Judges 8
1 Then the men of Ephraim said to Gideon, “Why have you done this to us? Why did you fail to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they contended with him violently.
那時厄弗辣因人對基德紅說：「你去攻打米德楊時，沒有召叫我們，你為什麼這樣對待我們﹖」他們激烈的與他爭吵。
2 But Gideon answered them, “Now what have I accomplished compared to you? Are not the gleanings of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer?
他回答他們說：「我所行的怎能比得上你們呢﹖厄弗辣因所拾的不比阿彼厄則爾所收的葡萄更好嗎﹖
3 God has delivered Oreb and Zeeb, the two princes of Midian, into your hand. What was I able to do compared to you?” When he had said this, their anger against him subsided.
天主將米德楊的首領敖勒布和則厄布交在你們手中，我所能行的怎能與你們相比﹖」為了他這番話，他們對他的怒氣，就平息了。基德紅乘勝追趕米德楊王
4 Then Gideon and his three hundred men came to the Jordan and crossed it, exhausted yet still in pursuit.
基德紅來到約但河，就渡過河；他與跟隨他的三百人，雖然都疲倦，仍繼續追趕。
5 So Gideon said to the men of Succoth, “Please give my troops some bread, for they are exhausted, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”
他向穌苛特人說：「請你們給跟隨我的人幾個餅吃，因為他們疲倦了，我還願意追趕米德楊的兩個王子則巴黑和匝耳慕納。」
6 But the leaders of Succoth asked, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your possession, that we should give bread to your army?”
穌苛特人的頭目回答說：「難道則巴黑和匝耳慕納的手已在你的掌握中，我們就該把餅送給你的軍隊嗎﹖」
7 “Very well,” Gideon replied, “when the LORD has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with the thorns and briers of the wilderness!”
基德紅說：「好罷! 幾時上主把則巴黑和匝耳慕納交在我手中，我必要用茨條和荊棘鞭撻你們的身體。」
8 From there he went up to Penuel and asked the same from them, but the men of Penuel gave the same response as the men of Succoth.
以後由那裏上去，到了培奴耳，也向他們說了同樣的話；培奴耳人回答他也像穌苛特人一樣。
9 So Gideon told the men of Penuel, “When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower!”
他也對培奴耳人說：「當我平安回來時，我必拆毀這座碉堡。」
10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army of about fifteen thousand men—all that were left of the armies of the people of the east. A hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had already fallen.
那時則巴黑和匝耳慕納正在卡爾科爾，他們的軍隊約有一萬五千人，這是全部東方子民所剩的軍隊，因為已有十二萬持刀的被擊弊斃了。
11 And Gideon went up by way of the caravan route east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and he attacked their army, taking them by surprise.
基德紅從諾巴黑和約革治哈東面，順著住帳棚人的路上去，當敵人自以為安全的時候，襲擊了軍營，
12 When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, Gideon pursued and captured these two kings of Midian, routing their entire army.
則巴黑和匝耳慕納落荒而逃，基德紅在後面追趕，捉住了那兩個米德楊王子則巴黑和匝耳慕納，並使全軍覆沒。
13 After this, Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle along the Ascent of Heres.
約阿士的兒子基德紅，從戰場沿赫勒斯斜坡回來，
14 There he captured a young man of Succoth and interrogated him. The young man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven leaders and elders of Succoth.
捉住了穌苛特的少年人，查問他。這少年人就給他寫下穌苛特的首領和長老的名字，共七十七人。
15 And Gideon went to the men of Succoth and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your possession, that we should give bread to your weary men?’”
基德紅遂往穌苛特人那裏去說：「看! 這是則巴黑和匝耳慕納，你們為了他們曾譏笑我說：難道則巴黑和匝耳慕納的手已在你掌握中，我們就該把餅送給你疲倦的人嗎﹖」
16 Then he took the elders of the city, and using the thorns and briers of the wilderness, he disciplined the men of Succoth.
