Dommer 21
1 Og Israels Mænd havde svoret i Mizpa og sagt: Der skal ingen af os give Benjamin sin Datter til Hustru.
The sons of Israel had also taken an oath at Mizpah, and they said, “None of us shall give his daughters as a wife to the sons of Benjamin.”
2 Og Folket kom til Guds Hus, og de bleve der indtil Aftenen for Guds Ansigt; og de opløftede deres Røst og græd med en stor Graad.
And they all went to the house of God at Shiloh. And sitting in his sight until evening, they lifted up their voice, and they began to weep, with a great wailing, saying,
3 Og de sagde: Herre, Israels Gud! hvorfor er dette sket i Israel, at i Dag een Stamme savnes af Israel?
“Why, O Lord, God of Israel, has this evil happened among your people, so that this day one tribe would be taken away from us?”
4 Og det skete den anden Dag, da stod Folket aarle op, og de byggede der et Alter, og de ofrede Brændofre og Takofre.
Then, rising at first light on the next day, they built an altar. And they offered holocausts and victims of peace offerings there, and they said,
5 Og Israels Børn sagde: Hvo er den, som ikke er kommen med op til Forsamlingen af alle Israels Stammer til Herren? Thi der var svoret en høj Ed imod den, som ikke kom op til Herren i Mizpa, saa der sagdes: Han skal visseligen dødes.
“Who, out of all the tribes of Israel, did not ascend with the army of the Lord?” For they had bound themselves with a great oath, when they were at Mizpah, that whoever was not present would be slain.
6 Og det gjorde Israels Børn ondt for deres Broder Benjamin, og de sagde: I Dag er een Stamme afhuggen af Israel.
And the sons of Israel, having been led to repentance over their brother Benjamin, began to say: “One tribe has been taken away from Israel.
7 Hvad ville vi gøre dem, som ere overblevne, at de kunne faa Hustruer? thi vi have svoret ved Herren, at vi ikke ville give dem af vore Døtre til Hustruer.
From where shall they receive wives? For we have all sworn in common that we will not give our daughters to them.”
8 Og de sagde: Hvad er det for en af Israels Stammer, som ikke er kommen op til Herren i Mizpa? Og se, der var ingen Mand kommen til Lejren fra Jabes i Gilead til Forsamlingen.
For this reason, they said, “Who is there, out of all the tribes of Israel, that did not ascend to the Lord at Mizpah?” And behold, the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead were found not to have been among that army.
9 Thi Folket blev talt; og se, da var der ingen af Indbyggerne fra Jabes i Gilead.
(Likewise, in the time when they had been at Shiloh, not one of them was found to be there.)
10 Da sendte de derhen af Menigheden tolv Tusinde Mand af Stridsfolkene; og de bøde dem og sagde: Gaar hen og slaar Indbyggerne i Jabes i Gilead med skarpe Sværd, samt Hustruerne og de smaa Børn.
And so they sent ten thousand very robust men, and they instructed them, saying, “Go and strike down the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead with the edge of the sword, including their wives and little ones.”
11 Og denne er den Gerning, som I skulle gøre: Alt Mandkøn og alle Kvinder, som have haft Samkvem med nogen Mand, skulle I ødelægge.
And this shall be what you ought to do: “Every one of the male gender, as well as all the women who have known men, shall be put to death. But the virgins you shall reserve.”
12 Og de fandt af Indbyggerne i Jabes i Gilead fire Hundrede unge Piger, Jomfruer, som ikke havde kendt nogen Mand og ikke haft Samkvem med nogen Mand, og de førte dem til Lejren i Silo, som er i Landet Kanaan.
And four hundred virgins, who had not known the bed of a man, were found from Jabesh-Gilead. And they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, in the land of Canaan.
13 Da sendte den ganske Menighed hen, og de lode tale med Benjamins Børn, som vare paa Klippen Bimmon; og de tilbøde dem Fred.
