| 1 καὶ ὤρθρισεν Ιεροβααλ αὐτός ἐστιν Γεδεων καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ὁ με{T'} αὐτοῦ καὶ παρενέβαλεν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν Αρωεδ καὶ παρεμβολὴ Μαδιαμ καὶ Αμαληκ ἦν αὐτῷ ἀπὸ βορρᾶ ἀπὸ τοῦ βουνοῦ τοῦ Αβωρ ἐν τῇ κοιλάδι 2 καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρὸς Γεδεων πολὺς ὁ λαὸς ὁ μετὰ σοῦ ὥστε μὴ παραδοῦναί με τὴν Μαδιαμ ἐν χειρὶ αὐτῶν μήποτε καυχήσηται Ισραηλ ἐ{P'} ἐμὲ λέγων ἡ χείρ μου ἔσωσέν με 3 καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρὸς αὐτόν λάλησον δὴ εἰς τὰ ὦτα τοῦ λαοῦ λέγων τίς δειλὸς καὶ φοβούμενος ἀποστραφήτω καὶ ἐξώρμησαν ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄρους τοῦ Γαλααδ καὶ ἀπεστράφησαν ἀπὸ τοῦ λαοῦ εἴκοσι καὶ δύο χιλιάδες καὶ δέκα χιλιάδες ὑπελείφθησαν 4 καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρὸς Γεδεων ἔτι ὁ λαὸς πολύς κατάγαγε αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ δοκιμῶ αὐτούς σοι ἐκεῖ καὶ ἔσται ὃν ἐὰν εἴπω πρὸς σέ οὗτος πορεύσεται μετὰ σοῦ αὐτὸς πορεύσεται μετὰ σοῦ καὶ ὃν ἐὰν εἴπω σοι ὅτι οὐ πορεύσεται μετὰ σοῦ αὐτὸς οὐ πορεύσεται μετὰ σοῦ 5 καὶ κατεβίβασεν τὸν λαὸν εἰς τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρὸς Γεδεων πᾶς ὃς ἂν λάψῃ τῇ γλώσσῃ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος ὡς ἐὰν λάψῃ ὁ κύων στήσεις αὐτὸν κατὰ μόνας καὶ πᾶς ὃς ἂν κάμψῃ ἐπὶ τὰ γόνατα αὐτοῦ τοῦ πιεῖν μεταστήσεις αὐτὸν κα{Q'} αὑτόν 6 καὶ ἐγένετο πᾶς ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῶν λαψάντων ἐν τῇ γλώσσῃ αὐτῶν τριακόσιοι ἄνδρες καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἐπίλοιπος τοῦ λαοῦ ἔκαμψαν ἐπὶ τὰ γόνατα αὐτῶν τοῦ πιεῖν ὕδωρ 7 καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρὸς Γεδεων ἐν τοῖς τριακοσίοις ἀνδράσιν τοῖς λάψασιν σώσω ὑμᾶς καὶ παραδώσω τὴν Μαδιαμ ἐν χειρί σου καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἀποτρεχέτω ἀνὴρ εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτοῦ 8 καὶ ἔλαβον τὸν ἐπισιτισμὸν τοῦ λαοῦ ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς κερατίνας αὐτῶν καὶ πάντα ἄνδρα Ισραηλ ἐξαπέστειλεν ἄνδρα εἰς τὸ σκήνωμα αὐτοῦ τῶν δὲ τριακοσίων ἀνδρῶν ἐκράτησεν ἡ δὲ παρεμβολὴ Μαδιαμ ἦν ὑποκάτωθεν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ κοιλάδι 9 καὶ ἐγενήθη ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ ἐκείνῃ καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτὸν κύριος ἀνάστα κατάβηθι τὸ τάχος ἐντεῦθεν εἰς τὴν παρεμβολήν ὅτι παρέδωκα αὐτὴν ἐν τῇ χειρί σου 10 εἰ δὲ φοβῇ σὺ καταβῆναι κατάβηθι σὺ καὶ Φαρα τὸ παιδάριόν σου εἰς τὴν παρεμβολὴν 11 καὶ ἀκούσῃ τί λαλοῦσιν καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἰσχύσουσιν αἱ χεῖρές σου καὶ καταβήσῃ ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ καὶ κατέβη αὐτὸς καὶ Φαρα τὸ παιδάριον αὐτοῦ εἰς μέρος τῶν πεντήκοντα τῶν ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ 12 καὶ Μαδιαμ καὶ Αμαληκ καὶ πάντες οἱ υἱοὶ ἀνατολῶν παρεμβεβλήκεισαν ἐν τῇ κοιλάδι ὡς ἀκρὶς εἰς πλῆθος καὶ ταῖς καμήλοις αὐτῶν οὐκ ἦν ἀριθμός ἀλ{L'} ἦσαν ὥσπερ ἡ ἄμμος ἡ ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖλος τῆς θαλάσσης εἰς πλῆθος 13 καὶ εἰσῆλθεν Γεδεων καὶ ἰδοὺ ἀνὴρ ἐξηγεῖτο τῷ πλησίον αὐτοῦ τὸ ἐνύπνιον καὶ εἶπεν ἰδοὺ τὸ ἐνύπνιον ὃ ἠνυπνιάσθην καὶ ἰδοὺ μαγὶς ἄρτου κριθίνου κυλιομένη ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ Μαδιαμ καὶ ἦλθεν ἕως τῆς σκηνῆς Μαδιαμ καὶ ἐπάταξεν αὐτὴν καὶ κατέστρεψεν αὐτήν καὶ ἔπεσεν ἡ σκηνή 14 καὶ ἀπεκρίθη ὁ πλησίον αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπεν οὐκ ἔστιν αὕτη ἀλ{L'} ἢ ῥομφαία Γεδεων υἱοῦ Ιωας ἀνδρὸς Ισραηλ παρέδωκεν κύριος ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ τὴν Μαδιαμ καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν παρεμβολήν |
1 Jerobaal, then, (or Gedeon) rose at break of day and led his army to the spring called the Spring of Harad. The camp of Madian lay there in the valley, with a high hill to the south of it. 2 This is a great army thou hast with thee, the Lord told Gedeon. I must not grant victory over Madian to an army like this, or the Israelites would boast that they had no need of me; that their own strength had brought them deliverance. 3 Make it known publicly, for all to hear, that any man who shrinks back or is afraid is free to go home. So twenty-two thousand of his men, from the hill-country of Galaad, went back home, and left him with only ten thousand. 