Judges 8
1 And the men of Ephraim said to him, “What is this, that you wanted to do, so that you would not call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they rebuked him strongly, and came close to using violence.
Les hommes d'Ephraïm dirent à Gédéon: Pourquoi nous as-tu fait l'injure de ne point nous appeler quand tu marchais pour combattre les Madianites? Et ils lui parlèrent durement.
2 And he responded to them: “But what could I have done that would be so great as what you have done? Is not one bunch of grapes of Ephraim better than the vintages of Abiezer?
Et il leur dit: Qu'ai-je fait maintenant qui égale ce que vous avez fait? Une petite grappe d'Ephraïm ne vaut-t-elle pas mieux que la vendange d'Abiézer?
3 The Lord has delivered into your hands the leaders of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. What could I have done that would be so great as what you have done?” And when he had said this, their spirit, which was swelling up against him, was quieted.
Le Seigneur a livré à vos mains les chefs de Madian, Oreb et Zeb. Aurais-je pu faire autant que vous? Alors, leur courroux se détourna de lui, quand il leur eut dit cette parole.
4 And when Gideon had arrived at the Jordan, he crossed over it with the three hundred men who were with him. And they were so weary that they were unable to pursue those who were fleeing.
Ensuite, Gédéon marcha au Jourdain, il le traversa, et les trois cents hommes avec lui; ils étaient affamés, mais ils poursuivaient toujours.
5 And he said to the men of Succoth, “I beg you, give bread to the people who are with me, for they are greatly weakened, so that we may be able to pursue Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”
Et Gédéon dit aux hommes de Socchoth: Donnez-moi des pains pour nourrir le peuple qui me suit, car ils tombent de défaillance; et voilà que je poursuis Zébé et Salmana, rois de Madian.
6 The leaders of Succoth answered, “Perhaps the palms of the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna are in your hand, and for this reason, you request that we give bread to your army.”
Mais les chefs de Socchoth dirent: Est-ce que la main de Zébé et de Salmana est déjà dans ta main, pour que nous donnions des vivres à ta troupe?
7 And he said to them, “So then, when the Lord will have delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hands, I will thresh your flesh with the thorns and briers of the desert.”
Et Gédéon dit: A cause de votre refus, lorsque le Seigneur aura livré à nos mains Zébé et Salmana, je broierai vos chairs à force de coups d'épines du désert et de Barcenim.
8 And going up from there, he arrived at Penuel. And he spoke to the men of that place similarly. And they also answered him, just as the men of Succoth had answered.
De là, il monta en Phanuel, où il leur fit la même demande; les hommes de Phanuel lui répondirent de la même manière que ceux de Socchoth.
9 And so he said to them also, “When I will have returned as a victor in peace, I will destroy this tower.”
Et Gédéon dit aux hommes de Phanuel: A mon retour, après la paix, je démolirai cette tour.
10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were resting with their entire army. For fifteen thousand men were left out of all the troops of the eastern people. And one hundred twenty thousand warriors that drew the sword had been cut down.
Or, Zébé et Salmana étaient alors en Carcar; leur camp renfermait environ quinze mille hommes, débris de tout le camp des étrangers; et ceux qui avaient péri n'étaient pas moins de cent vingt mille portant l'épée.
11 And Gideon ascended by the way of those who were dwelling in tents, to the eastern part of Nobah and Jogbehah. And he struck the camp of the enemies, who were confident and were suspecting nothing adverse.
Et Gédéon prit le chemin des ennemis dont les tentes étaient à l'orient de Nabé et de Jégébal, et il attaqua le camp, et le camp était sans méfiance.
12 And Zebah and Zalmunna fled. And Gideon pursued and overtook them, sending their entire army into confusion.
Et Zébé et Salmana s'étant enfuis, il les poursuivit, il les prit, et frappa d'épouvante l'armée entière.
13 And returning from the war before sunrise,
Ensuite, Gédéon, fils de Joas, revint de la bataille des hauteurs d'Arès, où il l'avait livrée.
14 he took a boy from among the men of Succoth. And he asked him the names of the leaders and elders of Succoth. And he described seventy-seven men.
Et il surprit un jeune garçon des hommes de Socchoth; il le questionna, et il écrivit, d'après lui, les noms des chefs et des anciens de Socchoth: soixante-dix-sept hommes.
15 And he went to Succoth, and he said to them: “Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, over whom you rebuked me, saying: ‘Perhaps the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna are in your hands, and for this reason, you request that we give bread to men who are languishing and weakened.’”
Et Gédéon se rendit auprès des chefs de Socchoth, et il dit: Voici Zébé et Salmana, au sujet desquels vous m'avez outragé, disant: Est-ce que la main de Zébé et de Salmana est dans ta main, pour que nous donnions des vivres à tes hommes défaillants?
16 Therefore, he took the elders of the city, and, using the thorns and briers of the desert, he threshed them with these, and he cut the men of Succoth to pieces.
Puis, il prit les anciens de la ville; il prit des épines du désert et de Barcenim, et il fit meurtrir de coups avec les épines les hommes de la ville.
17 He also overturned the tower of Penuel, and he killed the men of the city.
Et il démolit la tour de Phanuel, et il tua les hommes de la ville.
18 And he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men were those whom you killed at Tabor?” They responded, “They were like you, and one of them was like the son of a king.”
