Judges 8
1 Then the descendants of Ephraim said to Gideon, “Why have you acted toward us like this? When you went out to fight against the people of Midian, why did you not summon us [to help you]?” They rebuked Gideon severely.
| وَخَاصَمَ رِجَالُ أَفْرَايِمَ جِدْعُونَ خِصَاماً شَدِيداً قَائِلِينَ لَهُ: «لِمَاذَا عَامَلْتَنَا هَكَذَا؟ لِمَاذَا لَمْ تَدْعُنَا عِنْدَ ذِهَابِكَ لِمُحَارَبَةِ الْمِدْيَانِيِّينَ؟» | ١ |
2 But Gideon replied, “I have done [RHQ] very little compared with what you have done! My small clan of descendants of Abiezer only started the battle, but [your very large group of] descendants of Ephraim [helped me to finish the task very well. It is like] the final grapes of the harvest being much better than the first grapes that are picked.
| فَأَجَابَهُمْ: «أَيُّ شَيْءٍ فَعَلْتُهُ أَنَا يُوَازِي مَا أَنْجَزْتُمُوهُ أَنْتُمْ؟ أَلَيْسَتْ لُقَاطَةُ عِنَبِ أَفْرَايِمَ خَيْراً مِنْ قِطَافِ أَبِيعَزَرَ؟ | ٢ |
3 God enabled you to defeat Oreb and Zeeb, the generals of the army from Midian. That is [RHQ] much more important than what I did!” After Gideon told them that, they no longer resented what he had done.
| لَقَدْ أَوْقَعَ الرَّبُّ غُرَاباً وَذِئْباً قَائِدَيِ الْمِدْيَانِيِّينَ فِي أَيْدِيكُمْ. فَأَيُّ شَيْءٍ اسْتَطَعْتُ أَنْ أَفْعَلَهُ يُوَازِي عَمَلَكُمْ هَذَا؟» وَعِنْدَمَا سَمِعُوا حَدِيثَهُ هَدَأَتْ سَوْرَةُ غَضَبِهِمْ. | ٣ |
4 Then Gideon and his 300 men [went east and] crossed the Jordan [River]. Although they were very tired, they continued to pursue their enemies.
| وَاجْتَازَ جِدْعُونُ وَرِجَالُهُ الثَّلاثُ مِئَةٍ نَهْرَ الأُرْدُنِّ وَقَدْ نَالَ مِنْهُمُ الإِعْيَاءُ مِنْ مُطَارَدَتِهِمْ لِلْعَدُوِّ. | ٤ |
5 When they arrived at Succoth [town], Gideon said to the town leaders, “Please give my men some food! They are very tired. We are pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”
| فَقَالَ لأَهْلِ سُكُّوتَ: «أَعْطُوا رِجَالِي طَعَاماً فَإِنَّهُمْ مُنْهَكُونَ، وَأَنَا مَازِلْتُ أُطَارِدُ زَبَحَ وَصَلْمُنَّاعَ مَلِكَيْ مِدْيَانَ». | ٥ |
6 But the leaders of Succoth replied, “You have not caught [RHQ] Zebah and Zalmunna yet. So why should we give food to your troops [now? Catch them first, and then we will give you food].”
| فَأَجَابَهُ رُؤَسَاءُ سُكُّوتَ: «أَلَعَلَّ زَبَحَ وَصَلْمُنَّاعَ قَدْ وَقَعَا أَسِيرَيْنِ فِي يَدِكَ الآنَ حَتَّى نُقَدِّمَ لِرِجَالِكَ خُبْزاً؟» | ٦ |
7 Gideon replied, “[Because you said that], after Yahweh enables us to defeat Zebah and Zalmunna, we will return. And then we will make whips from thorns from the desert, and with them we will rip the flesh off your bones!”
| فَقَالَ جِدْعُونُ: «حَسَناً! عِنْدَمَا يَنْصُرُنِي الرَّبُّ عَلَيْهِمَا سَأَدْرُسُ بالنَّوَارِجِ لَحْمَكُمْ مَعَ أَشْوَاكِ الْبَرِّيَّةِ». | ٧ |
8 From there, Gideon [and his 300 men] went to Peniel and asked for food there, but the people gave him the same answer.
| وَتَوَجَّهَ مِنْ هُنَاكَ إِلَى فَنُوئِيلَ وَطَلَبَ مِنْ أَهْلِهَا طَعَاماً، فَأَجَابُوهُ بِمِثْلِ مَا أَجَابَ بِهِ أَهْلُ سُكُّوتَ. | ٨ |
9 So he said to the men of Peniel, “After I defeat those kings, I will return and tear down this tower!”
| فَتَوَعَّدَهُمْ قَائِلاً: «عِنْدَ رُجُوعِي بِسَلامٍ سَأَهْدِمُ هَذَا الْبُرْجَ». | ٩ |
10 By that time, Zebah and Zalmunna had gone to Karkor [town] with 15,000 troops. They were all that were left of the armies that had come from the east. 120,000 of their men had already been killed.
