiau Gedeon.

29 A Jerwbbaal mab Joas a aeth, ac a drigodd yn ei dŷ ei hun. 30 Ac i Gedeon yr oedd deng mab a thrigain, a ddaethai o’i gorff ef: canys gwragedd lawer oedd iddo ef. 31 A’i ordderchwraig ef, yr hon oedd yn Sichem, a ymddûg hefyd iddo fab: ac efe a osododd ei enw ef yn Abimelech.

32 Felly Gedeon mab Joas a fu farw mewn oedran teg, ac a gladdwyd ym meddrod Joas ei dad, yn Offra yr Abiesriaid. 33 A phan fu farw Gedeon, yna meibion Israel a ddychwelasant, ac a buteiniasant ar ôl Baalim; ac a wnaethant Baal‐berith yn dduw iddynt. 34 Felly meibion Israel ni chofiasant yr Arglwydd eu Duw, yr hwn a’u gwaredasai hwynt o law eu holl elynion o amgylch; 35 Ac ni wnaethant garedigrwydd â thŷ Jerwbbaal, sef Gedeon, yn ôl yr holl ddaioni a wnaethai efe i Israel.

Zebah and Zalmunna

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)

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) 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.

Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan(G) and crossed it. 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.”

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)

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.”

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. 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

  1. Judges 8:8 Hebrew Penuel, a variant of Peniel; also in verses 9 and 17
  2. Judges 8:26 That is, about 43 pounds or about 20 kilograms