Κεφάλαιο 8

Κεφάλαιο 8

ΚΑΙ εἶπαν πρὸς Γεδεὼν ἀνὴρ ᾿Εφραίμ· τί τὸ ρῆμα τοῦτο ἐποίησας ἡμῖν τοῦ μὴ καλέσαι ἡμᾶς, ὅτε ἐπορεύθης παρατάξασθαι ἐν Μαδιάμ; καὶ διελέξαντο πρὸς αὐτὸν ἰσχυρῶς. 2 καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτούς· τί ἐποίησα νῦν καθὼς ὑμεῖς; ἢ οὐχὶ κρεῖσσον ἐπιφυλλὶς ᾿Εφραὶμ ἢ τρυγητὸς ᾿Αβιέζερ; 3 ἐν χειρὶ ὑμῶν παρέδωκε Κύριος τοὺς ἄρχοντας Μαδιάμ, τὸν ᾿Ωρὴβ καὶ τὸν Ζήβ· καὶ τί ἠδυνήθην ποιῆσαι ὡς ὑμεῖς; τότε ἀνέθη τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτῶν ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ λαλῆσαι αὐτὸν τὸν λόγον τοῦτον. 4 καὶ ἦλθε Γεδεὼν ἐπὶ τὸν ᾿Ιορδάνην, καὶ διέβη αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ τριακόσιοι ἄνδρες οἱ μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ πεινῶντες καὶ διώκοντες. 5 καὶ εἶπε τοῖς ἀνδράσι Σοκχώθ· δότε δὴ ἄρτους εἰς τροφὴν τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ τῷ ἐν ποσί μου, ὅτι ἐκλείπουσι, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγώ εἰμι διώκων ὀπίσω τοῦ Ζεβεὲ καὶ Σελμανὰ βασιλέων Μαδιάμ. 6 καὶ εἶπον οἱ ἄρχοντες Σοκχώθ· μὴ χεὶρ Ζεβεὲ καὶ Σελμανὰ νῦν ἐν χειρί σου; οὐ δώσομεν τῇ δυνάμει σου ἄρτους; 7 καὶ εἶπε Γεδεών· διὰ τοῦτο ἐν τῷ δοῦναι Κύριον τὸν Ζεβεὲ καὶ τὸν Σελμανὰ ἐν χειρί μου, καὶ ἐγὼ ἀλοήσω τὰς σάρκας ὑμῶν ἐν ταῖς ἀκάνθαις τῆς ἐρήμου καὶ ἐν ταῖς Βαρκηνίμ. 8 καὶ ἀνέβη ἐκεῖθεν εἰς Φανουὴλ καὶ ἐλάλησε πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὡσαύτως, καὶ ἀπεκρίθησαν αὐτῷ οἱ ἄνδρες Φανουὴλ ὃν τρόπον ἀπεκρίθησαν ἄνδρες Σοκχώθ. 9 καὶ εἶπε Γεδεὼν πρὸς ἄνδρας Φανουήλ· ἐν ἐπιστροφῇ μου μετ᾿ εἰρήνης κατασκάψω τὸν πύργον τοῦτον. 10 καὶ Ζεβεὲ καὶ Σελμανὰ ἐν Καρκάρ, καὶ ἡ παρεμβολὴ αὐτῶν μετ᾿ αὐτῶν ὡσεὶ δεκαπέντε χιλιάδες, πάντες οἱ καταλελειμμένοι ἀπὸ πάσης παρεμβολῆς ἀλλοφύλων, καὶ οἱ πεπτωκότες ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι χιλιάδες ἀνδρῶν σπωμένων ρομφαίαν. 