Judges 8
1 The men of Ephraim said to Gideon, “What is this you have done to us? You did not call us when you went to fight against Midian.” Then they had a violent argument with him.
Les gens d’Ephraïm dirent à Gédéon: "Pourquoi as-tu agi ainsi à notre égard, de ne pas nous appeler quand tu es allé faire la guerre à Madian!" Et ils disputèrent violemment avec Gédéon.
2 He said to them, “What have I done now compared to you? Are not the gleanings of Ephraim's grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer?
Mais il leur répondit: "Qu’est-ce que mes exploits en comparaison du vôtre! Certes, le grappillage d’Ephraïm vaut mieux que toute la vendange d’Abiézer!
3 God has given you victory over the princes of Midian—Oreb and Zeeb! What have I accomplished compared to you?” Their anger toward him died down when he said this.
Dieu a fait tomber en vos mains les princes de Madian, Oreb et Zeêb; qu’ai-je pu faire d’aussi beau?" Ce discours désarma leur colère.
4 Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over it, he and the three hundred men who were with him. They were exhausted, yet they still kept up the pursuit.
Or, Gédéon atteignit le Jourdain et le traversa avec les trois cents hommes qui l’accompagnaient, fatigués à poursuivre l’ennemi;
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 Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”
et il dit aux gens de Souccot: "Donnez donc quelques pains à cette troupe qui me suit; car ils sont harassés, et je poursuis avec eux Zébah et Çalmounna, rois de Madian."
6 Then the officials said, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand? Why should we give bread to your army?”
Les principaux de Souccot répondirent: "Tiens-tu déjà le poignet de Zébah et Çalmounna dans ta main, pour que nous donnions du pain à ton armée?"
7 Gideon said, “When Yahweh has given us victory over Zebah and Zalmunna, I will tear your skin with the desert thorns and briers.”
"Puisque c’est ainsi, dit Gédéon, quand l’Eternel m’aura livré Zébah et Çalmounna, je battrai votre chair avec les épines et les ronces du désert."
8 He went up from there to Peniel and spoke to the people there in the same way, but the men of Peniel answered him just as the men of Succoth had answered.
De là il monta à Penouel et fit semblable demande aux habitants, qui lui répondirent comme avaient fait ceux de Souccot.
9 He spoke also to the men of Peniel and said, “When I come again in peace, I will pull down this tower.”
Et il menaça à leur tour les gens de Penouel en disant: "Quand je reviendrai vainqueur, je démolirai cette tour!"
10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army, about fifteen thousand men, all who remained out of the entire army of the people of the East, for there had fallen 120,000 men who drew the sword.
Zébah et Çalmounna étaient alors à Karkor avec leurs troupes, comptant environ quinze mille hommes, tout ce qui restait de la grande armée des Orientaux: cent vingt mille guerriers avaient péri.
11 Gideon went up the road taken by tent dwellers, past Nobah and Jogbehah. He defeated the enemy army, because they were not expecting an attack.
Gédéon s’y achemina par la route des nomades, à l’orient de Nobah et de Yogbeha, et il attaqua le camp, qui était plein de sécurité.
12 Zebah and Zalmunna fled, and as Gideon pursued them, he captured the two kings of Midian—Zebah and Zalmunna—and set their whole army into a panic.
Zébah et Çalmounna s’enfuirent; il les poursuivit, s’empara de ces deux rois de Madian, et mit toute l’armée en déroute.
13 Gideon, son of Joash, returned from the battle going through the pass of Heres.
La guerre terminée, Gédéon, fils de Joas, revint par la montée de Hérès;
14 He caught a young man of Succoth and questioned him. The young man wrote down the names of seventy-seven officials and elders of Succoth.
et il arrêta un jeune homme, habitant de Souccot, qu’il interrogea, et qui lui écrivit les noms des notables et anciens de Souccot, au nombre de soixante-dix-sept hommes.
15 Gideon came to the men of Succoth and said, “Look at Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you mocked me and said, 'Have you already conquered Zebah and Zalmunna? We do not know that we should give bread to your army.'”
Il alla trouver les gens de Souccot et leur dit: "Les voilà, ce Zébah et ce Çalmounna dont vous me disiez insolemment: Tiens-tu déjà leur poignet dans ta main, pour que nous donnions du pain à ta troupe fatiguée?"
16 Gideon took the elders of the city, and he punished the men of Succoth with the desert thorns and briers.
Alors il se saisit des anciens de la ville, et châtia ces habitants de Souccot avec les épines et les ronces du désert.
17 Then he pulled down the tower of Peniel and killed the men of that city.
Il démolit aussi la tour de Penouel, et fit périr les habitants de la ville.
18 Then Gideon said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?” They answered, “As you are, so were they. Every one of them looked like the son of a king.”
