Judges 6
1 The Israelites did what was evil in the Lord's sight. So the Lord handed them over to the Midianites for seven years.
fecerunt autem filii Israhel malum in conspectu Domini qui tradidit eos in manu Madian septem annis
2 The Midianite oppression was so great that because of them the Israelites made themselves hiding places in mountains, caves, and fortifications.
et oppressi sunt valde ab eis feceruntque sibi antra et speluncas in montibus et munitissima ad repugnandum loca
3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and other peoples from the east would come and attack them.
cumque sevisset Israhel ascendebat Madian et Amalech et ceteri orientalium nationum
4 They would set up their camps and destroy the country's crops as far away as Gaza. They didn't leave anything to eat in the whole of Israel, and they took for themselves all the sheep, cattle, and donkeys.
et apud eos figentes tentoria sicut erant in herbis cuncta vastabant usque ad introitum Gazae nihilque omnino ad vitam pertinens relinquebant in Israhel non oves non boves non asinos
5 They arrived in huge numbers with their livestock and tents like swarms of locusts, with so many camels they couldn't be counted. They invaded the land to completely devastate it.
ipsi enim et universi greges eorum veniebant cum tabernaculis et instar lucustarum universa conplebant innumera multitudo hominum et camelorum quicquid tetigerant devastantes
6 The Israelites were made desperately poor by the Midianites and they called out to the Lord for help.
humiliatusque est Israhel valde in conspectu Madian
7 When the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help because of the Midianites,
et clamavit ad Dominum postulans auxilium contra Madianitas
8 the Lord sent the Israelites a prophet. He told them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought you out of Egypt; I led you out from the place where you were slaves.
qui misit ad eos virum prophetam et locutus est haec dicit Dominus Deus Israhel ego vos feci conscendere de Aegypto et eduxi de domo servitutis
9 I saved you from the power of the Egyptians and from everyone who oppressed you. I expelled them before you and gave their land to you.
et liberavi de manu Aegyptiorum et omnium inimicorum qui adfligebant vos eiecique eos ad introitum vestrum et tradidi vobis terram eorum
10 I warned you: I am the Lord your God. You must not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you're now living.’ But you didn't listen to me.”
et dixi ego Dominus Deus vester ne timeatis deos Amorreorum in quorum terra habitatis et noluistis audire vocem meam
11 The angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak tree in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress there to hide it from the Midianites.
venit autem angelus Domini et sedit sub quercu quae erat in Ephra et pertinebat ad Ioas patrem familiae Ezri cumque Gedeon filius eius excuteret atque purgaret frumenta in torculari ut fugeret Madian
12 The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “The Lord is with you, great man of courage!”
apparuit ei et ait Dominus tecum virorum fortissime
13 “Excuse me, my lord, but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?” Gideon replied. “Where are all his wonderful miracles that our forefathers reminded us about when they said, ‘Wasn't it the Lord who led us out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has given up on us and has handed us over to the Midianites.”
dixitque ei Gedeon obsecro Domine si Dominus nobiscum est cur adprehenderunt nos haec omnia ubi sunt mirabilia eius quae narraverunt patres nostri atque dixerunt de Aegypto eduxit nos Dominus nunc autem dereliquit nos et tradidit in manibus Madian
14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength that you have and save Israel from the Midianites. Aren't I the one sending you?”
respexitque ad eum Dominus et ait vade in hac fortitudine tua et liberabis Israhel de manu Madian scito quod miserim te
15 “Excuse me, my lord, but how can I save Israel?” Gideon replied. “My family is the least important of the tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least important person of that family!”
qui respondens ait obsecro Domine mi in quo liberabo Israhel ecce familia mea infima est in Manasse et ego minimus in domo patris mei
16 “I will be with you,” the Lord told him. “You will defeat the Midianites as if they were just one man.”
dixitque ei Dominus ego ero tecum et percuties Madian quasi unum virum
17 “Please, Lord, if you think well of me, give me a sign that it's really you telling me this,” Gideon asked.
et ille si inveni inquit gratiam coram te da mihi signum quod tu sis qui loquaris ad me
18 “Don't leave until I come back and present my offering to you.” “I will remain here until you return,” he replied.
ne recedas hinc donec revertar ad te portans sacrificium et offerens tibi qui respondit ego praestolabor adventum tuum
19 Gideon went and cooked a young goat, and baked some unleavened bread from an ephah of flour. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He carried them out and presented them to the angel under the oak tree.
ingressus est itaque Gedeon et coxit hedum et de farinae modio azymos panes carnesque ponens in canistro et ius carnium mittens in ollam tulit omnia sub quercum et obtulit ei
20 The angel of God told him, “Place the meat and the unleavened bread on this rock and pour the broth over them.” So Gideon did.
cui dixit angelus Domini tolle carnes et panes azymos et pone super petram illam et ius desuper funde cumque fecisset ita
21 The angel of the Lord held out the staff he was holding and touched the meat and unleavened bread with the tip. Fire flamed from the rock and burned up the meat and unleavened bread. Then the angel vanished.
