Judges 8
1 And the men of Ephraim said to him, “What is this, that you wanted to do, so that you would not call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they rebuked him strongly, and came close to using violence.
Les hommes d'Éphraïm lui dirent: « Pourquoi nous as-tu traités de la sorte, en ne nous appelant pas quand tu es allé combattre Madian? » Ils le réprimandèrent vivement.
2 And he responded to them: “But what could I have done that would be so great as what you have done? Is not one bunch of grapes of Ephraim better than the vintages of Abiezer?
Il leur répondit: « Qu'ai-je fait de plus que vous? La vendange d'Ephraïm ne vaut-elle pas mieux que celle d'Abiézer?
3 The Lord has delivered into your hands the leaders of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. What could I have done that would be so great as what you have done?” And when he had said this, their spirit, which was swelling up against him, was quieted.
Dieu a livré entre vos mains les princes de Madian, Oreb et Zeeb! Qu'ai-je pu faire en comparaison de toi? » Leur colère s'apaisa à son égard après qu'il eut dit cela.
4 And when Gideon had arrived at the Jordan, he crossed over it with the three hundred men who were with him. And they were so weary that they were unable to pursue those who were fleeing.
Gédéon arriva au Jourdain et le traversa, lui et les trois cents hommes qui étaient avec lui, faibles mais poursuivant.
5 And he said to the men of Succoth, “I beg you, give bread to the people who are with me, for they are greatly weakened, so that we may be able to pursue Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”
Il dit aux hommes de Succoth: « Donnez, je vous prie, des pains aux gens qui me suivent, car ils sont épuisés, et je poursuis Zébah et Tsalmunna, les rois de Madian. »
6 The leaders of Succoth answered, “Perhaps the palms of the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna are in your hand, and for this reason, you request that we give bread to your army.”
Les princes de Succoth dirent: « Les mains de Zébah et de Tsalmunna sont-elles maintenant entre tes mains, pour que nous donnions du pain à ton armée? »
7 And he said to them, “So then, when the Lord will have delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hands, I will thresh your flesh with the thorns and briers of the desert.”
Gédéon dit: « C'est pourquoi, lorsque Yahvé aura livré entre mes mains Zébah et Tsalmunna, je déchirerai votre chair avec les épines du désert et avec les ronces. »
8 And going up from there, he arrived at Penuel. And he spoke to the men of that place similarly. And they also answered him, just as the men of Succoth had answered.
Il monta ensuite à Penuel, et leur parla de la même manière. Les hommes de Penuel lui répondirent comme les hommes de Succoth avaient répondu.
9 And so he said to them also, “When I will have returned as a victor in peace, I will destroy this tower.”
Il parla aussi aux hommes de Penuel, en disant: « Quand je reviendrai en paix, je démolirai cette tour. »
10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were resting with their entire army. For fifteen thousand men were left out of all the troops of the eastern people. And one hundred twenty thousand warriors that drew the sword had been cut down.
Or Zébah et Tsalmunna étaient à Karkor, et leurs armées avec eux, environ quinze mille hommes, tous ceux qui restaient de toute l'armée des fils de l'Orient; car il tomba cent vingt mille hommes qui tirèrent l'épée.
11 And Gideon ascended by the way of those who were dwelling in tents, to the eastern part of Nobah and Jogbehah. And he struck the camp of the enemies, who were confident and were suspecting nothing adverse.
Gédéon monta par le chemin de ceux qui habitaient dans des tentes à l'est de Nobah et de Jogbehah, et il frappa l'armée; car l'armée se sentait en sécurité.
12 And Zebah and Zalmunna fled. And Gideon pursued and overtook them, sending their entire army into confusion.
Zébah et Tsalmunna s'enfuirent et il les poursuivit. Il prit les deux rois de Madian, Zébah et Tsalmunna, et confondit toute l'armée.
13 And returning from the war before sunrise,
Gédéon, fils de Joas, revint de la bataille par la montée de Hérès.
14 he took a boy from among the men of Succoth. And he asked him the names of the leaders and elders of Succoth. And he described seventy-seven men.
Il prit un jeune homme parmi les hommes de Succoth, et le consulta; il lui décrivit les chefs de Succoth et ses anciens, soit soixante-dix-sept hommes.
15 And he went to Succoth, and he said to them: “Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, over whom you rebuked me, saying: ‘Perhaps the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna are in your hands, and for this reason, you request that we give bread to men who are languishing and weakened.’”
Il s'approcha des hommes de Succoth et dit: « Voyez Zébah et Tsalmunna, au sujet desquels vous m'avez raillé en disant: « Les mains de Zébah et de Tsalmunna sont-elles maintenant entre vos mains, pour que nous donnions du pain à vos hommes qui sont fatigués? ».
16 Therefore, he took the elders of the city, and, using the thorns and briers of the desert, he threshed them with these, and he cut the men of Succoth to pieces.
Il prit les anciens de la ville, des épines du désert et des ronces, et avec eux il enseigna aux hommes de Succoth.
17 He also overturned the tower of Penuel, and he killed the men of the city.
Il démolit la tour de Penuel, et il tua les hommes de la ville.
18 And he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men were those whom you killed at Tabor?” They responded, “They were like you, and one of them was like the son of a king.”