Il dit alors à Zébah et à Çalmounna: "Qu’étaient ces hommes que vous avez tués à Thabor?" Ils répondirent: "Toi et eux, c’est tout un: ils avaient des mines de princes."
19 Gideon said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As Yahweh lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not kill you.”
"C’Étaient mes frères, s’écria-t-il, les fils de ma mère! Par le Dieu vivant! si vous les aviez épargnés, je ne vous ferais pas mourir."
20 He said to Jether (his firstborn), “Get up and kill them!” But the young man did not draw his sword for he was afraid, because he was still a young boy.
Et il dit à Yéther, son fils aîné: "Çà, tue-les!" Mais celui-ci ne dégaina point, car il n’osait, étant encore jeune.
21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Get up yourself and kill us! For as the man is, so is his strength.” Gideon rose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna. He also took off the crescent-shaped ornaments that were on their camels' necks.
Zébah et Çalmounna lui dirent: "Va, frappe-nous toi-même: tel homme, telle vigueur!" Et il tua Zébah et Çalmounna, et prit les croissants qui étaient au cou de leurs chameaux.
22 Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you, your son, and your grandson—because you have saved us out of the hand of Midian.”
Les Israélites dirent à Gédéon: "Gouverne-nous, toi, puis ton fils, puis ton petit-fils, puisque tu nous as sauvés de la puissance de Madian."
23 Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, neither will my son rule over you. Yahweh will rule over you.”
Gédéon leur répondit: "Ni moi ni mon fils ne vous gouvernerons: Dieu seul doit régner sur vous.
24 Gideon said to them, “Let me make a request of you: Every one of you would give me the earrings from his plunder.” (The Midianites had golden earrings because they were Ishmaelites.)
Toutefois, ajouta Gédéon, je voudrais vous demander une chose: donnez-moi chacun les boucles prises aux ennemis." En effet, ceux-ci avaient des boucles d’or, étant Ismaélites.
25 They answered, “We are glad to give them to you.” They spread out a cloak and every man threw on it the earrings from his plunder.
ils répondirent: "Volontiers nous les donnons." Et l’on étala un manteau et chacun y jeta les boucles de son butin.
26 The weight of the golden earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold. This plunder was in addition to the crescent ornaments, the pendants, the purple clothing that was worn by the kings of Midian, and in addition to the chains that had been around their camels' necks.
Le poids de ces boucles d’or qu’il avait demandées fut de dix-sept cents sicles d’or, indépendamment des croissants, des pendants d’oreilles, des vêtements de pourpre que portaient les rois de Madian, et des colliers qui étaient au cou de leurs chameaux.
27 Gideon made an ephod out of the earrings and put it in his city, in Ophrah, and all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there. It became a trap for Gideon and for those in his house.
Gédéon en fit un éphod, qu’il plaça dans sa ville natale, à Ofra. Mais Israël y vint en faire l’objet d’un culte impur, et ce fut un écueil pour Gédéon et pour sa famille.
28 So Midian was subdued before the people of Israel and they did not raise their heads up again. So the land had peace for forty years in the days of Gideon.
Du reste, Madian demeura abaissé devant les Israélites, et ne releva plus la tête; et le pays fut en repos pendant quarante années, tant que vécut Gédéon.
29 Jerub Baal, son of Joash, went and lived in his own house.
Jérubbaal, fils de Joas, s’en alla donc demeurer chez lui.
30 Gideon had seventy sons who were his descendants, for he had many wives.
Gédéon eut soixante-dix fils formant sa descendance, car il avait plusieurs femmes.
31 His concubine, who was in Shechem, also bore him a son, and Gideon gave him the name Abimelech.
Sa concubine, qui demeurait à Sichem, lui enfanta aussi un fils, à qui il donna le nom d’Abimélec.
32 Gideon, son of Joash, died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, at Ophrah of the clan of Abiezer.
Gédéon, fils de Joas, mourut dans une heureuse vieillesse, et fut enseveli dans le sépulcre de son père Joas, à Ofra, ville des Abiézrites.
33 It came about, as soon as Gideon was dead, the people of Israel turned again and prostituted themselves by worshiping the Baals. They made Baal-Berith their god.
Après la mort de Gédéon, les Israélites se prostituèrent de nouveau au culte des Bealim, et adoptèrent pour dieu Baal-Berith,
34 The people of Israel did not remember to honor Yahweh, their God, who had rescued them from the hand of all their enemies on every side.
oubliant ainsi l’Eternel, leur Dieu, qui les avait soustraits au pouvoir de tous leurs ennemis d’alentour.
35 They did not keep their promises to the house of Jerub Baal (that is, Gideon), in return for all the good he had done in Israel.
Ils n’agirent pas non plus avec bienveillance envers la famille de Jérubbaal-Gédéon, pour tout le bien qu’il avait fait à Israël.
