Første Kongebog 20
1 Og Benhadad, Kongen i Syrien samlede hele sin Hær, og der var to og tredive Konger med ham og Heste og Vogne; og han drog op og belejrede Samaria og stred imod den.
Ben-Hadad, the king of Syria, gathered all his army, and he persuaded 32 other kings to join him with their armies and horses and chariots. They marched to Samaria [city, the capital of Israel], and surrounded it, and [prepared to] attack it.
2 Og han sendte Bud til Akab, Israels Konge, til Staden.
Ben-Hadad sent messengers into the city to King Ahab, to say this to him: “This is what King Ben-Hadad says:
3 Og han lod ham sige: Saa siger Benhadad: Dit Sølv og dit Guld, det er mit, og dine smukkeste Hustruer og Børn, de ere mine.
‘[You must give to] me all your silver and gold, your (good-looking/most beautiful) wives/women and strongest children.’”
4 Og Israels Konge svarede og sagde: Efter dine Ord skal det være, min Herre Konge! jeg er din og alt det, jeg har.
The king of Israel replied to them, “Tell this to King Ben-Hadad: ‘I agree to do what you requested. You can have me and everything that I own.’”
5 Derefter kom Budene igen og sagde: Saa siger Benhadad: Efterdi jeg sendte til dig og lod sige: Du skal give mig dit Sølv og dit Guld og dine Hustruer og dine Børn:
[The messengers told that to] Ben-Hadad, and he [sent them back with] another message: “I sent a message to you saying that you must give me all your silver and gold and your wives and your children.
6 Saa vil jeg sende mine Tjenere til dig i Morgen paa denne Tid, og de skulle ransage i dit Hus og i dine Tjeneres Huse, og det skal ske, alt det, som er lysteligt for dine Øjne, skulle de lægge i deres Hænder og tage det bort.
But [in addition to that], about this time tomorrow, I will send some of my officials to search your palace and the houses of your officials, and to bring to me everything that pleases them.”
7 Da kaldte Israels Konge ad alle Landets ældste og sagde: Kære, mærker og ser, at denne søger det, som ondt er; thi han sendte til mig om mine Hustruer og om mine Børn og om mit Sølv og om mit Guld, og jeg har ikke nægtet ham det.
King Ahab summoned all the leaders of Israel, and said to them, “You can see/realize for yourselves that this man is trying to cause much trouble. He sent me a message insisting that I must give him my wives and my children, my silver and my gold, and I agreed to do that.”
8 Da sagde alle de ældste og alt Folket til ham: Du skal ikke adlyde og ikke samtykke.
The leaders and all the other people said to him, “Do not pay any attention to him! Do not do what he is requesting!”
9 Da sagde han til Benhadads Bud: Siger min Herre Kongen: Alt det, du sendte til din Tjener første Gang om, vil jeg gøre, men denne Gerning kan jeg ikke gøre, og Budene gik og bragte ham Svar igen.
So Ahab said to Ben-Hadad’s messengers, “Tell the king that I agree to give him the things that he first requested, but I do not agree to allow his officials to take anything that they want from my palace and from the houses of my officials.” So the messengers [reported that to King Ben-Hadad, and they] returned with another message from Ben-Hadad.
10 Da sendte Benhadad til ham og lod sige: Guderne gøre mig nu og fremdeles saa og saa, om Støvet af Samaria skal blive nok til, at alt Folket, som er i Følge med mig, skal kunne føre hver en Haandfuld derfra.
In that message he said, “[We will destroy] your city [completely, with the result that] there will not be enough dust and rubble left for each of my soldiers to have one handful! I hope/wish that the gods will strike me dead if we do not do that!”
11 Da svarede Israels Konge og sagde: Siger: Den, som ombinder Bæltet, skal ikke rose sig som den, der løser det.
King Ahab replied [to the messengers], “Tell King Ben-Hadad that a soldier who is putting on his armor [preparing to fight a battle] [MTY] should not boast at that time; he [should wait until] after he wins the battle.”
12 Og det skete, der han hørte dette Ord, medens han drak, han og Kongerne i Teltene, da sagde han til sine Tjenere: Sætter an; og de satte an imod Staden.
