< Judges 7 >
1 Early in the morning Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the men with him camped beside the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh.
耶路‧巴力就是基甸,他和一切跟隨的人早晨起來,在哈律泉旁安營。米甸營在他們北邊的平原,靠近摩利岡。
2 Then the LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many people for Me to deliver Midian into their hands, lest Israel glorify themselves over Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’
耶和華對基甸說:「跟隨你的人過多,我不能將米甸人交在他們手中,免得以色列人向我誇大,說:『是我們自己的手救了我們。』
3 Now, therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people: ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand of them turned back, but ten thousand remained.
現在你要向這些人宣告說:『凡懼怕膽怯的,可以離開基列山回去。』」於是有二萬二千人回去,只剩下一萬。
4 Then the LORD said to Gideon, “There are still too many people. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go. But if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”
耶和華對基甸說:「人還是過多;你要帶他們下到水旁,我好在那裏為你試試他們。我指點誰說:『這人可以同你去』,他就可以同你去;我指點誰說:『這人不可同你去』,他就不可同你去。」
5 So Gideon brought the people down to the water, and the LORD said to him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel to drink.”
基甸就帶他們下到水旁。耶和華對基甸說:「凡用舌頭舔水,像狗舔的,要使他單站在一處;凡跪下喝水的,也要使他單站在一處。」
6 And the number of those who lapped the water with their hands to their mouths was three hundred men; all the others knelt to drink.
於是用手捧着舔水的有三百人,其餘的都跪下喝水。
7 Then the LORD said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men who lapped the water I will save you and deliver the Midianites into your hand. But all the others are to go home.”
耶和華對基甸說:「我要用這舔水的三百人拯救你們,將米甸人交在你手中;其餘的人都可以各歸各處去。」
8 So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred men, who took charge of the provisions and rams’ horns of the others. And the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley.
這三百人就帶着食物和角;其餘的以色列人,基甸都打發他們各歸各的帳棚,只留下這三百人。米甸營在他下邊的平原裏。
9 That night the LORD said to Gideon, “Get up and go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand.
當那夜,耶和華吩咐基甸說:「起來,下到米甸營裏去,因我已將他們交在你手中。
10 But if you are afraid to do so, then go down to the camp with your servant Purah
倘若你怕下去,就帶你的僕人普拉下到那營裏去。
11 and listen to what they are saying. Then your hands will be strengthened to attack the camp.” So he went with Purah his servant to the outposts where armed men were guarding the camp.
你必聽見他們所說的,然後你就有膽量下去攻營。」於是基甸帶着僕人普拉下到營旁。
12 Now the Midianites, Amalekites, and all the other people of the east had settled in the valley like a swarm of locusts, and their camels were as countless as the sand on the seashore.
米甸人、亞瑪力人,和一切東方人都布散在平原,如同蝗蟲那樣多。他們的駱駝無數,多如海邊的沙。
13 And as Gideon arrived, a man was telling his friend about a dream. “Behold, I had a dream,” he said, “and I saw a loaf of barley bread come tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent so hard that the tent overturned and collapsed.”
基甸到了,就聽見一人將夢告訴同伴說:「我做了一夢,夢見一個大麥餅滾入米甸營中,到了帳幕,將帳幕撞倒,帳幕就翻轉傾覆了。」
14 His friend replied: “This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has delivered Midian and the whole camp into his hand.”
那同伴說:「這不是別的,乃是以色列人約阿施的兒子基甸的刀;上帝已將米甸和全軍都交在他的手中。」
15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. He returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Get up, for the LORD has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.”
基甸聽見這夢和夢的講解,就敬拜上帝,回到以色列營中,說:「起來吧!耶和華已將米甸的軍隊交在你們手中了。」
16 And he divided the three hundred men into three companies and gave each man a ram’s horn in one hand and a large jar in the other, containing a torch.
於是基甸將三百人分作三隊,把角和空瓶交在各人手裏(瓶內都藏着火把),
17 “Watch me and do as I do,” Gideon said. “When I come to the outskirts of the camp, do exactly as I do.
吩咐他們說:「你們要看我行事:我到了營的旁邊怎樣行,你們也要怎樣行。
18 When I and all who are with me blow our horns, then you are also to blow your horns from all around the camp and shout, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon!’”
我和一切跟隨我的人吹角的時候,你們也要在營的四圍吹角,喊叫說:『耶和華和基甸的刀!』」
19 Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after the changing of the guard. They blew their horns and broke the jars that were in their hands.
基甸和跟隨他的一百人,在三更之初才換更的時候,來到營旁,就吹角,打破手中的瓶。
20 The three companies blew their horns and shattered their jars. Holding the torches in their left hands and the horns in their right hands, they shouted, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!”
三隊的人就都吹角,打破瓶子,左手拿着火把,右手拿着角,喊叫說:「耶和華和基甸的刀!」
21 Each Israelite took his position around the camp, and the entire Midianite army fled, crying out as they ran.
他們在營的四圍各站各的地方;全營的人都亂竄。三百人吶喊,使他們逃跑。
22 And when the three hundred rams’ horns sounded, the LORD set all the men in the camp against one another with their swords. The army fled to Beth-shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath.
三百人就吹角,耶和華使全營的人用刀互相擊殺,逃到西利拉的伯‧哈示他,直逃到靠近他巴的亞伯‧米何拉。
23 Then the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh, and they pursued the Midianites.
以色列人就從拿弗他利、亞設,和瑪拿西全地聚集來追趕米甸人。
24 Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim to say, “Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth-barah.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they captured the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth-barah.
基甸打發人走遍以法蓮山地,說:「你們下來攻擊米甸人,爭先把守約旦河的渡口,直到伯‧巴拉。」於是以法蓮的眾人聚集,把守約旦河的渡口,直到伯‧巴拉,
25 They also captured Oreb and Zeeb, the two princes of Midian; and they killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. So they pursued the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side of the Jordan.
捉住了米甸人的兩個首領:一名俄立,一名西伊伯;將俄立殺在俄立磐石上,將西伊伯殺在西伊伯酒醡那裏;又追趕米甸人,將俄立和西伊伯的首級帶過約旦河,到基甸那裏。