1 Samuel 12

1 Da sagde Samuel til al Israel: Se jeg hørte eders Røst i alt det, I sagde til mig, og jeg har sat en Konge til at regere over eder.

Then Samuel said to all of Israel, “I have paid attention to everything you asked from me, and I have given you a king to rule over you.

2 Og nu se, der vandrer Kongen for eders Ansigt, og jeg er vorden gammel og graahærdet, og se, mine Sønner ere hos eder; og jeg har vandret for eders Ansigt fra min Ungdom indtil denne Dag.

Now your king is your leader. I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have led you from the time I was a boy up to today.

3 Se, her er jeg, vidner imod mig for Herren og for hans salvede: Hvis Okse har jeg taget, og hvis Asen har jeg taget, og hvem har jeg gjort Vold, hvem har jeg fortrykt, og af hvis Haand har jeg taget Bestikkelse, saa jeg derved lukkede mine Øjne? Og jeg vil give eder det igen.

I stand here before you. Bring any charges you have against me in the presence of the Lord and of his anointed one. Have I taken anyone's ox or donkey? Have I wronged anyone? Have I oppressed anyone? Have I accepted a bribe from anyone to turn a blind eye? Tell me, and I will repay you.”

4 Da sagde de: Du har hverken gjort os Vold, ej heller fortrykt os, og ej taget noget af nogens Haand.

“No, you have never cheated or oppressed us,” they replied, “and you have never taken anything from anyone.”

5 Da sagde han til dem: Herren er Vidne mod eder, og hans salvede er Vidne paa denne Dag, at I ikke have fundet noget i min Haand; og Folket sagde: Han skal være Vidne.

Samuel told them, “The Lord is a witness, and his anointed is a witness today, in this case involving you, that you have not found me guilty of anything.” “He is a witness,” they replied.

6 Fremdeles sagde Samuel til Folket: Det er Herren, som beskikkede Mose og Aron, og som førte eders Fædre op af Ægyptens Land.

“The Lord is a witness, he who appointed Moses and Aaron,” Samuel went on. “He led your forefathers out of the land of Egypt.

7 Og nu stiller eder frem, og jeg vil gaa i Rette med eder for Herrens Ansigt om alle Herrens retfærdige Gerninger, som han har gjort imod eder og imod eders Fædre.

So stand here as I present to you in the presence of the Lord the evidence of all the good things the Lord has done for you and your forefathers.

8 Der Jakob var kommen til Ægypten, da raabte eders Fædre til Herren, og Herren sendte Mose og Aron, og de udførte eders Fædre af Ægypten og lode dem bo paa dette Sted.

After Jacob had gone to Egypt, your fathers cried out to the Lord for help, and he sent Moses and Aaron to lead your forefathers out of Egypt and settle them here.

9 Men de forglemte Herren deres Gud; og han solgte dem i Siseras Haand, Krigshøvedsmandens i Hazor, og i Filisternes Haand og i Moabiternes Konges Haand, og disse strede imod dem.

But they forgot about the Lord their God, so he abandoned them to Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, to the Philistines, and to the king of Moab, who attacked them.

10 Da raabte de til Herren og sagde: Vi have syndet, fordi vi forlode Herren og tjente Baal- og Astartebillederne; men fri os nu fra vore Fjenders Haand, saa ville vi tjene dig.

They cried out to the Lord for help and said, ‘We have sinned, for we have rejected the Lord and worshiped the Baals and Ashtoreths. Please save us from the hands of our enemies, and we will worship you.’

11 Da sendte Herren Jerub-Baal og Bedan og Jeftha og Samuel; og han friede eder af eders Fjenders Haand trindt omkring, at I boede tryggeligen.

Then the Lord sent Gideon, Barak, Jephthah and Samuel, and he saved you from your enemies who surrounded you so you could live in safety.

