1 Samuel 4

1 Og Samuels Ord skete til al Israel, og Israel drog ud imod Filisterne til Krig, og de lejrede sig ved Eben-Ezer, men Filisterne havde lejret sig i Afek.

Thus the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now the Israelites went out to meet the Philistines in battle and camped at Ebenezer, while the Philistines camped at Aphek.

2 Og Filisterne rustede sig imod Israel, og Striden bredte sig ud; og Israel blev slagen for Filisternes Ansigt; og disse sloge i Slagordenen paa Marken ved fire Tusinde Mand.

The Philistines arrayed themselves against Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who struck down about four thousand men on the battlefield.

3 Og der Folket kom til Lejren, da sagde Israels Ældste: Hvorfor har Herren slaget os i Dag for Filisternes Ansigt? lader os hente Herrens Pagts Ark fra Silo og lader den komme midt iblandt os, saa skal den frelse os af vore Fjenders Haand.

When the troops returned to the camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why has the LORD brought defeat on us before the Philistines today? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh, so that it may go with us to save us from the hand of our enemies.”

4 Og Folket sendte til Silo, og de bare derfra Herren Zebaoths Pagts Ark, han som sidder over Keruber; og de to Elis Sønner, Hofni og Pinehas, vare der med Guds Pagts Ark.

So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the LORD of Hosts, who sits enthroned between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

5 Og det skete, der Herrens Pagts Ark kom til Lejren, da skreg al Israel med et stort Frydeskrig, saa at Jorden rystede.

When the ark of the covenant of the LORD entered the camp, all the Israelites raised such a great shout that it shook the ground.

6 Der Filisterne hørte det Frydeskrigs Røst, da sagde de: Hvad er dette for et stort Frydeskrigs Røst i Hebræernes Lejr? Og de fik at vide, at Herrens Ark var kommen til Lejren.

On hearing the noise of the shout, the Philistines asked, “What is this loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews?” And when they realized that the ark of the LORD had entered the camp,

7 Da frygtede Filisterne, thi de sagde: Gud er kommen i Lejren; og de sagde: Ve os! thi der er ikke sket noget som dette tilforn.

the Philistines were afraid. “The gods have entered their camp!” they said. “Woe to us, for nothing like this has happened before.

8 Ve os! hvo vil fri os af disse herlige Guders Haand? disse ere de Guder, som sloge Ægypten med alle Haande Plager i Ørken.

Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness.

9 Værer frimodige og værer Mænd, I Filister! at I ikke skulle tjene Hebræerne, som de have tjent eder; ja værer Mænd og strider!

Take courage and be men, O Philistines! Otherwise, you will serve the Hebrews just as they served you. Now be men and fight!”

10 Da strede Filisterne, og Israel blev slagen, og de flyede hver til sine Telte, og der skete et saare stort Slag, saa at der faldt af Israel tredive Tusinde Fodfolk.

So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and each man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great—thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell.

11 Og Guds Ark blev tagen, og begge Elis Sønner, Hofni og Pinehas, døde.

The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

12 Da løb en Mand af Benjamin fra Slagordenen og kom til Silo paa den samme Dag; og hans Klæder vare sønderrevne, og der var Jord paa hans Hoved.

That same day a Benjamite ran from the battle line all the way to Shiloh, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head.

13 Og han kom, og se, Eli sad paa en Stol ved Siden af Vejen og saa sig om, thi hans Hjerte var saare bange for Guds Ark; der Manden kom til at forkynde det i Staden, da skreg den ganske Stad.

When he arrived, there was Eli, sitting on his chair beside the road and watching, because his heart trembled for the ark of God. When the man entered the city to give a report, the whole city cried out.

14 Og der Eli hørte Skrigets Røst, da sagde han: Hvad er dette for et Bulders Røst? Og Manden skyndte sig og kom og gav Eli det til Kende.

Eli heard the outcry and asked, “Why this commotion?” So the man hurried over and reported to Eli.

15 Og Eli var otte og halvfemsindstyve Aar gammel; og hans Øjne vare dunkle, og han kunde ikke se.

Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his gaze was fixed because he could not see.

16 Og Manden sagde til Eli: Jeg kommer fra Slagordenen, og jeg er flyet fra Slagordenen i Dag; og han sagde: Min Søn, hvad for en Ting skete der?

“I have just come from the battle,” the man said to Eli. “I fled from there today.” “What happened, my son?” Eli asked.

17 Da svarede den, som bar Budskab, og sagde: Israel flyede for Filisternes Ansigt, og der skete ogsaa et stort Slag paa Folket; og dine to Sønner, Hofni og Pinehas, ere ogsaa døde, og Guds Ark er tagen.

The messenger answered, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are both dead, and the ark of God has been captured.”

18 Og det skete, der han meldte om Guds Ark, da faldt han baglæns ned af Stolen ved Siden af Porten, og hans Halsben blev brudt, og han døde, thi Manden var gammel og svær; og han havde dømt Israel fyrretyve Aar.

As soon as the ark of God was mentioned, Eli fell backward from his chair by the city gate, and being old and heavy, he broke his neck and died. And Eli had judged Israel forty years.

19 Og hans Sønnekone, Pinehas Hustru, var frugtsommelig, nær ved at føde; der hun hørte det Rygte, at Guds Ark var tagen, og at hendes Svoger og hendes Mand var død, da bøjede hun sig ned og fødte, thi hendes Veer betoge hende.

Now Eli’s daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and about to give birth. When she heard the news of the capture of God’s ark and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband, she collapsed and gave birth, for her labor pains overtook her.

20 Og den Tid hun døde, da sagde de Kvinder, som stode hos hende: Frygt ikke, thi du har født en Søn; men hun svarede ikke og lagde det ikke paa sit Hjerte.

As she was dying, the women attending to her said, “Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son!” But she did not respond or pay any heed.

21 Og hun kaldte Barnet Ikabod, sigende: Herligheden er flyttet fra Israel; fordi Guds Ark var tagen, og for hendes Svogers og for hendes Mands Skyld.

And she named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” because the ark of God had been captured and her father-in-law and her husband had been killed.

22 Og hun sagde: Herligheden er flyttet fra Israel; thi Guds Ark er tagen.

“The glory has departed from Israel,” she said, “for the ark of God has been captured.”