And they sent messengers to the sons of Benjamin, who were at the rock of Rimmon, and they instructed them, so that they would receive them in peace.
14 Saa kom Benjamin tilbage paa samme Tid, og de gave dem de Hustruer, som de havde ladet leve af Kvinderne fra Jabes i Gilead; og de fandt ikke saaledes nok til dem.
And the sons of Benjamin went, at that time, and wives were given to them from the daughters of Jabesh-Gilead. But others were not found, whom they might give in a similar manner.
15 Da gjorde det Folket ondt for Benjamin, fordi Herren havde gjort et Skaar i Israels Stammer.
And all of Israel was very saddened, and they did penance for destroying one tribe out of Israel.
16 Og Menighedens Ældste sagde: Hvad skulle vi gøre ved de overblevne, at de kunne faa Hustruer? thi Kvinderne af Benjamin ere udryddede.
And those greater by birth said: “What shall we do with the remainder, those who have not received wives? For all the females of Benjamin have been cut down,
17 Og de sagde: De undkomnes Ejendom skal høre Benjamin til, at ikke een Stamme skal blive udslettet af Israel.
and we must take great care, and make provision with a very great diligence, so that one tribe may not be wiped away from Israel.
18 Men vi kunne ikke give dem Hustruer af vore Døtre; thi Israels Børn have svoret og sagt: Forbandet være den, som giver Benjamin en Hustru!
As for our own daughters, we are not able to give them, being bound by an oath and a curse, when we said, ‘Accursed is he who will give any of his daughters to Benjamin as a wife.’”
19 Og de sagde: Se, der er Aar for Aar Herrens Højtid i Silo, som ligger Nord for Bethel, mod Solens Opgang, paa den alfare Vej, som gaar op fra Bethel til Sikem, og Syd for Lebona.
And they took counsel, and they said, “Behold, there is a yearly solemnity of the Lord at Shiloh, which is situated to the north of the city of Bethel, and on the eastern side of the way that one takes from Bethel to Shechem, and to the south of the town of Lebonah.”
20 Og de befalede Benjamins Børn og sagde: Gaar hen og lurer i Vingaardene!
And they instructed the sons of Benjamin, and they said: “Go, and hide in the vineyards.
21 Og I skulle se til, og se, dersom Silos Døtre gaa ud at danse, da maa I gaa ud af Vingaardene og gribe eder hver sin Hustru af Silos Døtre, og I skulle gaa til Benjamins Land.
And when you will have seen daughters of Shiloh being led out to dance, according to custom, go forth suddenly from the vineyards, and let each one seize one wife from among them, and travel into the land of Benjamin.
22 Og det skal ske, naar deres Fædre eller deres Brødre komme at gaa i Rette med os, da ville vi sige til dem: Værer dem naadige for vor Skyld, fordi vi ikke have skaffet dem hver sin Hustru i Krigen; thi I have heller ikke givet dem Hustruer; eller skulle I nu have været skyldige.
And when their fathers and brothers arrive, and they begin to complain against you and to argue, we will say to them: ‘Take pity on them. For they have not seized them by right of war or conquest. Instead, begging to receive them, you did not give them, and so the sin was on your part.’”
23 Og Benjamins Børn gjorde saaledes og toge Hustruer efter deres Tal af dem, som dansede, hvilke de røvede; og de gik og kom tilbage til deres Arv og byggede Stæderne og boede i dem.
And so the sons of Benjamin did just as they had been ordered. And according to their number, they seized for themselves one wife each, out of those who were led out dancing. And they went into their own possession, and they built up their cities, and they lived in them.
24 Saa vandrede Israels Børn derfra paa samme Tid, hver til sin Stamme og til sin Slægt; og de udgik derfra, hver til sin Arv.
The sons of Israel also returned, according to their tribes and families, to their tents.
25 I disse Dage var ingen Konge i Israel; hver gjorde det, som var ret for hans Øjne.
In those days, there was no king in Israel. Instead, each one did what seemed right to himself.
