Judges 6

1 Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD; so He delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years,

1 后来，以色列人又做耶和华视为恶的事，耶和华就把他们交在米甸人手下七年。

2 and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds.

2 米甸人势力强盛，以色列人只好躲进山里，藏在洞穴和营寨中。

3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and other people of the east would come up and invade them,

3 每当他们撒种的时候，米甸人、亚玛力人及东方人就前来进犯，

4 encamping against them as far as Gaza and destroying the produce of the land. They left Israel with no sustenance, neither sheep nor oxen nor donkeys.

4 在他们境内安营，摧毁他们远至迦萨一带的庄稼，不给他们留下任何粮食，也不留下一只羊、一头牛或驴。

5 For the Midianites came with their livestock and their tents like a great swarm of locusts. They and their camels were innumerable, and they entered the land to ravage it.

5 入侵者带着牲畜和帐篷像蝗虫一样涌来，人和骆驼不计其数，摧毁了整个地区。

6 Israel was greatly impoverished by Midian, and the Israelites cried out to the LORD.

6 以色列人因米甸人的入侵而极其贫乏，就呼求耶和华。

7 Now when the Israelites cried out to the LORD because of Midian,

7 当以色列人因米甸人的入侵而呼求耶和华的时候，

8 He sent them a prophet, who told them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

8 耶和华就差遣先知对他们说：“以色列的上帝耶和华说，‘我曾把你们从受奴役之地埃及领出来，

9 I delivered you out of the hands of Egypt and all your oppressors. I drove them out before you and gave you their land.

9 将你们从埃及人及一切欺压者的手中拯救出来，从你们面前赶走他们，把他们的土地赐给你们。’

10 And I said to you: ‘I am the LORD your God. You must not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.’ But you did not obey Me.”

10 我曾对你们说，‘我是你们的上帝耶和华。你们虽然住在亚摩利人的地方，但不可祭拜他们的神明。’你们却充耳不闻。”

11 Then the angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites.

11 一天，耶和华的天使来到俄弗拉，坐在亚比以谢族人约阿施的橡树下。约阿施的儿子基甸因为要躲避米甸人，正躲在榨酒池里打麦子。

12 And the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon and said, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.”

12 耶和华的天使向基甸显现，对他说：“英勇的战士啊，耶和华与你同在。”

13 “Please, my Lord,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all His wonders of which our fathers told us, saying, ‘Has not the LORD brought us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hand of Midian.”

13 基甸说：“我主啊，如果耶和华与我们同在，我们怎会有这些遭遇？我们的祖先说耶和华曾带他们出埃及，但如今祂那些奇妙的作为在哪里呢？现在祂已经丢弃我们，把我们交在米甸人手里。”

14 The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Am I not sending you?”

14 耶和华转向他，说：“你尽自己的力量去从米甸人手中拯救以色列人吧，我现在派你去。”

15 “Please, my Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I save Israel? Indeed, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.”

15 基甸说：“主啊，我出身于玛拿西支派最弱小的家族，在家里最微不足道，我怎能拯救以色列人呢？”

16 “Surely I will be with you,” the LORD replied, “and you will strike down all the Midianites as one man.”

16 耶和华说：“我必与你同在，你必如击打一人一样击打米甸人。”

17 Gideon answered, “If I have found favor in Your sight, give me a sign that it is You speaking with me.

17 基甸说：“如果我在你面前蒙恩，求你给我一个凭据，使我知道与我说话的真是你耶和华。

18 Please do not depart from this place until I return to You. Let me bring my offering and set it before You.” And the LORD said, “I will stay until you return.”

18 请你在这里等一等，让我回去拿礼物献给你。”耶和华说：“我必等你回来。”

19 So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread and an ephah of flour. He placed the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot and brought them out to present to Him under the oak.

19 基甸回家预备了一只山羊羔，用十公斤面粉做了无酵饼，把肉放进篮子，把汤盛在壶中，然后拿到橡树下献上。

20 And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread, lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And Gideon did so.

20 上帝的天使对基甸说：“把肉和无酵饼放在这磐石上，把汤倒在上面。”他一一照做。

21 Then the angel of the LORD extended the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. And fire flared from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight.

21 耶和华的天使伸出手中的杖碰了一下饼和肉，火就从磐石中喷出来烧尽了它们。耶和华的天使也不见了。

22 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he said, “Oh no, Lord GOD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!”