12 Og der I saa, at Nahas, Ammons Børns Konge, kom imod eder, da sagde I til mig: Ikke saa, men en Konge skal regere over os, skønt Herren eders Gud var eders Konge.

But when you saw that Nahash, king of the Ammonites, was coming to attack you, you told me, ‘No, we want our own king,’ even though the Lord your God was your king.

13 Og nu, se, der er Kongen, som I have udvalgt, som I have begæret; og se, Herren har sat en Konge over eder.

So here's the king you have chosen, the one you asked for. Look—the Lord now gives him to you as your king!

14 Dersom I frygte Herren og tjene ham og høre hans Røst og ikke ere genstridige mod Herrens Mund: Da skulle baade I og Kongen, som regerer over eder, være Herren eders Gud til Behag.

If you honor the Lord, worship him, do what he tells you, and don't rebel against the Lord's instructions, and if both you and your king follow the Lord your God, then good!

15 Men dersom I ikke høre Herrens Røst, men ere genstridige mod Herrens Mund, da skal Herrens Haand være imod eder, som imod eders Fædre.

However, if you refuse to do what he tells you, and rebel against the Lord's instructions, then the Lord will be against you as he was against your forefathers.

16 Stiller eder nu ogsaa frem og ser denne store Ting, som Herren skal gøre for eders Øjne.

Now stand still and watch what the Lord is going to do, right before your very eyes.

17 Er det ikke Hvedehøst i Dag? Jeg vil kalde paa Herren, saa skal han give Torden og Regn: Saa vider og ser, at det onde, som I have gjort for Herrens Øjne, er stort, idet at I have begæret eder en Konge.

Isn't it the time of wheat harvest? Well, I will ask the Lord to send thunder and rain. Then you will realize how very evil you were in the Lord's sight when you demanded your own king.”

18 Da raabte Samuel til Herren, og Herren gav Torden og Regn paa den samme Dag; derfor frygtede alt Folket saare for Herren og Samuel.

Then Samuel prayed to the Lord, and that very day the Lord sent thunder and rain. Everyone was in absolute awe of the Lord and of Samuel.

19 Og alt Folket sagde til Samuel: Bed ydmygeligen for dine Tjenere til Herren din Gud, at vi ikke skulle dø; thi vi lagde det onde til alle vore Synder, at vi begærede os en Konge.

“Please pray to the Lord your God for us your servants, so we will not die!” they begged Samuel. “For we have added to all our sins the evil of asking for our own king.”

20 Da sagde Samuel til Folket: Frygter ikke! I have vel gjort alt dette onde; viger dog ikke fra Herren, men tjener Herren i eders ganske Hjerte!

“Don't be afraid,” Samuel replied. “Even though you have indeed done all these evil things, don't give up following the Lord, but dedicate yourselves completely to worshiping him.

21 Og viger ikke af; thi saa følge I forfængelige Ting, som ej gavne eller hjælpe, thi de ere Forfængelighed.

Don't worship worthless idols that can't help you or save you, for they are nothing.

22 Thi Herren skal ikke forlade sit Folk for sit store Navns Skyld, efterdi Herren har haft Villie til at gøre eder til sit Folk.

The fact is because of the kind of person the Lord is, he won't give up on his people, because he was happy to claim you as his own.

23 Ogsaa jeg — det være langt fra mig at synde imod Herren, at jeg skulde lade af at bede ydmygeligen for eder; men jeg vil lære eder den gode og den rette Vej.

As for me, how could I sin against the Lord by no longer praying for you. I will also continue to teach you the way of goodness and right.

24 Frygter ikkun Herren og tjener ham i Sandhed af eders ganske Hjerte; thi ser, hvor store Ting han gør imod eder.

Make sure you honor God and worship him faithfully, with complete dedication. Think of all the tremendous things he has done for you.

25 Men gøre I alligevel ilde, da skulle baade I og eders Konge omkomme.

But if you continue to do what is evil, you and your king will be wiped out.”