4 But the Lord said to Gedeon, Thy army is still too great. Take them down the water-side, and I will test them there. I will tell thee which of them are to march in thy company, and which are to return home instead. 5 And when they reached the water, the Lord’s command to Gedeon was, Separate those who lap the water like dogs, and those who go down on their knees to drink. 6 There were only three hundred that took up water in their hands and lapped it, all the rest knelt as they drank; 7 but the Lord said to Gedeon, These three hundred men who lapped the water shall win you deliverance; I will put the Madianites in their power. Send all the rest of thy companions home. 8 So he would have food left, and a trumpet for each man; then he sent the others back to their own dwelling-places, and with three hundred men prepared to give battle.
The camp of Madian lay there in the valley below him, 9 and that night the Lord said to him, Bestir thyself, and go down into their camp; I have left them at thy mercy. 10 If thou art afraid to go alone, thy servant Phara shall go with thee. 11 Listen to what they are saying, and it will give thee courage, bid thee go down more confidently to the attack. So Gedeon and his servant Phara made their way down to a part of the camp where sentries were on guard. 12 There were Madian and Amalec, and all the tribes of the east, scattered through the valley, like a swarm of locusts; countless as the sea sand, their camels lay beside them. 13 As Gedeon approached, one of the men was telling his neighbour of a dream that had come to him, and this was the way of it: It looked, in my dream, as if a barley griddle-cake went rolling along and tumbled into the Madianite camp, where it struck the first tent it reached and overturned it, so that it lay flat on the ground. 14 Why, said the other, what should this be but the sword of that Israelite, Gedeon the son of Joas? The Lord means to put Madian and all Madian’s host into his power. |
1 Igitur Jerobaal qui et Gedeon, de nocte consurgens, et omnis populus cum eo, venit ad fontem qui vocatur Harad. Erant autem castra Madian in valle ad septentrionalem plagam collis excelsi. 2 Dixitque Dominus ad Gedeon: Multus tecum est populus, nec tradetur Madian in manus ejus: ne glorietur contra me Israël, et dicat: Meis viribus liberatus sum. 3 Loquere ad populum, et cunctis audientibus prædica: Qui formidolosus et timidus est, revertatur. Recesseruntque de monte Galaad, et reversi sunt de populo viginti duo millia virorum, et tantum decem millia remanserunt. 4 Dixitque Dominus ad Gedeon: Adhuc populus multus est: duc eos ad aquas et ibi probabo illos: et de quo dixero tibi ut tecum vadat, ipse pergat; quem ire prohibuero, revertatur. 5 Cumque descendisset populus ad aquas, dixit Dominus ad Gedeon: Qui lingua lambuerint aquas, sicut solent canes lambere, separabis eos seorsum: qui autem curvatis genibus biberint, in altera parte erunt. 6 Fuit itaque numerus eorum qui manu ad os projiciente lambuerunt aquas, trecenti viri: omnis autem reliqua multitudo flexo poplite biberat. 7 Et ait Dominus ad Gedeon: In trecentis viris qui lambuerunt aquas, liberabo vos, et tradam in manu tua Madian: omnis autem reliqua multitudo revertatur in locum suum. 8 Sumptis itaque pro numero cibariis et tubis, omnem reliquam multitudinem abire præcepit ad tabernacula sua: et ipse cum trecentis viris se certamini dedit. Castra autem Madian erant subter in valle. 9 Eadem nocte dixit Dominus ad eum: Surge, et descende in castra: quia tradidi eos in manu tua. 10 Sin autem solus ire formidas, descendat tecum Phara puer tuus. 11 Et cum audieris quid loquantur, tunc confortabuntur manus tuæ, et securior ad hostium castra descendes. Descendit ergo ipse et Phara puer ejus in partem castrorum, ubi erant armatorum vigiliæ. 12 Madian autem et Amalec, et omnes orientales populi, fusi jacebant in valle, ut locustarum multitudo: cameli quoque innumerabiles erant, sicut arena quæ jacet in littore maris. 13 Cumque venisset Gedeon, narrabat aliquis somnium proximo suo: et in hunc modum referebat quod viderat: Vidi somnium, et videbatur mihi quasi subcinericius panis ex hordeo volvi, et in castra Madian descendere: cumque pervenisset ad tabernaculum, percussit illud, atque subvertit, et terræ funditus coæquavit. 14 Respondit is, cui loquebatur: Non est hoc aliud, nisi gladius Gedeonis filii Joas viri Israëlitæ: tradidit enim Dominus in manus ejus Madian, et omnia castra ejus. |