< Judges 8 >

1 The men of Ephraim said to him, "Why have you done such a thing to us, not calling us when you went to fight with Midian?" And they argued with him fiercely.
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 He said to them, "What have I now done in comparison with you? Isn't the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage 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 into your hand the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; and what was I able to do in comparison with you?" Then their anger subsided toward him, when he had said that.
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 Gideon came to the Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men who were with him, exhausted and famished.
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 He said to the men of Succoth, "Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me; for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing after 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 The princes of Succoth said, "Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, 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 Gideon said, "Therefore when the LORD has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will thresh your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers."
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 He went up there to Penuel, and spoke to them in like manner; and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered.
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 He spoke also to the men of Penuel, saying, "When I come again in peace, I will break 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, and their armies with them, about fifteen thousand men, all who were left of all the army of the Kedemites; for there fell one hundred twenty thousand men who drew sword.
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 the way of those who dwell in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, opposite Zebah, and struck the army, when the army was unsuspecting.
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 Zebah and Zalmunna fled, and he pursued after them, and he took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and routed the 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 Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle from 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 He caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and inquired of him: and he described for him the officials of Succoth, and its elders, seventy-seven men.
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 He came to the men of Succoth, and said, "Look Zebah and Zalmunna, concerning whom you taunted me, saying, "Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are weary?"
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 He took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he threshed 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 broke 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 Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, "What kind of men were they whom you killed at Tabor?" They answered, "As you are, so were they; each one resembled 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 He said, "They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the LORD lives, if you had saved them alive, 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 He said to Jether his firstborn, "Get up, and kill them." But the youth did not draw his sword; for he feared, because he was yet 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, "Rise up yourself, and kill us, for a man is judged by his strength." Gideon arose, and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescent ornaments that were on their camels' necks.
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 men of Israel said to Gideon, "Rule over us, both you, and your son, and your son's son also; for you have saved us out of 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 Gideon said to them, "I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: 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 Gideon said to them, "I would make a request of you, that you would give me every man the earrings from his plunder." (For they had golden 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 They answered, "We will willingly give them." They spread a garment, and every one of them threw an earring from his plunder.
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 golden earrings that he requested was one thousand and seven hundred pieces of gold, besides the crescents, and the pendants, and the purple clothing that was on the kings of Midian, and besides the chains that were about their camels' necks.
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 Gideon made an ephod of it, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel prostituted themselves after it there; and it became a snare to Gideon, and to his house.
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 So Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, and did not become a threat again. The land had rest 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 Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and lived in his own house.
約阿士的兒子耶魯巴耳回去,安居在自己家中。
30 Gideon had seventy sons conceived from his body; for 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 secondary wife who was in Shechem, she 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 Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, 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 It happened, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and played the prostitute after the Baals, and made Baal Berith 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 children of Israel did not remember the LORD their God, who had delivered them out of the hand 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 neither did they show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had shown to 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。

< Judges 8 >