Juízes 6
1 Mas os filhos de Israel fizeram o mal aos olhos do SENHOR; e o SENHOR os entregou nas mãos de Midiã por sete anos.
Again the Israelis did things that Yahweh said were very evil. So he allowed the people of Midian to conquer them and rule them for seven years.
2 E a mão de Midiã prevaleceu contra Israel. E os filhos de Israel, por causa dos midianitas, se fizeram covas nos montes, e cavernas, e lugares fortes.
The people of Midian treated the Israelis so cruelly that the Israelis fled to the mountains. There they made places to live in caves and animal dens.
3 Pois quando os de Israel haviam semeado, subiam os midianitas, e amalequitas, e os orientais: subiam contra eles;
Whenever the Israelis planted things in their fields, the people of Midian and Amalek and other groups from the east invaded Israel.
4 E assentando acampamento contra eles destruíam os frutos da terra, até chegar a Gaza; e não deixavam o que comer em Israel, nem ovelhas, nem bois, nem asnos.
They set up tents in the area, and then destroyed the crops as far south as Gaza. They did not leave anything for the Israelis’ sheep or cattle or donkeys to eat.
5 Porque subiam eles e seus gados, e vinham com suas tendas em grande multidão como gafanhotos, que não havia número neles nem em seus camelos: assim vinham à terra para devastá-la.
They came into Israel with their tents and their livestock like a swarm of locusts. There were [so many of them that] arrived riding on their camels that no one could count them. They stayed and ruined the Israelis’ crops.
6 Era, pois, Israel em grande maneira empobrecido pelos midianitas; e os filhos de Israel clamaram ao SENHOR.
The people of Midian took almost everything the Israelis owned. So finally the Israelis pleaded for Yahweh to help them.
7 E quando os filhos de Israel clamaram ao SENHOR, por causa dos midianitas,
When the Israelis pleaded with Yahweh to help them because of [what] the people from Midian [were doing to them],
8 O SENHOR enviou um homem profeta aos filhos de Israel, o qual lhes disse: Assim disse o SENHOR Deus de Israel: Eu vos fiz sair do Egito, e vos tirei da casa de servidão:
he sent to them a prophet, who said, “Yahweh, the God we Israelis worship, says this: ‘Your ancestors were slaves in Egypt.
9 Eu vos livrei da mão dos egípcios, e da mão de todos os que vos afligiram, aos quais expulsei de diante de vós, e vos dei sua terra;
But I rescued them from the leaders of Egypt and from all the others who oppressed them. I expelled their enemies from this land, and gave it to your ancestors.
10 E disse-vos: Eu sou o SENHOR vosso Deus; não temais aos deuses dos amorreus, em cuja terra habitais; mas não obedecestes à minha voz.
I told you all, “I am Yahweh, your God. You are now in the land where the descendants of Amor live, but you must not worship the gods whom they worship.” But you did not pay attention to me.’”
11 E veio o anjo do SENHOR, e sentou-se debaixo do carvalho que está em Ofra, o qual era de Joás abiezrita; e seu filho Gideão estava malhando o trigo na prensa de uvas, para fazê-lo esconder dos midianitas.
One day Yahweh appeared [in the form of] an angel and sat underneath a big oak tree at Ophrah [town]. That tree belonged to Joash, who was from the clan of Abiezer. Joash’s son Gideon was threshing wheat in the pit where they pressed [grapes to make] wine. He was threshing the grain there in order to hide it from the people of Midian.
12 E o anjo do SENHOR se lhe apareceu, e disse-lhe: O SENHOR é contigo, homem esforçado.
Yahweh [went over] to Gideon and said to him, “You mighty warrior, Yahweh is helping you!”
13 E Gideão lhe respondeu: Ah, Senhor meu, se o SENHOR é conosco, por que nos sobreveio tudo isto? E onde estão todas suas maravilhas, que nossos pais nos contaram, dizendo: Não nos tirou o SENHOR do Egito? E agora o SENHOR nos desamparou, e nos entregou nas mãos dos midianitas.
Gideon replied, “Sir, if Yahweh is helping us, why have all these [bad things] happened to us? We heard about [RHQ] all the miracles that Yahweh performed for our ancestors. We heard people tell us about how he rescued them from [being slaves in] Egypt. But now Yahweh has abandoned us, and we are ruled by the people from Midian.”