他於是捉住那城的長老，用曠野裏的茨條和荊棘懲罰了蘇苛特居民。
17 He also pulled down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
以後又把培奴耳的碉堡拆毀，殺戮了城內的居民。
18 Next, Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?” “Men like you,” they answered, “each one resembling the son of a king.”
然後詢問則巴黑和匝耳慕納說：「你們在大博爾山上殺戮的那些人是怎樣的人呢﹖」他們答說：「他們像你們一樣，個個都像君王的兒子。」
19 “They were my brothers,” Gideon replied, “the sons of my mother! As surely as the LORD lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.”
基德紅說：「他們是我的兄弟，是我母親的兒子：上主永在：如果你保留了他們不死，我也就不殺你們。」
20 So he said to Jether, his firstborn, “Get up and kill them.” But the young man did not draw his sword; he was fearful because he was still a youth.
他遂對自己的長子耶特爾說：「起來，殺死他們! 」但是這孩童害怕，拔不出刀來，因為年紀還小。
21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Get up and kill us yourself, for as the man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon got up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent ornaments from the necks of their camels.
因此，則巴黑和匝耳慕納說：「你親自起來殺死我們罷! 因為人怎樣，他的力量也怎樣。」基德紅就起來殺了則巴黑和匝耳慕納，拿去他們駱駝頸上的月牙環。基德紅辭王位及其末年
22 Then the Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you and your son and grandson—for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.”
事後，以色列人便對基德紅說：「你既然從米德楊手中拯救了我們，請你和你的子孫作我們的君王! 」
23 But Gideon replied, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The LORD shall rule over you.”
基德紅回答他們說：「我不作你的君王，我的子孫也不作你們的君王，唯有上主是你們的君王。」
24 Then he added, “Let me make a request of you, that each of you give me an earring from his plunder.” (For the enemies had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.)
基德紅又向他們說：「我只向你們要求一件事：請將每人掠奪的金環給我。」原來依市瑪耳人都有金環。
25 “We will give them gladly,” they replied. So they spread out a garment, and each man threw an earring from his plunder onto it.
他們答說：「我們情願給你。」於是舖開一件外衣，每人把所掠奪的金環擲在上面。
26 The weight of the gold earrings he had requested was 1,700 shekels, in addition to the crescent ornaments, the pendants, the purple garments of the kings of Midian, and the chains from the necks of their camels.
他所要的金環共有一千七百「協刻耳」重；此外尚有月牙環、耳環和米德楊王所穿的紫紅衣，及他們駱駝頸上的項鏈。
27 From all this Gideon made an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.
基德紅用這些金子造了一個「厄弗得」便成了基德紅及其家族的羅網。
28 In this way Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. So the land had rest for forty years in the days of Gideon,
米德楊在以色列子民前面屈服，再沒有抬起頭來。基德紅在世時，境內平安了四十年。
29 and he—Jerubbaal son of Joash—returned home and settled down.
約阿士的兒子耶魯巴耳回去，安居在自己家中。
30 Gideon had seventy sons of his own, since he had many wives.
基德紅有七十個兒子，都是他親生的，因為他有很多妻子。
31 His concubine, who dwelt in Shechem, also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech.
他在舍根的妾也給他生了一個兒子，給他起名叫阿彼默肋客。
32 Later, Gideon son of Joash died at a ripe old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
約阿士的兒子基德紅壽終正寢，埋在阿彼厄則爾的敖弗辣，他父親約阿士的墳墓裏。
33 And as soon as Gideon was dead, the Israelites turned and prostituted themselves with the Baals, and they set up Baal-berith as their god.
基德紅死後，以色列子民又去跟從巴耳諸神行邪淫，立巴耳貝黎特當做他們的天主。
34 The Israelites failed to remember the LORD their God who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side.
以色列子民忘記了上主他們的天主，曾從四周所有的敵人手中救了他們，
35 They did not show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) for all the good things he had done for Israel.
也沒有恩待耶魯巴耳即基德紅的家，以報答他施於以色列的恩惠。