Ben-Hadad heard that message while he and the other rulers were drinking [wine] in their temporary shelters. He told his men to prepare to attack [MTY] the city. So his men did that.
13 Og se, en Profet gik frem til Akab, Israels Konge, og sagde: Saa sagde Herren: Har du set hele denne store Hob? se, jeg vil give den i Dag i din Haand, at du skal fornemme, at jeg er Herren.
At that moment, a prophet came to King Ahab and said to him, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘[Do not be at all afraid of] [RHQ] the large enemy army that you see! I will enable your army to defeat them today, and you will know that it is I, Yahweh, [who have the power to do what I say that I will do].’”
14 Og Akab sagde: Ved hvem? og han sagde: Saa siger Herren: Ved Landshøvdingenes Drenge; og han sagde: Hvem skal begynde Striden? og han sagde: Du.
Ahab asked, “What group [of our army] will defeat them?” The prophet replied, “The young soldiers who are commanded by the district governors will do it.” The king asked, “Who should lead the attack?” The prophet replied, “You should!”
15 Saa talte han Landshøvdingenes Drenge, og de vare to Hundrede og to og tredive; og efter dem talte han hele Folket, alle Israels Børn, syv Tusinde.
So Ahab gathered the young soldiers who were commanded by the district governors. There were 232 of those men. Then he also summoned all the Israeli army. There were [only] 7,000 soldiers.
16 Og de droge ud om Middagen; og Benhadad drak og var drukken i Teltene, han og Kongerne, nemlig de to og tredive Konger, som hjalp ham.
They started to attack at noon, while Ben-Hadad and the other rulers were getting drunk in their temporary shelters.
17 Og Landshøvdingenes Drenge droge først ud; og Benhadad sendte nogle hen, og de gave ham til Kende og sagde: Der drager Mænd ud fra Samaria.
The young soldiers advanced first. Some scouts who had been sent out by Ben-Hadad reported to him, “There are men coming out of Samaria [city]”!
18 Og han sagde: Dersom de ere uddragne for Freds Skyld, saa griber dem levende, og dersom de ere uddragne for Krigs Skyld, saa griber dem levende!
He said, “It does not matter whether they are coming to fight against us or to ask for peace. Capture them, but do not kill them
19 Da de vare uddragne af Staden, nemlig Landshøvdingenes Drenge og Hæren, som fulgte dem:
The young Israeli soldiers went out of the city to attack [the Syrian army], and the other soldiers in the Israeli army followed them.
20 Da sloge de hver sin Mand, og Syrerne flyede, og Israel forfulgte dem; og Benhadad, Kongen af Syrien, undkom paa en Hest med Rytterne.
Each [Israeli soldier] killed a [Syrian] soldier. The rest of the Syrian army then ran away, and the Israeli soldiers pursued them. But King Ben-Hadad escaped riding his horse, along with some other men riding horses.
21 Og Israels Konge drog ud og slog Heste og Vogne og slog Syrerne med et stort Slag.
Then the king of Israel went out [of the city], and he and his soldiers captured [all] the [other Syrian] horses and chariots, and also killed a large number of Syrian soldiers.
22 Da gik Profeten frem til Israels Konge og sagde til ham: Gak, forstærk dig, og vid og se, hvad du skal gøre; thi naar Aaret er omme, vil Kongen af Syrien drage op imod dig.
Then that same prophet went to King Ahab and said to him, “Go back and prepare your soldiers, and think carefully about what will be necessary for you to do, because the king of Syria with attack with his army again in the springtime of next year.”
23 Og Kongen af Syriens Tjenere sagde til ham: Deres Guder ere Bjergenes Guder, derfor ere de stærkere end vi; men lader os stride imod dem paa det jævne Land; hvad gælder det, om vi ikke skulle blive stærkere end de?
[After the Syrian army was defeated, ] Ben-Hadad’s officials said to him, “The gods that the Israelis [worship] are gods [who live] in the hills. [Samaria is built on a hill, and] that is why their soldiers were able to defeat us. But if we fight against them in the plains/lowlands, we certainly will be able to defeat them.