14 E olhando-lhe o SENHOR, disse-lhe: Vai com esta tua força, e salvarás a Israel da mão dos midianitas. Não te envio eu?
Then Yahweh turned toward him and said, “I will give you strength to enable you to rescue the Israelis from the people of Midian. I am sending you [to do that]!”
15 Então lhe respondeu: Ah, Senhor meu, com que tenho de salvar a Israel? Eis que minha família é pobre em Manassés, e eu o menor na casa de meu pai.
Gideon replied, “But Yahweh, how can I rescue the Israelis? My clan is the least significant in the whole tribe descended from Manasseh, and I am the least significant person in my whole family!”
16 E o SENHOR lhe disse: Porque eu serei contigo, e ferirás aos midianitas como a um só homem.
Yahweh said to him, “I will help you. So you will defeat the army of Midian [as easily] as if you were fighting only one man!”
17 E ele respondeu: Eu te rogo que, se achei favor diante de ti, me dês sinal de que tu falaste comigo.
Gideon replied, “If you are truly pleased with me, do something which will prove that you who are speaking to me are really Yahweh.
18 Rogo-te que não te vás daqui, até que eu volte a ti, e traga a minha oferta, e a ponha diante de ti. E ele respondeu: Eu esperarei até que voltes.
But do not go away until I go and bring back an offering to you.” Yahweh answered, “Okay, I will stay here until you return.”
19 E entrando-se Gideão preparou um cabrito, e pães sem levedura de um efa de farinha; e pôs a carne em um cesto, e o caldo em uma caçarola, e tirando-o apresentou-lhe debaixo daquele carvalho.
Gideon hurried to his home. He [killed] a young goat [and] cooked [it]. Then he took (a half a bushel/18 liters) of flour and baked some bread without yeast. Then he put the cooked meat in a basket, and put the broth [from the meat] in a pot, and took it to Yahweh, who was sitting under the tree.
20 E o anjo de Deus lhe disse: Toma a carne, e os pães sem levedura, e põe-o sobre esta penha, e derrama o caldo. E ele o fez assim.
Then Yahweh said to him, “Put the meat and the bread on this rock. Then pour the broth on top of it.” So Gideon did that.
21 E estendendo o anjo do SENHOR o bordão que tinha em sua mão, tocou com a ponta na carne e nos pães sem levedura; e subiu fogo da penha, o qual consumiu a carne e os pães sem levedura. E o anjo do SENHOR desapareceu de diante dele.
Then Yahweh touched the meat and bread with the walking stick that was in his hand. A fire flamed up from the rock and burned up everything that Gideon had brought! And then Yahweh disappeared.
22 E vendo Gideão que era o anjo do SENHOR, disse: Ah, Senhor DEUS, que vi o anjo do SENHOR face a face.
When Gideon realized that it was really Yahweh [who had appeared in the form of an angel and talked with him], he exclaimed, “O, Yahweh, I have seen you face-to-face [when you had the form of] an angel! [So I will surely die]!”
23 E o SENHOR lhe disse: Paz seja contigo; não tenhas medo, não morrerás.
But Yahweh called to him and said, “Do not be afraid! You will not die [because of seeing me]!”
24 E edificou ali Gideão altar ao SENHOR, ao que chamou O SENHOR é paz: está até hoje em Ofra dos abiezritas.
Then Gideon built an altar to [worship] Yahweh there. He named it ‘Yahweh gives us peace’. That altar is still there in Ophrah [town], in the land that belongs to the descendants of Abiezer.
25 E aconteceu que a mesma noite lhe disse o SENHOR: Toma um touro do rebanho de teu pai, e outro touro de sete anos, e derruba o altar de Baal que teu pai tem, e corta também o bosque que está junto a ele:
That night Yahweh said to Gideon, “Take the second-best/oldest bull from your father’s herd, the bull that is seven years old. [Kill it]. Then tear down the altar that your father built to [worship] the god Baal. Also cut down the pole for worshipping [the goddess] Astarte that is there beside it.
26 E edifica altar ao SENHOR teu Deus no cume deste penhasco em lugar conveniente; e tomando o segundo touro, sacrifica-o em holocausto sobre a lenha do bosque que haverás cortado.
Then build a [stone] altar to worship me, your God Yahweh, here on this hill. Take the wood from the pole you cut down and make a fire [to cook the meat of the bull] as a burnt offering to me.”