extendit angelus Domini summitatem virgae quam tenebat in manu et tetigit carnes et azymos panes ascenditque ignis de petra et carnes azymosque consumpsit angelus autem Domini evanuit ex oculis eius
22 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he cried out, “Oh no, Lord God! I've seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”
vidensque Gedeon quod esset angelus Domini ait heu mihi Domine Deus quia vidi angelum Domini facie ad faciem
23 But the Lord told him, “Peace! Don't worry, you're not going to die.”
dixitque ei Dominus pax tecum ne timeas non morieris
24 So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it “The Lord is Peace.” It's still there today, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
aedificavit ergo ibi Gedeon altare Domino vocavitque illud Domini pax usque in praesentem diem cum adhuc esset in Ephra quae est familiae Ezri
25 That night the Lord told Gideon, “Take your father's bull and a second bull seven years old, and tear down your father's altar of Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.
nocte illa dixit Dominus ad eum tolle taurum patris tui et alterum taurum annorum septem destruesque aram Baal quae est patris tui et nemus quod circa aram est succide
26 Then build an altar to the Lord your God in the proper way on hilltop. Using the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down as firewood, take the second bull and present it as a burnt offering.”
et aedificabis altare Domino Deo tuo in summitate petrae huius super quam sacrificium ante posuisti tollesque taurum secundum et offeres holocaustum super lignorum struem quae de nemore succideris
27 Gideon accompanied by ten of his servants did what the Lord had told him. However, because he was afraid of his family and the people of the town, he did it during the night rather than in the day.
adsumptis igitur Gedeon decem viris de servis suis fecit sicut praeceperat Dominus timens autem domum patris sui et homines illius civitatis per diem facere noluit sed omnia nocte conplevit
28 Early in the morning when the people of the town got up, they saw that the altar of Baal had been torn down and the Asherah pole beside it had been cut down, with the second bull sacrificed on the altar that had just been built.
cumque surrexissent viri oppidi eius mane viderunt destructam aram Baal lucumque succisum et taurum alterum inpositum super altare quod tunc aedificatum erat
29 They asked one another, “Who did this?” They made inquiries and they were told, “Gideon, son of Joash, did it.”
dixeruntque ad invicem quis hoc fecit cumque perquirerent auctorem facti dictum est Gedeon filius Ioas fecit haec omnia
30 “Hand over your son,” the people of the town ordered Joash. “He must die, because he has torn down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”
et dixerunt ad Ioas produc filium tuum ut moriatur quia destruxit aram Baal et succidit nemus
31 Joash replied to all those confronting him, “Are you arguing on Baal's behalf? Do you have to save him? Anyone who argues for him will be put to death by morning! If he is a god let him fight for himself against those who tore down his altar.”
quibus ille respondit numquid ultores estis Baal et pugnatis pro eo qui adversarius eius est moriatur antequam lux crastina veniat si deus est vindicet se de eo qui suffodit aram eius
32 That day Gideon was called Jerub-baal, which means “Let Baal fight with him,” because he had torn down his altar.
ex illo die vocatus est Gedeon Hierobbaal eo quod dixisset Ioas ulciscatur se de eo Baal qui suffodit altare eius
33 All the Midianites, Amalekites, and other peoples of the East gathered together and crossed over the Jordan. They camped in the Valley of Jezreel.
igitur omnis Madian et Amalech et orientales populi congregati sunt simul et transeuntes Iordanem castrametati sunt in valle Iezrahel
34 The Spirit of the Lord came on Gideon, and he blew the trumpet, calling Abiezrites to join him.
spiritus autem Domini induit Gedeon qui clangens bucina convocavit domum Abiezer ut sequeretur
35 He sent messengers through the whole territory of Manasseh, calling them to join him, and also to Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, so they also came and joined the others.
misitque nuntios in universum Manassen qui et ipse secutus est eum et alios nuntios in Aser et Zabulon et Nepthalim qui occurrerunt ei
36 Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel through me as you promised,
dixitque Gedeon ad Dominum si salvum facis per manum meam Israhel sicut locutus es
37 then look—I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If the fleece is wet with dew but the ground is dry, then I will know that you are going to save Israel through me as you promised.”
ponam vellus hoc lanae in area si ros in solo vellere fuerit et in omni terra siccitas sciam quod per manum meam sicut locutus es liberabis Israhel
38 That's what happened. When Gideon got up early the next morning, he pressed on the fleece and squeezed out the dew, enough water to fill a bowl.
factumque est ita et de nocte consurgens expresso vellere concam rore conplevit
39 Then Gideon said to God, “Please don't get cross with me. Just let me make one more request. Let me do one more test with the fleece. This time let the fleece be dry and the whole ground covered with dew.”
dixitque rursus ad Dominum ne irascatur furor tuus contra me si adhuc semel temptavero signum quaerens in vellere oro ut solum vellus siccum sit et omnis terra rore madens
40 That night God did exactly that. The fleece alone was dry and the whole ground was covered with dew.
fecitque Dominus nocte illa ut postulaverat et fuit siccitas in solo vellere et ros in omni terra
