Shìshījì 7

1 Yé lù bā lì jiù shì Jīdiàn , tā hé yīqiè gēnsuí de rén zǎochen qǐlai , zaì hā lǜ quán páng ān yíng . Mǐdiàn yíng zaì tāmen bĕibiān de píngyuán , kàojìn Mólì gāng .

2 Yēhéhuá duì Jīdiàn shuō , gēnsuí nǐde rén guō duō , wǒ bùnéng jiāng Mǐdiàn rén jiāo zaì tāmen shǒu zhōng , miǎndé Yǐsèliè rén xiàng wǒ kuā dà , shuō , shì wǒmen zìjǐ de shǒu jiù le wǒmen .

3 Xiànzaì nǐ yào xiàng zhèxie rén xuāngào shuō , fán jùpà dǎnqiè de , kĕyǐ líkāi Jīliè shān huí qù . yúshì yǒu èr wàn èr qiā rén huí qù , zhǐ shèngxia yī wàn .

4 Yēhéhuá duì Jīdiàn shuō , rén háishì guō duō . nǐ yào daì tāmen xià dào shuǐ páng , wǒ hǎo zaì nàli wè nǐ shì shì tāmen . wǒ zhǐ diǎn shuí shuō , zhè rén kĕyǐ tóng nǐ qù , tā jiù kĕyǐ tóng nǐ qù . wǒ zhī diǎn shuí shuō , zhè rén bùkĕ tóng nǐ qù , tā jiù bùkĕ tóng nǐ qù .

5 Jīdiàn jiù daì tāmen xià dào shuǐ páng . Yēhéhuá duì Jīdiàn shuō , fán yòng shétou tiǎn shuǐ , xiàng gǒu tiǎn de , yào shǐ tā dān zhàn zaì yī chù . fán guì xià hē shuǐ de , yĕ yào shǐ tā dān zhàn zaì yī chù .

6 Yúshì yòng shǒu pĕng zhe tiǎn shuǐ de yǒu sān bǎi rén , qíyú de dōu guì xià hē shuǐ .

7 Yēhéhuá duì Jīdiàn shuō , wǒ yào yòng zhè tiǎn shuǐ de sān bǎi rén zhĕngjiù nǐmen , jiāng Mǐdiàn rén jiāo zaì nǐ shǒu zhōng . qíyú de rén dōu kĕyǐ gè guī gè chù qù .

8 Zhè sān bǎi rén jiù daì zhe shíwù hé jiǎo . qíyú de Yǐsèliè rén , Jīdiàn dōu dǎfa tāmen gè guī gè de zhàngpéng , zhǐ liú xià zhè sān bǎi rén . Mǐdiàn yíng zaì tā xiàbiān de píngyuán lǐ .

9 Dāng nà yè , Yēhéhuá fēnfu Jīdiàn shuō , qǐlai , xià dào Mǐdiàn yíng lǐ qù , yīn wǒ yǐ jiāng tāmen jiāo zaì nǐ shǒu zhōng .

10 Tǎngruò nǐ pà xià qù , jiù daì nǐde púrén pǔ lā xià dào nà yíng lǐ qù .

11 Nǐ bì tīngjian tāmen suǒ shuō de , ránhòu nǐ jiù yǒu dǎnliàng xià qù gōng yíng . yúshì Jīdiàn daì zhe púrén pǔ lā xià dào yíng páng .

12 Mǐdiàn rén , Yàmǎlì rén , hé yīqiè dōngfāngrén dōu bù sǎn zaì píngyuán , rútóng huángchóng nàyàng duō . tāmende luòtuo wú shǔ , duō rú hǎi bian de shā .

13 Jīdiàn dào le , jiù tīngjian yī rén jiāng mèng gàosu tóngbàn shuō , wǒ zuò le yī mèng , mèng jiàn yī gè dàmaì bǐng gún rù Mǐdiàn yíng zhōng , dào le zhàngmù , jiāng zhàngmù zhuàng dǎo , zhàngmù jiù fān zhuǎn qīngfù le .

14 Nà tóngbàn shuō , zhè bú shì biéde , nǎi shì Yǐsèliè rén yuē a shī de érzi Jīdiàn de dāo . shén yǐ jiāng Mǐdiàn hé quán jūn dōu jiāo zaì tāde shǒu zhōng .

15 Jīdiàn tīngjian zhè mèng hé mèng de jiǎngjiĕ , jiù jìngbaì shén , huí dào Yǐsèliè yíng zhōng , shuō , qǐlai ba . Yēhéhuá yǐ jiāng Mǐdiàn de jūnduì jiāo zaì nǐmen shǒu zhōng le .

16 Yúshì Jīdiàn jiāng sān bǎi rén fēn zuò sān duì , bǎ jiǎo hé kōng píng jiāo zaì gèrén shǒu lǐ , píng neì dōu cáng zhe huǒbǎ ,

17 Fēnfu tāmen shuō , nǐmen yào kàn wǒ xíngshì , wǒ dào le yíng de pángbiān zĕnyàng xíng , nǐmen yĕ yào zĕnyàng xíng .

18 Wǒ hé yīqiè gēnsuí wǒde rén chuī jiǎo de shíhou , nǐmen yĕ yào zaì yíng de sìwéi chuī jiǎo , hǎnjiào shuō , Yēhéhuá hé Jīdiàn de dāo .