| وَكَانَ زَبَحُ وَصَلْمُنَّاعُ مُعَسْكِرَيْنِ فِي قَرْقَرَ عَلَى رَأْسِ جَيْشٍ مِنْ نَحْوِ خَمْسَةَ عَشَرَ أَلْفاً هُمُ الْبَقِيَّةُ الْبَاقِيَةُ مِنْ جَمِيعِ جَيْشِ أَبْنَاءِ الْمَشْرِقِ بَعْدَ أَنْ سَقَطَ مِنْهُمْ مِئَةٌ وَعِشْرُونَ أَلْفَ رَجُلٍ مِنَ الْمُقَاتِلِينَ بِالسُّيُوفِ. | ١٠ |
11 Gideon [and his men] went east along the road on which caravans travel. They went past Nobah and Jogbehah [villages] and arrived at the enemy camp by surprise.
| وَسَلَكَ جِدْعُونُ طَرِيقَ سَاكِنِي الْخِيَامِ شَرْقِيَّ نُوبَحَ وَيُجْبَهَةَ وَهَاجَمَ الْجَيْشَ الْمِدْيَانِيَّ عَلَى حِينِ غِرَّةٍ | ١١ |
12 Zebah and Zalmunna fled, but Gideon’s men pursued them and captured them and all their warriors.
| فَهَرَبَ زَبَحُ وَصَلْمُنَّاعُ فَتَعَقَّبَهُمَا وَقَبَضَ عَلَيْهِمَا وَشَتَّتَ الْجَيْشَ كُلَّهُ. | ١٢ |
13 After that, Gideon and his men [took Zebah and Zalmunna with them and] started to return, going through Heres Pass.
| وَرَجَعَ جِدْعُونُ بْنُ يُوآشَ مِنَ الْحَرْبِ عَنْ طَرِيقِ عَقَبَةِ حَارَسَ. | ١٣ |
14 There he captured a young man from Succoth, and demanded that he write down the names of all of the leaders in the town. The young man wrote down seventy-seven names.
| وَقَبَضَ عَلَى شَابٍّ مِنْ أَهْلِ سُكُّوتَ وَطَلَبَ مِنْهُ أَنْ يُسَجِّلَ لَهُ أَسْمَاءَ رُؤَسَاءِ سُكُّوتَ وَشُيُوخِهَا. فَسَجَّلَ سَبْعَةً وَسَبْعِينَ اسْماً. | ١٤ |
15 Then Gideon and his men returned to Succoth and said to those leaders, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna. When we were here before, you made fun of me and said ‘You have not [RHQ] caught Zebah and Zalmunna yet! After you catch them, we will give your exhausted men some food.’”
| ثُمَّ أَقْبَلَ جِدْعُونُ عَلَى أَهْلِ سُكُّوتَ قَائِلاً: «هُوَذا زَبَحُ وَصَلْمُنَّاعُ اللَّذَانِ عَيَّرْتُمُونِي بِهِمَا قَائِلِينَ: أَلَعَلَّ زَبَحَ وَصَلْمُنَّاعَ قَدْ وَقَعَا أَسِيرَيْنِ لَدَيْكَ الآنَ حَتَّى نُقَدِّمَ لِرِجَالِكَ الْمُنْهَكِينَ خُبْزاً؟» | ١٥ |
16 Then Gideon’s men took the town leaders and whipped them with whips made from briers from the desert, to teach them [that they deserved to be punished for not giving them any food].
| وَقَبَضَ عَلَى شُيُوخِ الْمَدِينَةِ، وَأَخَذَ أَشْوَاكاً مِنَ الْبَرِّيَّةِ وَنَوَارِجَ وَعَاقَبَ بِها أَهْلَ سُكُّوتَ، فَكَانَ ذَلِكَ دَرْساً لَهُمْ. | ١٦ |
17 Then [they went to] Peniel and tore down the tower, and killed all the men in the town.
| وَهَدَمَ بُرْجَ فَنُوئِيلَ وَقَتَلَ رِجَالَ الْمَدِينَةِ. | ١٧ |
18 Then Gideon said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “The men you killed near Tabor [Mountain], what did they look like?” They replied, “They were like you; they all looked like they were sons of a king.”
