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 this to all the Israeli people: “I have done everything that you told me to do, and I have given/appointed a king to rule 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.

My own sons [are grown up and] with you now, but I have appointed Saul [instead of one of them], and he is now your leader. I am now old, and my hair is gray. I have been your leader ever since I was a boy.

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.

Now tell me, while Yahweh is listening, and while the king whom he has chosen is listening: whose ox or donkey have I stolen [during all those years]? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed/treated badly? From whom have I accepted a bribe, in order that I would ignore [the evil things he had done]? If I have done any of those things, tell me, and I will pay back what I owe.”

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

They replied, “[No, ] you have never cheated anyone or oppressed anyone or accepted a bribe 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.

Then Samuel said, “Today Yahweh can testify, and the king whom you chose can testify, that I have not taken a bribe from anyone.” They replied, “Yes, Yahweh can say that he knows that is true.”

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

Samuel continued by saying, “Yahweh is the one who appointed Moses and Aaron [to lead] our ancestors. He is the one who brought them out of Egypt. [And he is the one who will testify that what I am saying is true].

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.

Now while Yahweh is listening, stand here quietly while I accuse you [and tell you that your requesting a king instead of trusting Yahweh to lead you was wrong]. I will do that by reminding you of all the great miracles that Yahweh performed for you and your ancestors.

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.

[“Many years] after Jacob went to Egypt, our ancestors pleaded to Yahweh to help them. So Yahweh sent Moses and Aaron to them, and they led our ancestors out of Egypt, and eventually they settled in this land.

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 our ancestors soon forgot about Yahweh, their God. So he allowed Sisera, the commander of the army from Hazor, to defeat them. He also allowed the Philistines and the army of the king of Moab to fight our ancestors and defeat 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.

Then our ancestors pleaded with Yahweh again to help them. They admitted, ‘Yahweh, we have sinned, and we have forsaken you. We have worshiped [idols that represent the god] Baal and [the goddess] Astarte. But if you rescue us from our enemies, we will worship you only.’

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.

So Yahweh sent men such as Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, and me to save you. And as a result, you did not have to worry about any enemies attacking you.

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 now, when king Nahash of Ammon came [with his army] to attack you, [you were afraid. So], you [came to me, and] said, ‘We want a king to rule us,’ even though Yahweh was already 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 now, look, here is the king whom you have chosen. You asked for a king, and Yahweh has now appointed a king for you.

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 will revere Yahweh and if you serve him, and if you listen to what he says and obey what he commands, and if you and the king who rules over you do what Yahweh your God wants you to do, [(things will go well for you all/Yahweh will bless you)].

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.

But if you do not listen to what Yahweh says, if you disobey what he commands, then he will punish [MTY] you all, just as he punished our ancestors.

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

“Now stand here quietly and see the great thing that Yahweh is about to do.

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.

You know that [RHQ] [it does not rain at this time of the year], during the time when you harvest wheat. But I will ask Yahweh to send thunder [and lightning] and rain today. When he does that, you will realize that Yahweh considers that you have done a very wicked thing by requesting a 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 Yahweh, and Yahweh caused it to thunder [and lightning] and rain. So all the people became very afraid of Yahweh 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.

They cried out to Samuel, “Pray for us! We have added to our previous sins by requesting a king! Pray to Yahweh, your God, in order that we will not die [because of having done that]!”

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!

Samuel replied, “Do not be afraid! You have done this evil thing, but do not turn away from doing the things that Yahweh wants you to do. Instead, serve Yahweh wholeheartedly.

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

Do not abandon [Yahweh] and worship useless idols. They cannot help you or save you [from your enemies], because they are truly useless.

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.

Yahweh decided to make us his people. So he will not abandon us people whom he has chosen, because he would injure his own reputation [of being completely faithful] if he did that.

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.

But as for me, I have solemnly promised that I will not sin against Yahweh by ceasing to pray for you. And I will continue to teach you what things are good and right [for you to do].

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

But you must revere Yahweh and serve him wholeheartedly. Never forget all the great things that he has done for you.

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

But if you keep doing wicked things, he will get rid of you and your king!”