27 Então Gideão tomou dez homens de seus servos, e fez como o SENHOR lhe disse. Mas temendo fazê-lo de dia, pela família de seu pai e pelos homens da cidade, o fez de noite.
So Gideon and his servants did what Yahweh commanded. But they did it at night, because he was afraid what the other members of his family and the other men in town would do to him if they found out that he had done that.
28 E à manhã, quando os da cidade se levantaram, eis que o altar de Baal estava derrubado, e cortado o bosque que junto a ele estava, e sacrificado aquele segundo touro em holocausto sobre o altar edificado.
Early the next morning, as soon as the men got up, they saw that the altar to Baal had been torn down, and the pole for worshiping Astarte was gone. They saw that there was a new altar there, and on it was what remained from the bull they had sacrificed.
29 E diziam-se uns aos outros: Quem fez isto? E buscando e investigando, disseram-lhes: Gideão filho de Joás o fez. Então os homens da cidade disseram a Joás:
The people asked each other, “Who did this?” After they investigated, someone told them that it was Gideon, the son of Joash, [who had done it].
30 Tira fora teu filho para que morra, porquanto derrubou o altar de Baal e cortou o bosque que junto a ele estava.
They went to Joash and said to him, “Bring your son out here! (He must be executed/We must kill him), because he destroyed our god Baal’s altar and cut down the pole for our goddess Astarte!”
31 E Joás respondeu a todos os que estavam junto a ele: Tomareis vós a demanda por Baal? Vós o salvareis? Qualquer um que tomar a demanda por ele, que morra amanhã. Se é Deus, contenda por si mesmo com o que derrubou seu altar.
But Joash replied, “Are you trying to defend Baal? Are you trying to argue his case? Anyone who tries to defend Baal should be executed by tomorrow morning! If Baal is truly a god, he ought to be able to defend himself, and to get rid of the person who tore down his altar!”
32 E aquele dia ele chamou a Gideão Jerubaal; porque disse: Pleiteie Baal contra o que derrubou seu altar.
From that time, people called Gideon Jerub-Baal, which means ‘Baal should defend himself’, because he tore down Baal’s altar.
33 E todos os midianitas, e amalequitas, e orientais, se juntaram de uma vez, e passando assentaram acampamento no vale de Jezreel.
Soon after that, the armies of the people of Midian and of Amalek and the people from the east gathered together. They crossed the Jordan River [to attack the Israelis]. They set up their tents in Jezreel Valley.
34 E o espírito do SENHOR se investiu em Gideão, e quando este tocou a a trombeta, Abiezer se juntou com ele.
Then Yahweh’s Spirit took control of Gideon. He blew a ram’s horn to summon the men to prepare to fight. So the men of the clan of Abiezer came to him.
35 E enviou mensageiros por todo Manassés, o qual também se juntou com ele: também enviou mensageiros a Aser, e a Zebulom, e a Naftali, os quais saíram a encontrar-lhes.
He also sent messengers throughout the tribes descended from [the four tribes of] Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali [to tell their soldiers to come], and all of them came.
36 E Gideão disse a Deus: Se hás de salvar a Israel por minha mão, como disseste,
Then Gideon said to God, “If you are truly going to enable me to rescue the Israeli people as you promised,
37 Eis que eu porei um velo de lã na era; e se o orvalho estiver no velo somente, restando seca toda a outra terra, então entenderei que hás de salvar a Israel por minha mão, como o disseste.
confirm it by doing this: Tonight I will put a dry wool fleece on the ground where I thresh the grain. Tomorrow morning, if the fleece is wet with dew but the ground is dry, then I will know that I am the one you will enable to rescue the people of Israel as you promised.”
38 E aconteceu assim: porque quando se levantou de manhã, espremendo o velo tirou dele o orvalho, um vaso cheio de água.
And that is what happened. When Gideon got up the next morning, he picked up the fleece, and squeezed out a whole bowlful of water!
39 Mas Gideão disse a Deus: Não se acenda tua ira contra mim, se ainda falar esta vez: somente provarei agora outra vez com o velo. Rogo-te que a secura seja somente no velo, e o orvalho sobre a terra.
Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me, but let me ask you to do one more thing. Tonight I will put the fleece out again. This time, let the fleece remain dry, while the ground is wet with the dew.”
40 E aquela noite o fez Deus assim: porque a secura foi somente no velo, e em toda a terra esteve o orvalho.
So that night, God did what Gideon asked him to do. The next morning the fleece was dry, but the ground was covered with dew.