| وَسَأَلَ جِدْعُونُ زَبَحَ وَصَلْمُنَّاعَ: «مَا هَيئَةُ الرِّجَالِ الَّذِينَ قَتَلْتُمَاهُمْ فِي تَابُورَ؟» فَأَجَابَا: «إِنَّهُمْ يُشْبِهُونَكَ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمْ مِثْلُ ابْنِ مَلِكٍ». | ١٨ |
19 Gideon replied, “They were my brothers! Just as surely as Yahweh lives, I would not kill you if you had not killed them.”
| فَقَالَ: «هُمْ إِخْوَتِي أَبْنَاءُ أُمِّي، حَيٌّ هُوَ الرَّبُّ، مَا كُنْتُ لأَقْتُلَكُمَا لَوْ أَبْقَيْتُمَاهُمْ أَحْيَاءَ». | ١٩ |
20 Then he turned to his oldest son, Jether. He said to him, “Kill them!” But Jether was only a boy, and he was afraid, so he did not pull out his dagger [to kill them].
| وَقَالَ لِيَثَرَ ابْنِهِ الْبِكْرِ: «قُمِ اقْتُلْهُمَا». وَلَكِنَّ هَذَا خَافَ أَنْ يَسْتَلَّ سَيْفَهُ لأَنَّهُ كَانَ صَغِيرَ السِّنِّ. | ٢٠ |
21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, “Do not ask a young boy to do the work that a man should do!” So Gideon killed both of them. Then he took the gold ornaments from the necks of their camels.
| فَقَالَ زَبَحُ وَصَلْمُنَّاعُ: «قُمْ أَنْتَ وَاقْتُلْنَا، فَخَيْرٌ لَنَا أَنْ يَقْتُلَنَا رَجُلٌ» فَقَتَلَهُمَا جِدْعُونُ. وَأَخَذَ الْحُلِيَّ الَّتِي كَانَتْ تُزَيِّنُ أَعْنَاقَ جِمَالِهِمَا. | ٢١ |
22 Then a group of Israeli men [came to] Gideon and said to him, “You be our ruler! [We want] you and your son and your grandsons [to] be our rulers, because you rescued us from the Midian army.”
| وَقَالَ بَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ لِجِدْعُونَ: «تَسَلَّطْ عَلَيْنَا أَنْتَ وَابْنُكَ وَحَفِيدُكَ، لأَنَّكَ قَدْ أَنْقَذْتَنَا مِنَ الْمِدْيَانِيِّينَ» | ٢٢ |
23 But Gideon replied, “No, I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you. Yahweh will rule over you.”
| فَأَجَابَهُمْ: «لا أَتَسَلَّطُ عَلَيْكُمْ، لَا أَنَا وَلا ابْنِي، إِنَّمَا الرَّبُّ يَتَسَلَّطُ عَلَيْكُمْ. | ٢٣ |
24 Then he said, “I request only one thing. I request that each of you give me one earring from the things you captured after the battle.” [All the men descended from Ishmael wore gold earrings.]
| وَلَكِنْ لِي لَدَيْكُمْ طِلْبَةٌ، وَهِيَ أَنْ يُعْطِيَنِي كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ أَقْرَاطَ غَنِيمَتِهِ، وَهِيَ أَقْرَاطُ الذَّهَبِ الَّتِي يَتَحَلَّى بِها عَادَةً الإِسْمَاعِيلِيُّونَ» (الَّذِينَ شَكَّلُوا جَيْشَ الْمِدْيَانِيِّينَ). | ٢٤ |
25 They replied, “We will be glad to give earrings to you!” So they spread a cloth [on the ground], and each man threw on it one gold earring that he had taken [from a man he had killed in the battle].
| فَأَجَابُوهُ: «يَسُرُّنَا أَنْ نُقَدِّمَهَا لَكَ». وَفَرَشُوا رِدَاءً أَلْقَى عَلَيْهِ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ أَقْرَاطَ غَنِيمَتِهِ. | ٢٥ |
26 The weight of all the earrings was (43 pounds/19.4 kg.). That did not include other things [that they gave to Gideon]—the other ornaments or the pendants or the clothes that the kings of Midian wore or the gold chains that were on the necks of their camels.
