< 士師記 4 >
1 エホデが死んだ後、イスラエルの人々がまた主の前に悪をおこなったので、
After Ehud died, the Israelis again started doing things Yahweh said were very evil.
2 主は、ハゾルで世を治めていたカナンの王ヤビンの手に彼らを売りわたされた。ヤビンの軍勢の長はハロセテ・ゴイムに住んでいたシセラであった。
So he allowed the army of Jabin, one of the kings of Canaan land, who ruled in Hazor [city], to conquer the Israelis. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-Haggoyim.
3 彼は鉄の戦車九百両をもち、二十年の間イスラエルの人々を激しくしえたげたので、イスラエルの人々は主に向かって呼ばわった。
Sisera’s [army] had 900 chariots. For 20 years he oppressed the Israelis. Then they pleaded to Yahweh to help them.
4 そのころラピドテの妻、女預言者デボラがイスラエルをさばいていた。
At that time Deborah, who was the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophetess who had become the leader in Israel.
5 彼女はエフライムの山地のラマとベテルの間にあるデボラのしゅろの木の下に座し、イスラエルの人々は彼女のもとに上ってきて、さばきをうけた。
She would sit under her palm tree at a place between Ramah and Bethel, in the hilly area where the descendants of Ephraim lived, and people would come to her and ask her to settle disputes between them.
6 デボラは人をつかわして、ナフタリのケデシからアビノアムの子バラクを招いて言った、「イスラエルの神、主はあなたに、こう命じられるではありませんか、『ナフタリの部族とゼブルンの部族から一万人を率い、行って、タボル山に陣をしけ。
One day she summoned Barak, the son of Abinoam, when he was in Kedesh, in the area where the descendants of Naphtali lived. She said to him, “This is what Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis worship, is commanding you to do: ‘Take with you 1,000 men, some from the descendants of Naphtali and some from the descendants of Zebulun, and lead them to Tabor Mountain.
7 わたしはヤビンの軍勢の長シセラとその戦車と軍隊とをキション川に引き寄せて、あなたに出あわせ、彼をあなたの手にわたすであろう』」。
Yahweh will lure Sisera, the commander of King Jabin’s army, to come with his chariots and his army, to the Kishon River, [a few miles away]. I will enable your men to defeat them there.’”
8 バラクは彼女に言った、「あなたがもし一緒に行ってくだされば、わたしは行きます。しかし、一緒に行ってくださらないならば、行きません」。
Barak replied, “I will go only if you go with me.”
9 デボラは言った、「必ずあなたと一緒に行きます。しかしあなたは今行く道では誉を得ないでしょう。主はシセラを女の手にわたされるからです」。デボラは立ってバラクと一緒にケデシに行った。
She replied, “Okay, I will go with you. But because that is what you have decided to do, Yahweh will enable a woman to defeat Sisera, and the result will be that (you will not be honored/people will not honor you) [for doing that].”
10 バラクはゼブルンとナフタリをケデシに呼び集め、一万人を従えて上った。デボラも彼と共に上った。
So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh. There he summoned men from Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand men came to him, and then they went together with Deborah [to Tabor Mountain].
11 時にケニびとヘベルはモーセのしゅうとホバブの子孫であるケニびとから分れて、ケデシに近いザアナイムのかしの木までも遠く行って天幕を張っていた。
At that time Heber, one of the descendants of the Ken people-group, had moved [with his wife Jael] from the area where that group lived, and set up his tent near the big oak tree at Zaanannim, near Kedesh. Heber was a descendant of Moses’ brother-in-law Hobab.
12 アビノアムの子バラクがタボル山に上ったと、人々がシセラに告げたので、
Someone told Sisera that Barak had gone up on Tabor Mountain [with an army].
13 シセラは自分の戦車の全部すなわち鉄の戦車九百両と、自分と共におるすべての民をハロセテ・ゴイムからキション川に呼び集めた。
So he gathered his troops with their 900 chariots, and they marched from Harosheth-Haggoyim to the Kishon River.