19 Jīdiàn hé gēnsuí tāde yī bǎi rén , zaì sān gèng zhī chū cái huàn gèng de shíhou , lái dào yíng páng , jiù chuī jiǎo , dǎpò shǒu zhōng de píng .

20 Sān duì de rén jiù dōu chuī jiǎo, dǎpò píng zǐ , zuǒshǒu ná zhe huǒbǎ , yòushǒu ná zhe jiǎo , hǎnjiào shuō , Yēhéhuá hé Jīdiàn de dāo .

21 Tāmen zaì yíng de sìwéi gè zhàn gè de dìfang . quán yíng de rén dōu luàn cuàn . sān bǎi rén nà hǎn , shǐ tāmen taópǎo .

22 Sān bǎi rén jiù chuī jiǎo , Yēhéhuá shǐ quán yíng de rén yòng dāo hùxiāng jī shā , taó dào xī lì lā de bǎi hā shì tā , zhí taó dào kàojìn tā bā de Yàbó mǐ hé là .

23 Yǐsèliè rén jiù cóng Náfútālì , Yàshè , hé Mǎnáxī quán dì jùjí lái zhuīgǎn Mǐdiàn rén .

24 Jīdiàn dǎfa rén zǒu biàn Yǐfǎlián shān dì , shuō , nǐmen xià lái gōngjī Mǐdiàn rén , zhēng xiān bǎshǒu Yuēdànhé de dùkǒu , zhídào bǎi Bālā . yúshì Yǐfǎlián de zhòngrén jùjí , bǎshǒu Yuēdànhé de dùkǒu , zhídào bǎi Bālā ,

25 Zhuō zhù le Mǐdiàn rén de liǎng gè shǒulǐng , yī míng é lì , yī míng xī yī bǎi . jiāng é lì shā zaì é lì pánshí shàng , jiāng xī yī bǎi shā zaì xī yī bǎi jiǔ zhà nàli . yòu zhuīgǎn Mǐdiàn rén , jiāng éLìhé xī yī bǎi de shǒu jí daì guō Yuēdànhé , dào Jīdiàn nàli .

Shìshījì 7 Commentary

Chapter 7

Gideon's army reduced. (1-8) Gideon is encouraged. (9-15) The defeat of the Midianites. (16-22) The Ephraimites take Oreb and Zeeb. (23-25)

1-8. God provides that the praise of victory may be wholly to himself, by appointing only three hundred men to be employed. Activity and prudence go with dependence upon God for help in our lawful undertakings. When the Lord sees that men would overlook him, and through unbelief, would shrink from perilous services, or that through pride they would vaunt themselves against him, he will set them aside, and do his work by other instruments. Pretences will be found by many, for deserting the cause and escaping the cross. But though a religious society may thus be made fewer in numbers, yet it will gain as to purity, and may expect an increased blessing from the Lord. God chooses to employ such as are not only well affected, but zealously affected in a good thing. They grudged not at the liberty of the others who were dismissed. In doing the duties required by God, we must not regard the forwardness or backwardness of others, nor what they do, but what God looks for at our hands. He is a rare person who can endure that others should excel him in gifts or blessings, or in liberty; so that we may say, it is by the special grace of God that we regard what God says to us, and not look to men what they do.

Verses 9-15 The dream seemed to have little meaning in it; but the interpretation evidently proved the whole to be from the Lord, and discovered that the name of Gideon had filled the Midianites with terror. Gideon took this as a sure pledge of success; without delay he worshipped and praised God, and returned with confidence to his three hundred men. Wherever we are, we may speak to God, and worship him. God must have the praise of that which encourages our faith. And his providence must be acknowledged in events, though small and seemingly accidental.

Verses 16-22 This method of defeating the Midianites may be alluded to, as exemplifying the destruction of the devil's kingdom in the world, by the preaching of the everlasting gospel, the sounding that trumpet, and the holding forth that light out of earthen vessels, for such are the ministers of the gospel, 2Co. 4:6, 2Co. 4:7 . God chose the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, a barley-cake to overthrow the tents of Midian, that the excellency of the power might be of God only. The gospel is a sword, not in the hand, but in the mouth: the sword of the Lord and of Gideon; of God and Jesus Christ, of Him that sits on the throne and the Lamb. The wicked are often led to avenge the cause of God upon each other, under the power of their delusions, and the fury of their passions. See also how God often makes the enemies of the church instruments to destroy one another; it is a pity that the church's friends should ever act like them.

Verses 23-25 Two chief commanders of the host of Midian were taken and slain by the men of Ephraim. It were to be wished that we all did as these did, and that where help is needed, that it were willingly and readily performed by another. And that if there were any excellent and profitable matter begun, we were willing to have fellow-labourers to the finishing and perfecting the same, and not, as often, hinder one another.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO JUDGES 7

In this chapter we have an account of the army under Gideon gathered out of several tribes, which from 32,000 were reduced to three hundred, and we are told by what means this was done, Jud 7:1-8 and how he was directed to go into the host of the Midianites, where he heard one of them telling his dream to his fellow, which greatly encouraged him to believe he should succeed, Jud 7:9-15 also we are told the form and manner in which he disposed of his little army to attack the Midianites, and the orders he gave them to observe, which had the desired effect, and issued in the total rout of that large body of people, Jud 7:16-22 and those that were not destroyed were pursued by persons gathered out of several tribes, and the passages of Jordan were taken by the Ephraimites, so that those that attempted their escape into their own country, there fell into their hands, Jud 7:23-25.