| فَكَانَ وَزْنُ أَقْرَاطِ الذَّهَبِ الَّتِي طَلَبَهَا أَلْفاً وَسَبْعَ مِئَةِ شَاقِلٍ (نَحْوَ عِشْرِينَ كِيلُو جِرَاماً)، مَاعَدَا الأَهِلَّةَ وَالْحَلَقَ وَالأَثْوَابَ الأُرْجُوَانِيَّةَ الَّتِي كَانَ يَرْتَدِيهَا مُلُوكُ مِدْيَانَ، وَالْقَلائِدَ الَّتِي كَانَتْ تُزَيِّنُ أَعْنَاقَ جِمَالِهِمْ. | ٢٦ |
27 Gideon made/decorated a sacred vest from the gold, and later he put it in his hometown, Ophrah. But soon the Israeli people started to worship the vest. So it became like a trap [MET] for the people, [causing them to worship it instead of worshiping only God].
| فَصَاغَ مِنْهَا جِدْعُونُ صَنَماً نَصَبَهُ فِي مَدِينَتِهِ عَفْرَةَ، فَغَوَى الإِسْرَائِيلِيُّونَ وَرَاءَهُ وَعَبَدُوهُ فَكَانَ هَذَا الصَّنَمُ شَرَكاً لِجِدْعُونَ وَعَائِلَتِهِ. | ٢٧ |
28 That is how the Israelis defeated the people from Midian. The people of Midian did not become strong enough to attack Israel again. So while Gideon was alive, there was peace in the land for 40 years.
| وَذَلَّ الْمِدْيَانِيُّونَ أَمَامَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ وَلَمْ يَعُودُوا يَتَطَاوَلُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ. وَعَمَّ السَّلامُ الْبِلادَ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً طَوَالَ حَيَاةِ جِدْعُونَ. | ٢٨ |
29 Gideon went back home to live there.
| وَرَجَعَ جِدْعُونُ بْنُ يُوآشَ إِلَى بَيْتِهِ حَيْثُ أَقَامَ فِيهِ. | ٢٩ |
30 He had many wives, and they bore him seventy sons.
| وَكَانَ لِجِدْعُونَ سَبْعُونَ وَلَداً جَمِيعُهُمْ مِنْ صُلْبِهِ لأَنَّهُ كَانَ مِزْوَاجاً. | ٣٠ |
31 He also had a slave wife in Shechem [town], who bore him a son whom he named Abimelech.
| وَوَلَدَتْ لَهُ أَيْضاً سُرِّيَّتُهُ الَّتِي فِي شَكِيمَ ابْناً دَعَاهُ أَبِيمَالِكَ. | ٣١ |
32 Gideon died when he was very old. They buried his body in the grave where his father Joash was buried, at Ophrah, in the land belonging to the descendants of Abiether.
| وَمَاتَ جِدْعُونُ بْنُ يُوآشَ بَعْدَ عُمْرٍ طَوِيلٍ صَالِحٍ، وَدُفِنَ فِي قَبْرِ يُوآشَ أَبِيهِ فِي عَفْرَةَ، بَلْدَةِ الأَبِيعَزَرِيِّينَ. | ٣٢ |
33 But as soon as Gideon died, the Israelis [stopped worshiping God and started worshiping the images of the god Baal, like] [MET] adultresses [leave their husbands and go to sleep with other men]. They made a [statue of a] new god called Baal-Berith.
| وَرَجَعَ بَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِ جِدْعُونَ وَغَوَوْا وَرَاءَ الْبَعْلِيمِ، وَاتَّخَذُوا بَعْلَ بَرِيثَ إِلَهاً لَهُمْ، | ٣٣ |
34 They forgot about Yahweh, the one who had rescued them from all their enemies that surrounded them.
| وَنَسُوا الرَّبَّ إِلَهَهُمُ الَّذِي أَنْقَذَهُمْ مِنْ قَبْضَةِ جَمِيعِ أَعْدَائِهِمِ الْمُحِيطِينَ بِهِمْ. | ٣٤ |
35 And even though Gideon had done many good things for the Israelis, they were not kind to Gideon’s family.
| وَأَسَاءُوا إِلَى بَيْتِ يَرُبَّعَلَ (جِدْعُونَ) رَغْمَ كُلِّ الْخَيْرِ الَّذِي أَسْدَاهُ إِلَى إِسْرَائِيلَ. | ٣٥ |
