< Iudicum 6 >
1 Fecerunt autem filii Israel malum in conspectu Domini: qui tradidit illos in manu Madian septem annis,
And the children of Israel did the evil in the eyes of the Lord: and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.
2 et oppressi sunt valde ab eis. Feceruntque sibi antra et speluncas in montibus, et munitissima ad repugnandum loca.
And the hand of Midian prevailed over Israel; and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made for themselves the passes which are in the mountains, and the caves, and the strongholds.
3 Cumque sevisset Israel, ascendebat Madian et Amalec, ceterique Orientalium nationum:
And it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the 'Amalekites, and the children of the east, and they went up against them;
4 et apud eos figentes tentoria, sicut erant in herbis cuncta vastabant usque ad introitum Gazæ: nihilque omnino ad vitam pertinens relinquebant in Israel, non oves, non boves, non asinos.
And they encamped against them, and destroyed the products of the earth, as far as Gazzah, and they left no sustenance for Israel, neither lamb, nor ox, nor ass.
5 Ipsi enim et universi greges eorum veniebant cum tabernaculis suis, et instar locustarum universa complebant, innumera multitudo hominum, et camelorum, quidquid tetigerant devastantes.
For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and came as locusts in multitude; and both they and their camels were without number; and they came into the land to destroy it.
6 Humiliatusque est Israel valde in conspectu Madian.
And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the Lord.
7 Et clamavit ad Dominum postulans auxilium contra Madianitas.
And it came to pass, when the children of Israel had cried unto the Lord because of the Midianites,
8 Qui misit ad eos virum prophetam, et locutus est: Hæc dicit Dominus Deus Israel: Ego vos feci conscendere de Ægypto, et eduxi vos de domo servitutis,
That the Lord sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, and he said unto them, Thus hath said the Lord the God of Israel, I led you forth out of Egypt, and brought you out of the house of slavery;
9 et liberavi de manu Ægyptiorum, et omnium inimicorum, qui affligebant vos: eiecique eos ad introitum vestrum, et tradidi vobis Terram eorum.
And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and I drove them out from before you, and gave you their land;
10 Et dixi: Ego Dominus Deus vester, ne timeatis deos Amorrhæorum, in quorum terra habitatis. Et noluistis audire vocem meam.
And I said unto you, I am the Lord your God: ye shall not fear the gods of the Emorites, in whose land ye dwell; but ye have not obeyed my voice.
11 Venit autem Angelus Domini, et sedit sub quercu, quæ erat in Ephra, et pertinebat ad Ioas patrem familiæ Ezri. Cumque Gedeon filius eius excuteret atque purgaret frumenta in torculari, ut fugeret Madian,
And there came an angel of the Lord, and sat down under the oak which was in 'Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abi'ezrite; and Gid'on his son was beating out wheat in the wine-press, to hide it from the Midianites.
12 apparuit ei Angelus Domini, et ait: Dominus tecum virorum fortissime.
And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor.
13 Dixitque ei Gedeon: Obsecro mi domine, si Dominus nobiscum est, cur apprehenderunt nos hæc omnia? Ubi sunt mirabilia eius, quæ narraverunt patres nostri, atque dixerunt: De Ægypto eduxit nos Dominus? Nunc autem dereliquit nos Dominus et tradidit in manu Madian.
And Gid'on said unto him, Pardon, my lord, if the Lord be indeed with us, why then hath all this befallen us? and where are all his wonders of which our fathers have told us, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt! But now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hand of Midian.
14 Respexitque ad eum Dominus, et ait: Vade in hac fortitudine tua, et liberabis Israel de manu Madian: scito quod miserim te.
And the Lord turned toward him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: behold, I have sent thee.
15 Qui respondens ait: Obsecro, mi domine, in quo liberabo Israel? Ecce familia mea infima est in Manasse, et ego minimus in domo patris mei.
And he said unto him, Pardon my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is the weakest in Menasseh, and I am the youngest of my father's house.
16 Dixitque ei Dominus: Ego ero tecum: et percuties Madian quasi unum virum.
And the Lord said unto him, Because I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.
17 Et ille, Si inveni, inquit, gratiam coram te, da mihi signum quod tu sis qui loqueris ad me.
And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy eyes, then give me a sign that thou hast been speaking with me;
18 Nec recedas hinc, donec revertar ad te, portans sacrificium, et offerens tibi. Qui respondit: Ego præstolabor adventum tuum.
Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thy return.
19 Ingressus est itaque Gedeon, et coxit hœdum, et de farinæ modio azymos panes: carnesque ponens in canistro, et ius carnium mittens in ollam, tulit omnia sub quercu, et obtulit ei.
And Gid'on went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it.
20 Cui dixit Angelus Domini: Tolle carnes et azymos panes, et pone supra petram illam, et ius desuper funde. Cumque fecisset ita,
And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and the broth pour out. And he did so.
21 extendit Angelus Domini summitatem virgæ, quam tenebat in manu, et tetigit carnes et panes azymos: ascenditque ignis de petra, et carnes, azymosque panes consumpsit: Angelus autem Domini evanuit ex oculis eius.
Then the angel of the Lord put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. And the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight.