Puis il dit à Zébah et à Tsalmunna: « Quelle sorte d'hommes étaient ceux que vous avez tués au Thabor? » Ils répondirent: « Ils étaient comme vous. Ils ressemblaient tous aux enfants d'un roi. »
19 He answered them: “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the Lord lives, if you had preserved them, I would not kill you.”
Il répondit: « Ce sont mes frères, les fils de ma mère. L'Éternel est vivant, si tu les avais sauvés vivants, je ne te tuerais pas. »
20 And he said to Jether, his firstborn son, “Rise up, and put them to death.” But he did not draw his sword. For he was afraid, being still a boy.
Il dit à Jether, son aîné: « Lève-toi et tue-les! » Mais le jeune homme ne tira pas son épée, car il avait peur, car il était encore jeune.
21 And Zebah and Zalmunna said: “You should rise up and rush against us. For the strength of a man is in accord with his age.” Gideon rose up, and he killed Zebah and Zalmunna. And he took the ornaments and studs, with which the necks of the royal camels are usually adorned.
Alors Zébah et Tsalmunna dirent: « Vous vous levez et vous tombez sur nous; car telle est la force de l'homme, telle est sa force. » Gédéon se leva, tua Zébah et Tsalmunna, et prit les croissants qui étaient au cou de leurs chameaux.
22 And all the men of Israel said to Gideon: “You should rule over us, and your son, and your son’s son. For you freed us from the hand of Midian.”
Alors les hommes d'Israël dirent à Gédéon: « Domine sur nous, toi, ton fils et le fils de ton fils aussi, car tu nous as sauvés de la main de Madian. »
23 And he said to them: “I will not rule over you. Neither shall my son rule over you. Instead, the Lord shall rule over you.”
Gédéon leur dit: « Je ne dominerai pas sur vous, et mon fils ne dominera pas sur vous. C'est Yahvé qui dominera sur vous. »
24 And he said to them: “I petition one request from you. Give me the earrings from your spoils.” For the Ishmaelites were accustomed to wear gold earrings.
Gédéon leur dit: « J'ai une demande à faire: que chacun de vous me donne les boucles d'oreille de son butin. » (Car ils avaient des boucles d'oreilles en or, parce qu'ils étaient Ismaélites).
25 They responded, “We are very willing to give them.” And spreading a cloak on the ground, they cast upon it the earrings from the spoils.
Ils répondirent: « Nous les donnerons volontiers. » Ils étendirent un vêtement, et chacun y jeta les boucles d'oreilles de son butin.
26 And the weight of the earrings that he requested was one thousand seven hundred shekels of gold, aside from the ornaments, and necklaces, and purple garments, which the kings of Midian were accustomed to use, and aside from the gold chains on the camels.
Le poids des boucles d'oreilles en or qu'il demanda était de mille sept cents sicles d'or, sans compter les croissants, les pendentifs, les vêtements de pourpre qui étaient sur les rois de Madian, et sans compter les chaînes qui étaient au cou de leurs chameaux.
27 And Gideon made an ephod from these, and he kept it in his city, Ophrah. And all of Israel committed fornication with it, and it became a ruin to Gideon and to all his house.
Gédéon en fit un éphod, et le mit à Ophra, sa ville. Tout Israël s'y prostitua, et ce fut un piège pour Gédéon et pour sa maison.
28 But Midian was humbled before the sons of Israel. Neither were they able any longer to lift up their necks. But the land rested for forty years, while Gideon presided.
Ainsi Madian fut soumis aux enfants d'Israël, et ils ne levèrent plus la tête. Le pays fut en repos pendant quarante ans aux jours de Gédéon.
29 And so Jerubbaal, the son of Joash, went and lived in his own house.
Jerubbaal, fils de Joas, s'en alla et s'établit dans sa maison.
30 And he had seventy sons, who went forth from his own thigh. For he had many wives.
Gédéon eut soixante-dix fils conçus de son corps, car il avait beaucoup de femmes.
31 But his concubine, whom he had in Shechem, bore him a son named Abimelech.
Sa concubine qui était à Sichem lui enfanta aussi un fils, et il l'appela Abimélec.
32 And Gideon, the son of Joash, died in a good old age, and he was buried in the sepulcher of his father, at Ophrah, of the family of Ezri.
Gédéon, fils de Joas, mourut dans une bonne vieillesse, et il fut enterré dans le tombeau de Joas, son père, à Ophra, chez les Abiézrites.
33 But after Gideon died, the sons of Israel turned away, and they committed fornication with the Baals. And they struck a covenant with Baal, so that he would be their god.
Dès que Gédéon fut mort, les enfants d'Israël se retournèrent, se prostituèrent aux Baals et firent de Baal Berith leur dieu.
34 And they did not remember the Lord their God, who rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on all sides.
Les enfants d'Israël ne se souvinrent pas de Yahvé, leur Dieu, qui les avait délivrés de la main de tous leurs ennemis de toute part;
35 Neither did they show mercy to the house of Jerubbaal Gideon, in accord with all the good that he had done for Israel.
et ils ne firent pas preuve de bonté envers la maison de Jerubbaal, c'est-à-dire Gédéon, selon toute la bonté qu'il avait montrée à Israël.