11 καὶ ἀνέβη Γεδεὼν ὁδὸν τῶν σκηνούντων ἐν σκηναῖς ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν τῆς Ναβαὶ καὶ ᾿Ιεγεβάλ· καὶ ἐπάταξε τὴν παρεμβολήν, καὶ ἡ παρεμβολὴ ἦν πεποιθυῖα. 12 καὶ ἔφυγον Ζεβεὲ καὶ Σελμανά, καὶ ἐδίωξαν ὀπίσω αὐτῶν καὶ ἐκράτησε τοὺς δύο βασιλεῖς Μαδιάμ, τὸν Ζεβεὲ καὶ τὸν Σελμανά, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν παρεμβολὴν ἐξέστησε. 13 καὶ ἐπέστρεψε Γεδεὼν υἱὸς ᾿Ιωὰς ἀπὸ τῆς παρατάξεως ἀπὸ ἐπάνωθεν τῆς παρατάξεως ᾿Αρές. 14 καὶ συνέλαβε παιδάριον ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνδρῶν Σοκχὼθ καὶ ἐπηρώτησεν αὐτόν, καὶ ἔγραψε πρὸς αὐτὸν ὀνόματα τῶν ἀρχόντων Σοκχὼθ καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων αὐτῶν, ἑβδομήκοντα καὶ ἑπτὰ ἄνδρας. 15 καὶ παρεγένετο Γεδεὼν πρὸς τοὺς ἄρχοντας Σοκχὼθ καὶ εἶπεν· ἰδοὺ Ζεβεὲ καὶ Σελμανά, ἐν οἷς ὠνειδίσατέ με λέγοντες· μὴ χεὶρ Ζεβεὲ καὶ Σελμανὰ νῦν ἐν χειρί σου, ὅτι δώσομεν τοῖς ἀνδράσι σου τοῖς ἐκλείπουσιν ἄρτους; 16 καὶ ἔλαβε τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους τῆς πόλεως ἐν ταῖς ἀκάνθαις τῆς ἐρήμου καὶ ταῖς Βαρκηνὶμ καὶ ἠλόησεν ἐν αὐτοῖς τοὺς ἄνδρας τῆς πόλεως. 17 καὶ τὸν πύργον Φανουὴλ κατέσκαψε καὶ ἀπέκτεινε τοὺς ἄνδρας τῆς πόλεως. 18 καὶ εἶπε πρὸς Ζεβεὲ καὶ Σελμανά· ποῦ οἱ ἄνδρες, οὓς ἀπεκτείνατε ἐν Θαβώρ; καὶ εἶπαν· ὡς σύ, ὡς αὐτοὶ εἰς ὁμοίωμα υἱοῦ βασιλέως. 19 καὶ εἶπε Γεδεών· ἀδελφοί μου καὶ υἱοὶ τῆς μητρός μου ἦσαν· ζῇ Κύριος, εἰ ἐζωογονήκειτε αὐτούς, οὐκ ἂν ἀπέκτεινα ὑμᾶς. 20 καὶ εἶπεν ᾿Ιεθὲρ τῷ πρωτοτόκῳ αὐτοῦ· ἀναστὰς ἀπόκτεινον αὐτούς· καὶ οὐκ ἔσπασε τὸ παιδάριον τὴν ρομφαίαν αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἐφοβήθη, ὅτι ἔτι νεώτερος ἦν. 21 καὶ εἶπε Ζεβεὲ καὶ Σελμανά· ἀνάστα σὺ καὶ συνάντησον ἡμῖν, ὅτι ὡς ἀνδρὸς ἡ δύναμίς σου. καὶ ἀνέστη Γεδεὼν καὶ ἀπέκτεινε τὸν Ζεβεὲ καὶ τὸν Σελμανὰ καὶ ἔλαβε τοὺς μηνίσκους τοὺς ἐν τοῖς τραχήλοις τῶν καμήλων αὐτῶν.