22 Vidensque Gedeon quod esset Angelus Domini, ait: Heu mi Domine Deus: quia vidi Angelum Domini facie ad faciem.
And when Gid'on perceived that it was an angel of the Lord, Gid'on said, Alas, O Lord Eternal! because I have surely seen an angel of the Lord face to face.
23 Dixitque ei Dominus: Pax tecum: ne timeas, non morieris.
And the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.
24 Ædificavit ergo ibi Gedeon altare Domino, vocavitque illud, Domini pax, usque in præsentem diem. Cumque adhuc esset in Ephra, quæ est familiæ Ezri,
And Gid'on built there an altar unto the Lord, and called it Adonay-shalom [[the Eternal of Peace: ]] unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abi'ezrites.
25 nocte illa dixit Dominus ad eum: Tolle taurum patris tui, et alterum taurum annorum septem, destruesque aram Baal, quæ est patris tui: et nemus, quod circa aram est, succide:
And it came to pass in the same night, that the Lord said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, and the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal which belongeth to thy father, and the grove that is around it shalt thou cut down.
26 et ædificabis altare Domino Deo tuo in summitate petræ huius, super quam ante sacrificium posuisti: tollesque taurum secundum, et offeres holocaustum super struem lignorum, quæ de nemore succideris.
And build an altar unto the Lord thy God upon the top of this rock, on the level place, and take the second bullock, and offer [it as] a burnt-sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down.
27 Assumptis ergo Gedeon decem viris de servis suis, fecit sicut præceperat ei Dominus. Timens autem domum patris sui, et homines illius civitatis, per diem noluit id facere, sed omnia nocte complevit.
And Gid'on took ten men of his servants, and did as the Lord had spoken unto him; but it came to pass, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, to do it by day, that he did it by night.
28 Cumque surrexissent viri oppidi eius mane, viderunt destructam aram Baal, lucumque succisum, et taurum alterum impositum super altare, quod tunc ædificatum erat.
And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was overthrown, and the grove that was around it was cut down, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar which had been built.
29 Dixeruntque ad invicem: Quis hoc fecit? Cumque perquirerent auctorem facti, dictum est: Gedeon filius Ioas fecit hæc omnia.
And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And they inquired and searched, and then said, Gid'on the son of Joash hath done this thing.
30 Et dixerunt ad Ioas: Produc filium tuum huc, ut moriatur: quia destruxit aram Baal, et succidit nemus.
Thereupon said the men of the city unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die; because he hath overthrown the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was around it.
31 Quibus ille respondit: Numquid ultores estis Baal, ut pugnetis pro eo? Qui adversarius est eius, moriatur antequam lux crastina veniat: si deus est, vindicet se de eo, qui suffodit aram eius.
But Joash said unto all that stood around him, Will ye indeed contend for Baal? will ye assist him? he that will contend for him, shall be put to death; [wait] until morning: if he be a god, let him contend for himself, because one hath overthrown his altar.
32 Ex illo die vocatus est Gedeon, Ierobaal, eo quod dixisset Ioas: Ulciscatur se de eo Baal, qui suffodit aram eius.
And the people called him on that day Yerubba'al, saying, Let Baal contend against him, because he hath overthrown his altar.
33 Igitur omnis Madian, et Amalec, et Orientales populi congregati sunt simul. Et transeuntes Iordanem, castrametati sunt in valle Iezrael.
And all the Midianites and 'Amalekites and the children of the east assembled together, and went over and encamped in the valley of Yizre'el.
34 Spiritus autem Domini induit Gedeon, qui clangens buccina convocavit domum Abiezer, ut sequeretur se.
But the Spirit of the Lord endued Gid'on, and he blew the cornet: and Abi'ezer assembled and followed him.
35 Misitque nuncios in universum Manassen, qui et ipse secutus est eum: et alios nuncios in Aser et Zabulon et Nephthali, qui occurrerunt ei.
And he sent messengers throughout all Menasseh, who also assembled and followed him; and he sent messengers through Asher, and through Zebulun, and through Naphtali, and they came up to meet them.
36 Dixitque Gedeon ad Deum: Si salvum facis per manum meam Israel, sicut locutus es,
And Gid'on said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by my hand, as thou hast spoken,
37 ponam hoc vellus lanæ in area: si ros in solo vellere fuerit, et in omni terra siccitas, sciam quod per manum meam, sicut locutus es, liberabis Israel.
Behold, I set up this fleece of wool in the threshing floor: if now there be dew on the fleece alone, and it be dry upon all the ground, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by my hand, as thou hast spoken.
38 Factumque est ita. Et de nocte consurgens expresso vellere, concham rore implevit.
And it was so; and when he rose up early on the morrow, he squeezed the fleece together, and wrung dew out of the fleece, [making] a bowl full of water.
39 Dixitque rursus ad Deum: Ne irascatur furor tuus contra me si adhuc semel tentavero, signum quærens in vellere. Oro ut solum vellus siccum sit, et omnis terra rore madens.
And Gid'on said unto God, Let not thy anger be kindled against me, and I will speak but this once [more]; let me have a proof, I pray thee, but this once more with the fleece; let it, I pray, be dry upon the fleece alone, and upon all the ground let there be dew.
40 Fecitque Deus nocte illa ut postulaverat: et fuit siccitas in solo vellere, et ros in omni terra.
And God did so that night; and it was dry upon the fleece alone, and on all the ground there was dew.