Judges 8
1 Then the men of Ephraim asked Gideon, “Why have you treated us like this? Why didn't you call us when you went to attack the Midianite?” They argued furiously with him.
以法蓮人對基甸說：「你去與米甸人爭戰，沒有招我們同去，為甚麼這樣待我們呢？」他們就與基甸大大地爭吵。
2 “Now what have I achieved in comparison to you?” Gideon replied. “Even Ephraim's left-over grapes are better than Abiezer's whole grape harvest!
基甸對他們說：「我所行的豈能比你們所行的呢？以法蓮拾取剩下的葡萄不強過亞比以謝所摘的葡萄嗎？
3 God handed over to you Oreb and Zeeb, the two Midianite commanders. What have I managed to achieve in comparison to you?” When he told them this their animosity towards him died down.
上帝已將米甸人的兩個首領俄立和西伊伯交在你們手中；我所行的豈能比你們所行的呢？」基甸說了這話，以法蓮人的怒氣就消了。
4 Then Gideon crossed the Jordan with his three hundred men. Even though they were exhausted they continued the chase.
基甸和跟隨他的三百人到約旦河過渡，雖然疲乏，還是追趕。
5 When they got to Succoth, Gideon asked the people there, “Please provide some bread to the men with me because they're worn out—I'm pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the Midianite kings.”
基甸對疏割人說：「求你們拿餅來給跟隨我的人吃，因為他們疲乏了；我們追趕米甸人的兩個王西巴和撒慕拿。」
6 But the Succoth town leaders replied, “Why should we give your army bread when you haven't even captured Zebah and Zalmunna yet?”
疏割人的首領回答說：「西巴和撒慕拿已經在你手裏，你使我們將餅給你的軍兵嗎？」
7 “In that case, once the Lord has handed Zebah and Zalmunna over to me, I'll return and thrash you with thorns and briers from the desert!” Gideon replied.
基甸說：「耶和華將西巴和撒慕拿交在我手之後，我就用野地的荊條和枳棘打傷你們。」
8 He left and went to Penuel and asked them the same thing, but the people of Penuel answered the same way as the people of Succoth.
基甸從那裏上到毗努伊勒，對那裏的人也是這樣說；毗努伊勒人也與疏割人回答他的話一樣。
9 So he told them, “When I return victorious, I'll demolish this tower!”
他向毗努伊勒人說：「我平平安安回來的時候，我必拆毀這樓。」
10 Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their armies of around fifteen thousand men. These were all who remained of the armies of the people of the East—one hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had already been killed.
那時西巴和撒慕拿，並跟隨他們的軍隊都在加各，約有一萬五千人，就是東方人全軍所剩下的；已經被殺約有十二萬拿刀的。
11 Gideon took the caravan route to the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and he attacked their army, catching them offguard.
基甸就由挪巴和約比哈東邊，從住帳棚人的路上去，殺敗了米甸人的軍兵，因為他們坦然無懼。
12 Zebah and Zalmunna ran away, but he chased after the two Midianite kings and captured them, defeating the whole of their terrified army.
西巴和撒慕拿逃跑；基甸追趕他們，捉住米甸的二王西巴和撒慕拿，驚散全軍。
13 Then Gideon, son of Joash, returned from the battle through the Heres Pass.
約阿施的兒子基甸由希列斯坡從陣上回來，
14 There he captured a young man from Succoth and questioned him. The man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven leaders and elders of Succoth.
捉住疏割的一個少年人，問他：「疏割的首領長老是誰？」他就將首領長老七十七個人的名字寫出來。
15 Gideon went and said to the Sukkoth town leaders, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, the ones you taunted me about when you said, ‘Why should we give your exhausted army bread when you haven't even captured Zebah and Zalmunna yet?’”
基甸到了疏割，對那裏的人說：「你們從前譏誚我說：『西巴和撒慕拿已經在你手裏，你使我們將餅給跟隨你的疲乏人嗎？』現在西巴和撒慕拿在這裏。」
16 So he took the town elders of Succoth and taught them a lesson using thorns and briers from the desert.
於是捉住那城內的長老，用野地的荊條和枳棘責打 疏割人；
17 He also demolished the tower of Peniel and killed the men of the town.
又拆了毗努伊勒的樓，殺了那城裏的人。
18 Then Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What were they like, the men you killed at Tabor?” “They looked like you,” they answered. “Each of them had the stature of a prince.”