24 Og gør denne Gerning: Tag Kongerne bort, hver fra sin Plads, og sæt Statholdere i deres Sted!
So, this is what you should do: You must remove the 32 kings [who are leading your troops] and replace them with army commanders.
25 Og tæl dig en Hær, som denne Hær var, som er falden for dig, og Heste som de Heste og Vogne som de Vogne, og lader os stride imod dem paa det jævne Land; hvad gælder det, om vi ikke skulle blive stærkere end de? og han adlød deres Røst og gjorde saa.
Then gather an army like the army that was defeated. Gather an army that has as many horses and chariots as the first army had. Then we will fight the Israelis in the plains/lowlands, and we will surely defeat them.” Ben-Hadad agreed with them, and he did what they suggested.
26 Og det skete, der Aaret var omme, da talte Benhadad Syrerne og drog op til Afek, til Krigen imod Israel.
In the spring of the following year, he gathered his soldiers and marched [with them] to Aphek [city east of Galilee Lake], to fight against the Israeli army.
27 Og Israels Børn bleve talte og forsynede, og de droge imod dem; og Israels Børn lejrede sig imod dem som to smaa Gedehjorde; men Syrerne havde opfyldt Landet.
The Israeli army was also gathered together, and they were equipped with the things that they needed [for the battle]. Then they marched out and formed two groups facing the Syrian army. Their army was very small; they resembled two small flocks of goats, whereas the Syrian army [was very large and] spread all over the countryside.
28 Og der kom en Guds Mand frem og talte til Israels Konge og sagde: Saa sagde Herren: Fordi Syrerne have sagt: Herren er Bjergenes Gud og ikke Dalenes Gud, derfor har jeg givet hele denne store Hob i din Haand, for at I skulle fornemme, at jeg er Herren.
A prophet came to King Ahab and said to him, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘The Syrians say that I am a god who lives in the hills, and that I am not a god who lives in the valleys. So I will [show that they are wrong by] enabling your men to defeat this huge army [IDM] [in the valley], and you will know that I, Yahweh, [have done it].’”
29 Og disse lejrede sig over for dem syv Dage, og det skete paa den syvende Dag, da begyndte Slaget, og Israels Børn sloge Syrerne, hundrede Tusinde Fodfolk paa een Dag.
The two armies stayed in their tents for seven days, in groups that faced each other. Then, on the seventh day, they started fighting. The Israeli army killed 100,000 Syrian soldiers.
30 Og de, som bleve tilovers, flyede til Afek ind i Staden, og Muren faldt paa syv og tyve Tusinde Mænd, som vare blevne tilovers; og Benhadad flyede og kom i Staden, fra et Kammer til et andet.
The other Syrian soldiers ran away into Aphek City. Then the wall of the city collapsed and killed 27,000 more Syrian soldiers. Ben-Hadad also escaped into the city, and hid in the back room of a house.
31 Da sagde hans Tjenere til ham: Kære, se, vi have hørt, at Israels Konger ere naadige Konger; kære, lader os lægge Sække om vore Lænder og Reb om vore Hoveder og gaa ud til Israels Konge, maaske han lader din Sjæl leve.
His officials went to him and said, “We have heard a report that the Israelis act mercifully. So allow us to go to the king of Israel, wearing coarse sacks around our waists and ropes on our heads/necks [to indicate that we will be his slaves]. Perhaps [if we do that, ] he will allow you to remain alive.”
32 Og de bandt Sække om deres Lænder og Reb om deres Hoveder, og de kom til Israels Konge og sagde: Benhadad, din Tjener siger: Kære, lad min Sjæl leve; og han sagde: Lever han endnu? han er min Broder.
[The king permitted them to do that, ] so they wrapped coarse sacks around their waists and put ropes on their heads/necks, and they went to the king of Israel and said to him, “Ben-Hadad, who greatly respects you, says, ‘Please do not kill me.’” Ahab replied, “Is he still alive? He is like a brother to me!”
33 Og Mændene udlagde sig det til det gode og skyndte sig med at faa ham til at sige, om det var hans Alvor, og de sagde: Benhadad er din Broder; og han sagde: Gaar ind, henter ham hid; da gik Benhadad ud til ham, og han lod ham stige op paa Vognen.