Et il dit à Zébé et Salmana: Comment étaient les hommes que vous avez tués au mont Thabor? Et ils dirent: Tel nous te voyons, tels ils étaient; ils semblaient des fils des rois.
19 He answered them: “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the Lord lives, if you had preserved them, I would not kill you.”
Et Gédéon dit.: C'étaient mes frères, fils de ma mère, vive le Seigneur! Si vous les aviez épargnés, je ne vous ferais point mourir.
20 And he said to Jether, his firstborn son, “Rise up, and put them to death.” But he did not draw his sword. For he was afraid, being still a boy.
Puis, il dit à Jéther, son premier-né: Lève-toi, et tue-les. Mais le jeune homme ne tira point son épée, car il avait crainte, parce qu'il était jeune encore.
21 And Zebah and Zalmunna said: “You should rise up and rush against us. For the strength of a man is in accord with his age.” Gideon rose up, and he killed Zebah and Zalmunna. And he took the ornaments and studs, with which the necks of the royal camels are usually adorned.
Zébé et Salmana dirent: Lève-toi toi-même, et tombe sur nous, car ta force est celle d'un homme. Gédéon se leva donc, et il tua Zébé et Salmana. Et il prit les croissants qui ornaient le cou de leurs chameaux.
22 And all the men of Israel said to Gideon: “You should rule over us, and your son, and your son’s son. For you freed us from the hand of Midian.”
Israël dit alors à Gédéon: Seigneur, règne sur nous, toi et ton fils et le fils de ton fils, parce que tu nous as sauvés des mains de Madian.
23 And he said to them: “I will not rule over you. Neither shall my son rule over you. Instead, the Lord shall rule over you.”
Mais Gédéon leur dit: Je ne règnerai point sur vous, et mon fils ne règnera point sur vous; le Seigneur règnera sur vous.
24 And he said to them: “I petition one request from you. Give me the earrings from your spoils.” For the Ishmaelites were accustomed to wear gold earrings.
Et Gédéon ajouta: Je vous ferai une demande: Que chacun me donne, de sa part du butin, les pendants d'oreilles. Ces hommes avaient tous des pendants d'oreilles d'or, parce qu'ils étaient Ismaélites.
25 They responded, “We are very willing to give them.” And spreading a cloak on the ground, they cast upon it the earrings from the spoils.
Ils répondirent: Nous te les donnerons avec empressement. Aussitôt, il déploya son manteau, et chacun y jeta les pendants d'oreilles de sa part de butin.
26 And the weight of the earrings that he requested was one thousand seven hundred shekels of gold, aside from the ornaments, and necklaces, and purple garments, which the kings of Midian were accustomed to use, and aside from the gold chains on the camels.
Le poids des pendants d'oreilles qu'il avait demandés, fut de dix-sept cents sicles d'or, outre les bossettes, les torsades, les vêtements et les robes de pourpre que portaient les rois de Madian, et les ornements qui entouraient le cou de leurs chameaux.
27 And Gideon made an ephod from these, and he kept it in his city, Ophrah. And all of Israel committed fornication with it, and it became a ruin to Gideon and to all his house.
Gédéon en fit un éphod, et il le plaça en Ephratha, sa ville. Et là, tout Israël se prostitua à l'occasion de cet éphod, qui fut une pierre d'achoppement pour Gédéon et pour sa famille.
28 But Midian was humbled before the sons of Israel. Neither were they able any longer to lift up their necks. But the land rested for forty years, while Gideon presided.
Et Madian fut réduit à rien devant les fils d'Israël; il ne continua plus de relever la tête, et la terre fut en repos quarante années durant les jours de Gédéon.
29 And so Jerubbaal, the son of Joash, went and lived in his own house.
Jérobaal, fils de Joas, s'en retourna, et demeura dans sa maison.
30 And he had seventy sons, who went forth from his own thigh. For he had many wives.
Il avait soixante-dix fils, nés de lui, parce qu'il avait beaucoup de femmes.
31 But his concubine, whom he had in Shechem, bore him a son named Abimelech.
Il avait aussi une concubine à Sichem, et celle-là, pareillement, lui donna un fils, qu'elle nomma Abimélech.
32 And Gideon, the son of Joash, died in a good old age, and he was buried in the sepulcher of his father, at Ophrah, of the family of Ezri.
Gédéon, fils de Joas, mourut en sa ville, et il fut enseveli dans le sépulcre de Joas, son père, en Ephratha d'Abi-Esdri.
33 But after Gideon died, the sons of Israel turned away, and they committed fornication with the Baals. And they struck a covenant with Baal, so that he would be their god.
Gédéon mort, les fils d'Israël se pervertirent; ils se prostituèrent aux Baal, et ils firent alliance avec Baal afin qu'il fut leur dieu.
34 And they did not remember the Lord their God, who rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on all sides.
Et les fils d'Israël ne se souvinrent plus du Seigneur, du Dieu qui les avait délivrés des mains de tous ceux d'alentour qui les opprimaient.
35 Neither did they show mercy to the house of Jerubbaal Gideon, in accord with all the good that he had done for Israel.
Et ils furent sans égard pour la maison de Jérobaal (le même que Gédéon), et ils oublièrent le bien que celui-ci avait fait à Israël.