基甸問西巴和撒慕拿說：「你們在他泊山所殺的人是甚麼樣式？」回答說：「他們好像你，各人都有王子的樣式。」
19 “Those were my brothers, my mother's sons,” Gideon burst out. “As the Lord lives, if you had let them live, I wouldn't kill you!”
基甸說：「他們是我同母的弟兄，我指着永生的耶和華起誓，你們從前若存留他們的性命，我如今就不殺你們了。」
20 He told Jether, his oldest son, “Go on, kill them!” But the boy refused to draw his sword, because he was young and afraid.
於是對他的長子益帖說：「你起來殺他們。」但益帖因為是童子，害怕，不敢拔刀。
21 Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, “Come on, you do it! Show yourself a man and kill us!” So Gideon went over and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent-shaped ornaments from the necks of their camels.
西巴和撒慕拿說：「你自己起來殺我們吧！因為人如何，力量也是如何。」基甸就起來，殺了西巴和撒慕拿，奪獲他們駱駝項上戴的月牙圈。
22 Then the Israelites said to Gideon, “You must become our ruler, you, your son, and your grandson; because you've saved us from the Midianites.”
以色列人對基甸說：「你既救我們脫離米甸人的手，願你和你的兒孫管理我們。」
23 “I won't be your ruler, and my son won't either,” Gideon replied. “The Lord will be your ruler.”
基甸說：「我不管理你們，我的兒子也不管理你們，惟有耶和華管理你們。」
24 Then Gideon said, “I have a request to ask of you: that each of you give me an earring from your plunder.” (Their enemies were Ishmaelites and wore gold earrings.)
基甸又對他們說：「我有一件事求你們：請你們各人將所奪的耳環給我。」（原來仇敵是以實瑪利人，都是戴金耳環的。）
25 “We'll happily give them to you,” they replied. They spread out a cloak, and each of them threw on it earrings from their plunder.
他們說：「我們情願給你」，就鋪開一件外衣，各人將所奪的耳環丟在其上。
26 The weight of the earrings he'd asked for was 1,700 shekels, not including the ornaments, the pendants, and the purple garments worn by the Midianite kings or the chains that were round their camels' necks.
基甸所要出來的金耳環重一千七百舍客勒金子。此外還有米甸王所戴的月環、耳墜，和所穿的紫色衣服，並駱駝項上的金鍊子。
27 From the gold Gideon made an ephod, which he placed in his hometown of Ophrah. All Israel prostituted themselves there by worshiping it as an idol, and it became a trap to Gideon and his family.
基甸以此製造了一個以弗得，設立在本城俄弗拉。後來以色列人拜那以弗得行了邪淫；這就作了基甸和他全家的網羅。
28 This is how the Midianites was subjugated before the Israelites and did not gain power again. So the land was at peace for forty years during the lifetime of Gideon.
這樣，米甸人被以色列人制伏了，不敢再抬頭。基甸還在的日子，國中太平四十年。
29 Jerub-baal, son of Joash, went home, living his own house.
約阿施的兒子耶路‧巴力回去，住在自己家裏。
30 Gideon had seventy sons, all his own, because he had many wives.
基甸有七十個親生的兒子，因為他有許多的妻。
31 His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also had a son. He named him Abimelech.
他的妾住在示劍，也給他生了一個兒子。基甸與他起名叫亞比米勒。
32 Gideon, son of Joash, died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
約阿施的兒子基甸，年紀老邁而死，葬在亞比以謝族的俄弗拉，在他父親約阿施的墳墓裏。
33 But as soon as Gideon died, the Israelites went back to prostituting themselves, worshiping before the Baals. They made Baal-berith their god.
基甸死後，以色列人又去隨從諸巴力行邪淫，以巴力‧比利土為他們的神。
34 They forgot about the Lord their God, who had saved them from all their enemies that surrounded them.
以色列人不記念耶和華－他們的上帝，就是拯救他們脫離四圍仇敵之手的，
35 They did not show any respect to the family of Jerub-baal (Gideon) for all the good he had done for Israel.
也不照着耶路‧巴力，就是基甸向他們所施的恩惠厚待他的家。