14 デボラはバラクに言った、「さあ、立ちあがりなさい。きょうは主がシセラをあなたの手にわたされる日です。主はあなたに先立って出られるではありませんか」。そこでバラクは一万人を従えてタボル山から下った。
Then Deborah said to Barak, “Get ready! This is the day that Yahweh will enable your [army] to defeat the army of Sisera. Yahweh is going ahead of you!” So Barak led his men as they descended from Tabor Mountain.
15 主はつるぎをもってシセラとすべての戦車および軍勢をことごとくバラクの前に撃ち敗られたので、シセラは戦車から飛びおり、徒歩で逃げ去った。
As they advanced, Yahweh caused Sisera and all his chariots and his army to have great difficulty maneuvering/moving around. So Sisera jumped down from his chariot and ran away.
16 バラクは戦車と軍勢とを追撃してハロセテ・ゴイムまで行った。シセラの軍勢はことごとくつるぎにたおれて、残ったものはひとりもなかった。
But Barak and his men pursued the other chariots and the enemy soldiers as far as Harosheth-Haggoyim. They killed all of the men in Sisera’s army. Not one man survived.
17 しかしシセラは徒歩で逃げ去って、ケニびとヘベルの妻ヤエルの天幕に行った。ハゾルの王ヤビンとケニびとヘベルの家とは互にむつまじかったからである。
But Sisera ran to Jael’s tent. He did that because [his boss], King Jabin of Hazor [city], was a good friend of [Jael’s husband] Heber.
18 ヤエルは出てきてシセラを迎え、彼に言った、「おはいりください。主よ、どうぞうちへおはいりください。恐れるにはおよびません」。シセラが天幕にはいったので、ヤエルは毛布をもって彼をおおった。
Jael went out to greet Sisera. She said to him, “Sir, come into my tent! Do not be afraid!” So he went into the tent [and lay down], and she covered him with a blanket.
19 シセラはヤエルに言った、「どうぞ、わたしに水を少し飲ませてください。のどがかわきましたから」。ヤエルは乳の皮袋を開いて彼に飲ませ、また彼をおおった。
He said to her, “I’m thirsty; can you give me some water?” So she opened a leather container of milk, and gave him a drink. Then she covered him with the blanket again.
20 シセラはまたヤエルに言った、「天幕の入口に立っていてください。もし人がきて、あなたに『だれか、ここにおりますか』と問うならば『おりません』と答えてください」。
He said to her, “Stand in the entrance of the tent. If someone comes and asks ‘Is anyone else here?’, say ‘No.’”
21 しかし彼が疲れて熟睡したとき、ヘベルの妻ヤエルは天幕のくぎを取り、手に槌を携えて彼に忍び寄り、こめかみにくぎを打ち込んで地に刺し通したので、彼は息絶えて死んだ。
Sisera was very exhausted, so he soon was asleep. While he was sleeping, Jael crept quietly to him, holding a hammer and a tent peg. She pounded the peg into his skull, and all the way through his head into the ground, and he died.
22 バラクがシセラを追ってきたとき、ヤエルは彼を出迎えて言った、「おいでなさい。あなたが求めている人をお見せしましょう」。彼がヤエルの天幕にはいって見ると、シセラはこめかみにくぎを打たれて倒れて死んでいた。
When Barak passed by Jael’s tent to look for Sisera, she went out to greet him. She said, “Come in, and I will show you the man you are searching for!” So he followed her into the tent, and he saw Sisera lying there, dead, with the tent peg through his head.
23 こうしてその日、神はカナンの王ヤビンをイスラエルの人々の前に撃ち敗られた。
On that day God enabled the Israelis to defeat [the army of] Jabin, the king of the people of Canaan.
24 そしてイスラエルの人々の手はますますカナンびとの王ヤビンの上に重くなって、ついにカナンの王ヤビンを滅ぼすに至った。
From that time, the Israeli people continued to become stronger, and [the army of] King Jabin continued to become weaker. Finally the Israelis were able to completely subdue the people ruled by the king of Canaan.