Ben-Hadad’s officials were trying to find out if Ahab would act mercifully, and when Ahab said “brother,” they (were optimistic/thought that Ahab would be merciful). So they replied, “Yes, he is like your brother!” Ahab said, “Go and bring him to me.” So they [went and] brought Ben-Hadad to him. [When Ben-Hadad arrived, ] Ahab told him to get in his chariot [and sit with him].
34 Og Benhadad sagde til ham: Jeg vil give dig igen de Stæder, som min Fader tog fra din Fader, og du maa anlægge dig Gader i Damaskus, ligesom min Fader anlagde i Samaria; og jeg, sagde Akab, vil med den Pagt lade dig fare. Saa gjorde han en Pagt med ham og lod ham fare.
Ben-Hadad said to him, “I will give back to you the towns that my father’s army took from your father. And I will allow you to set up market areas for your merchants in Damascus [my capital], just as my father did in Samaria [your capital].” Ahab replied, “Because you agree to do that, I will not execute you.” So Ahab made an agreement with Ben-Hadad, and allowed him to go home.
35 Og en Mand af Profeternes Børn sagde til sin Næste ved Herrens Ord: Kære, slaa mig; men Manden vægrede sig ved at slaa ham.
Then Yahweh spoke to a member of a group of prophets and said to him, “Ask one of your fellow prophets to strike and wound you.” [So he did what Yahweh told him to do]. [He said to one of his fellow prophets, ‘Strike me and wound me].’ But that man refused to do it.
36 Da sagde han til ham: Fordi du ikke adlød Herrens Røst, se, da skal en Løve slaa dig, naar du gaar fra mig; og han gik fra ham, og en Løve traf ham og slog ham.
So the prophet said to him, “Because you refused to obey what Yahweh told you to do, a lion will kill you as soon as you leave me.” And as soon as he left that prophet, a lion suddenly pounced on him and killed him.
37 Og han traf en anden Mand og sagde: Kære, slaa mig; og Manden slog ham haardt og saarede ham.
Then the prophet found another prophet, and said to him, “Strike me!” So that man hit him [very hard] and injured him.
38 Da gik Profeten og stod for Kongen paa Vejen og gjorde sig ukendelig med et Klæde over sine Øjne.
Then the prophet put a large bandage/cloth over his face so that no one would recognize him. Then he went and stood alongside the road, waiting for the king to come by.
39 Og det skete, da Kongen drog forbi, at han raabte til Kongen og sagde: Din Tjener var dragen ud midt i Krigen, og se, en Mand veg af Vejen og førte en Mand til mig og sagde: Forvar denne Mand; dersom han savnes, da skal dit Liv være i Stedet for hans Liv, eller du skal betale et Centner Sølv.
When the king passed by, the prophet cried out to him, saying “Your majesty, [after I was wounded] while I was fighting in a battle, a soldier brought to me one of our enemies that he had captured, and said to me, ‘Guard this man! If he escapes, you must pay me 3,000 pieces of silver, and if you do not pay that, you will be executed!’
40 Og det skete, der din Tjener havde at gøre her og der, da var han ikke mere der; og Israels Konge sagde til ham: Saa er din Dom, du har selv fældet den.
But while I was busy doing other things, the man escaped!” The king of Israel said to him, “That is your problem! You yourself have said that you deserve to be punished.”
41 Da skyndte han sig og tog Klædet bort fra sine Øjne, og Israels Konge kendte ham, at han var en af Profeterne.
The prophet immediately took off the bandage, and the king of Israel recognized that he was one of the prophets.
42 Og han sagde til ham: Saa sagde Herren: Fordi du slap den Mand, som jeg har sat i Band, af din Haand, da skal din Sjæl være i Stedet for hans Sjæl, og dit Folk i Stedet for hans Folk.
And the prophet said to him, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘You have allowed that man [Ben-Hadad] to escape after I commanded you to be sure to execute him! Since you did not do that, you will be killed instead. And your army will be destroyed because you allowed [some of] his army to escape!’”
43 Saa drog Israels Konge til sit Hus, ilde tilfreds og vred; og han kom til Samaria.
The king went back home to Samaria, very angry and depressed/dejected.
