Juges 8
1 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.
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.
2 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!
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?
3 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.
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.
4 Or, Gédéon atteignit le Jourdain et le traversa avec les trois cents hommes qui l’accompagnaient, fatigués à poursuivre l’ennemi;
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.
5 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."
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.”
6 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?"
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.”
7 "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."
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.”
8 De là il monta à Penouel et fit semblable demande aux habitants, qui lui répondirent comme avaient fait ceux de Souccot.
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.
9 Et il menaça à leur tour les gens de Penouel en disant: "Quand je reviendrai vainqueur, je démolirai cette tour!"
And so he said to them also, “When I will have returned as a victor in peace, I will destroy this tower.”
10 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.
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.
11 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.
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.
12 Zébah et Çalmounna s’enfuirent; il les poursuivit, s’empara de ces deux rois de Madian, et mit toute l’armée en déroute.
And Zebah and Zalmunna fled. And Gideon pursued and overtook them, sending their entire army into confusion.
13 La guerre terminée, Gédéon, fils de Joas, revint par la montée de Hérès;
And returning from the war before sunrise,
14 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.
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.
15 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?"
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.’”
16 Alors il se saisit des anciens de la ville, et châtia ces habitants de Souccot avec les épines et les ronces du désert.
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.
17 Il démolit aussi la tour de Penouel, et fit périr les habitants de la ville.
He also overturned the tower of Penuel, and he killed the men of the city.
18 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."
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.”
19 "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."
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.”
20 Et il dit à Yéther, son fils aîné: "Çà, tue-les!" Mais celui-ci ne dégaina point, car il n’osait, étant encore jeune.
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.
21 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.
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.
22 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."
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.”
23 Gédéon leur répondit: "Ni moi ni mon fils ne vous gouvernerons: Dieu seul doit régner sur vous.
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.”
24 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.
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.
25 ils répondirent: "Volontiers nous les donnons." Et l’on étala un manteau et chacun y jeta les boucles de son butin.
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.
26 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.
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.
27 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.
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.
28 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.
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.
29 Jérubbaal, fils de Joas, s’en alla donc demeurer chez lui.
And so Jerubbaal, the son of Joash, went and lived in his own house.
30 Gédéon eut soixante-dix fils formant sa descendance, car il avait plusieurs femmes.
And he had seventy sons, who went forth from his own thigh. For he had many wives.
31 Sa concubine, qui demeurait à Sichem, lui enfanta aussi un fils, à qui il donna le nom d’Abimélec.
But his concubine, whom he had in Shechem, bore him a son named Abimelech.
32 Gédéon, fils de Joas, mourut dans une heureuse vieillesse, et fut enseveli dans le sépulcre de son père Joas, à Ofra, ville des Abiézrites.
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.
33 Après la mort de Gédéon, les Israélites se prostituèrent de nouveau au culte des Bealim, et adoptèrent pour dieu Baal-Berith,
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.
34 oubliant ainsi l’Eternel, leur Dieu, qui les avait soustraits au pouvoir de tous leurs ennemis d’alentour.
And they did not remember the Lord their God, who rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on all sides.
35 Ils n’agirent pas non plus avec bienveillance envers la famille de Jérubbaal-Gédéon, pour tout le bien qu’il avait fait à Israël.
Neither did they show mercy to the house of Jerubbaal Gideon, in accord with all the good that he had done for Israel.