22 基甸发现他果然是耶和华的天使，便说：“唉！主耶和华啊，不好了，我面对面见了你的天使。”

23 But the LORD said to him, “Peace be with you. Do not be afraid, for you will not die.”

23 耶和华对他说：“放心吧，不要害怕，你不会死。”

24 So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

24 基甸在那里为耶和华筑了一座坛，称之为“耶和华赐平安”。这坛如今仍在亚比以谢族的俄弗拉。

25 On that very night the LORD said to Gideon, “Take your father’s young bull and a second bull seven years old, tear down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.

25 那天晚上，耶和华吩咐基甸：“牵来你父亲的第二头牛，就是那头七岁的公牛，拆毁你父亲为巴力筑的祭坛，砍倒坛旁的亚舍拉神像。

26 Then build a proper altar to the LORD your God on the top of this stronghold. And with the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down, take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering.”

26 然后，在这座山顶上把石头堆放整齐，为你的上帝耶和华筑一座祭坛，用砍倒的亚舍拉神像作柴，把那头公牛献作燔祭。”

27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the LORD had told him. But because he was too afraid of his father’s household and the men of the city, he did it by night rather than in the daytime.

27 于是，基甸带了十个仆人遵命而行。不过，他因为害怕家人和城中的人，不敢在白天行动，便在夜间行动。

28 When the men of the city got up in the morning, there was Baal’s altar torn down, with the Asherah pole cut down beside it and the second bull offered up on the newly built altar.

28 清早，城里的人起来后，发现巴力的祭坛已经被人拆毁，坛旁的亚舍拉神像被砍倒，第二头公牛被献在新建的祭坛上。

29 “Who did this?” they said to one another. And after they had investigated thoroughly, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash did it.”

29 他们彼此议论说：“这是谁干的？”他们仔细调查后得知是约阿施的儿子基甸所为，

30 Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has torn down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”

30 便对约阿施说：“把你儿子交出来！他拆毁了巴力的祭坛，砍倒了坛旁的亚舍拉神像，我们要处死他！”

31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Are you contending for Baal? Are you trying to save him? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If Baal is a god, let him contend for himself with the one who has torn down his altar.”

31 约阿施对气势汹汹的人群说：“你们这样做是要为巴力辩护吗？是要救它吗？谁为巴力辩护，今天早晨就处死谁。有人拆毁巴力的祭坛，如果它是神明，就让它为自己辩护吧！”

32 So on that day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend with him,” because he had torn down Baal’s altar.

32 因此，那天他们称基甸为耶路·巴力，意思是“让巴力为自己辩护”，因为他拆毁了巴力的祭坛。

33 Then all the Midianites, Amalekites, and other people of the east gathered together, crossed over the Jordan, and camped in the Valley of Jezreel.

33 那时，米甸人、亚玛力人及东方人会合在一起，过了约旦河，在耶斯列的平原安营。

34 So the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, who blew the ram’s horn and rallied the Abiezrites behind him.

34 耶和华的灵降在基甸身上，他就吹响号角，号召亚比以谢族的人跟从他。

35 Calling them to arms, Gideon sent messengers throughout Manasseh, as well as Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, so that they came up to meet him.

35 他派人走遍玛拿西、亚设、西布伦和拿弗他利各支派召集军队，人们纷纷前来会合。

36 Then Gideon said to God, “If You are going to save Israel by my hand, as You have said,

36 基甸对上帝说：“若如你所言，你要用我去拯救以色列人，

37 then behold, I will place a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that You are going to save Israel by my hand, as You have said.”

37 求你给个凭据。我把一团羊毛放在麦场上，若明天早晨只是羊毛上有露水，地面却是干的，我就知道，如你所言，你要用我去拯救以色列人。”

38 And that is what happened. When Gideon arose the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.

38 果然如此，基甸一早醒来，从羊毛中挤出满满一碗露水。

39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me; let me speak one more time. Please allow me one more test with the fleece. This time let it be dry, and the ground covered with dew.”

39 基甸又对上帝说：“求你不要发怒，容许我再试一次，这次让羊毛是干的，地面有露水。”

40 And that night God did so. Only the fleece was dry, and dew covered the ground.

40 那天晚上，上帝就照他所求使地面布满露水，唯独羊毛是干的。