22 Καὶ εἶπον ἀνὴρ ᾿Ισραὴλ πρὸς Γεδεών· κύριε, ἄρξον ἡμῶν καὶ σὺ καὶ ὁ υἱός σου καὶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ υἱοῦ σου, ὅτι σὺ ἔσωσας ἡμᾶς ἐκ χειρὸς Μαδιάμ. 23 καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτοὺς Γεδεών· οὐκ ἄρξω ἐγώ, καὶ οὐκ ἄρξει ὁ υἱός μου ἐν ὑμῖν· Κύριος ἄρξει ὑμῶν. 24 καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτοὺς Γεδεών· αἰτήσομαι παρ᾿ ὑμῶν αἴτημα καὶ δότε μοι ἀνὴρ ἐνώτιον ἐκ σκύλων αὐτοῦ· ὅτι ἐνώτια χρυσᾶ αὐτοῖς, ὅτι ἦσαν ᾿Ισμαηλῖται. 25 καὶ εἶπαν· διδόντες δώσομεν· καὶ ἀνέπτυξε τὸ ἱμάτιον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔβαλεν ἐκεῖ ἀνὴρ ἐνώτιον σκύλων αὐτοῦ. 26 καὶ ἐγένετο ὁ σταθμὸς τῶν ἐνωτίων τῶν χρυσῶν, ὧν ᾔτησε, χίλιοι καὶ ἑπτακόσιοι χρυσοῖ, πάρεξ τῶν μηνίσκων καὶ τῶν στραγγαλίδων καὶ τῶν ἱματίων καὶ πορφυρίδων τῶν ἐπὶ βασιλεῦσι Μαδιὰμ καὶ ἐκτὸς τῶν περιθεμάτων, ἃ ἦν ἐν τοῖς τραχήλοις τῶν καμήλων αὐτῶν. 27 καὶ ἐποίησεν αὐτὸ Γεδεὼν εἰς ᾿Εφὼδ καὶ ἔστησεν αὐτὸ ἐν πόλει αὐτοῦ ᾿Εφραθά· καὶ ἐξεπόρνευσε πᾶς ᾿Ισραὴλ ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ ἐκεῖ, καὶ ἐγένετο τῷ Γεδεὼν καὶ τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ εἰς σκῶλον. 28 καὶ συνεστάλη Μαδιὰμ ἐνώπιον υἱῶν ᾿Ισραὴλ καὶ οὐ προσέθηκαν ἆραι κεφαλὴν αὐτῶν. καὶ ἡσύχασεν ἡ γῆ τεσσαράκοντα ἔτη ἐν ἡμέραις Γεδεών. 29 καὶ ἐπορεύθη ῾Ιεροβάαλ υἱὸς ᾿Ιωὰς καὶ ἐκάθισεν ἐν οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ. 30 καὶ τῷ Γεδεὼν ἦσαν υἱοὶ ἑβδομήκοντα ἐκπορευόμενοι ἐκ μηρῶν αὐτοῦ, ὅτι γυναῖκες πολλαὶ ἦσαν αὐτῷ. 31 καὶ παλλακὴ αὐτοῦ ἦν ἐν Συχέμ· καὶ ἔτεκεν αὐτῷ καί γε αὐτὴ υἱόν, καὶ ἔθηκε τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ᾿Αβιμέλεχ. 32 καὶ ἀπέθανε Γεδεὼν υἱὸς ᾿Ιωὰς ἐν πόλει αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐτάφη ἐν τῷ τάφῳ ᾿Ιωὰς τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ ἐν ᾿Εφραθὰ ᾿Αβιεσδρί.

33 Καὶ ἐγενήθη ὡς ἀπέθανε Γεδεών, καὶ ἐπέστρεψαν οἱ υἱοὶ ᾿Ισραὴλ καὶ ἐξεπόρνευσαν ὀπίσω τῶν Βααλὶμ καὶ ἔθηκαν ἑαυτοῖς τῷ Βάαλ διαθήκην τοῦ εἶναι αὐτοῖς αὐτὸν εἰς θεόν. 34 καὶ οὐκ ἐμνήσθησαν οἱ υἱοὶ ᾿Ισραὴλ Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ρυσαμένου αὐτοὺς ἐκ χειρὸς πάντων τῶν θλιβόντων αὐτοὺς κυκλόθεν. 35 καὶ οὐκ ἐποίησαν ἔλεος μετὰ τοῦ οἴκου ῾Ιεροβάαλ (αὐτός ἐστι Γεδεών) κατὰ πάντα τὰ ἀγαθά, ἃ ἐποίησε μετὰ ᾿Ισραήλ.