Judges 8
1 And the men of Ephraim said to him, Why have you served us thus, that you called us not, when you went to fight with the Midianites? And they did chide with him sharply.
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 And he said to them, What have I done now in comparison of you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage 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 delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison of you? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.
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 And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing them.
Or, Gédéon atteignit le Jourdain et le traversa avec les trois cents hommes qui l’accompagnaient, fatigués à poursuivre l’ennemi;
5 And he said to the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread to the people that follow me; for they be faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, 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 And the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should 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 And Gideon said, Therefore when the LORD has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with 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 And he went up there to Penuel, and spoke to them likewise: and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered him.
De là il monta à Penouel et fit semblable demande aux habitants, qui lui répondirent comme avaient fait ceux de Souccot.
9 And he spoke also to the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break 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, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the east: for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew 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 And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelled in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host; for the host was secure.
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 And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued after them, and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the host.
Zébah et Çalmounna s’enfuirent; il les poursuivit, s’empara de ces deux rois de Madian, et mit toute l’armée en déroute.
13 And Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle before the sun was up,
La guerre terminée, Gédéon, fils de Joas, revint par la montée de Hérès;
14 And caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and inquired of him: and he described to him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, even three score and seventeen men.
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 And he came to the men of Succoth, and said, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom you did upbraid me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your men that are weary?
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 And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.
Alors il se saisit des anciens de la ville, et châtia ces habitants de Souccot avec les épines et les ronces du désert.
17 And he beat down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.
Il démolit aussi la tour de Penouel, et fit périr les habitants de la ville.
18 Then said he to Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom you slew at Tabor? And they answered, As you are, so were they; each one resembled the children 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 And he said, They were my brothers, even the sons of my mother: as the LORD lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not slay 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 And he said to Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth.
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, Rise you, and fall on us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the 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 you over us, both you, and your son, and your son’s son also: for you have delivered us from 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 And Gideon said to them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you.
Gédéon leur répondit: "Ni moi ni mon fils ne vous gouvernerons: Dieu seul doit régner sur vous.
24 And Gideon said to them, I would desire a request of you, that you would give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For they 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 And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey.
ils répondirent: "Volontiers nous les donnons." Et l’on étala un manteau et chacun y jeta les boucles de son butin.
26 And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about 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 And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare to Gideon, and to 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 Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness 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 And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelled in his own house.
Jérubbaal, fils de Joas, s’en alla donc demeurer chez lui.
30 And Gideon had three score and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives.
Gédéon eut soixante-dix fils formant sa descendance, car il avait plusieurs femmes.
31 And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bore him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.
Sa concubine, qui demeurait à Sichem, lui enfanta aussi un fils, à qui il donna le nom d’Abimélec.
32 And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulcher of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
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 And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baalberith their god.
Après la mort de Gédéon, les Israélites se prostituèrent de nouveau au culte des Bealim, et adoptèrent pour dieu Baal-Berith,
34 And the children of Israel remembered not the LORD their God, who had delivered them out of the hands 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 Neither showed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, namely, Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had showed to 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.
