Dommer 11
1 Gileaditen Jefta var en dygtig Kriger. Han var Søn af en Skøge. Gilead avlede Jefta.
[There was a man] from [the] Gilead [region] named Jephthah. He was a great warrior. His father was also named Gilead. But his mother was a prostitute.
2 Men Gileads Hustru fødte ham Sønner, og da de voksede op, jog de Jefta bort med de Ord: »Du skal ikke have Arv og Lod i vor Faders Hus, thi du er en fremmed Kvindes Søn!«
Gilead’s wife gave birth to several sons. When they grew up, they forced Jephthah to leave home, saying to him, “You are the son of a prostitute, [not the son of our mother]. So [when] our father [dies], you will not receive any of his property.”
3 Jefta flygtede da for sine Brødre og bosatte sig i Landet Tob, hvor nogle daarlige Folk samlede sig om ham og deltog i hans Strejftog.
So Jephthah ran away from his brothers, and he went to the Tob region. While he was there, some worthless men started to spend a lot of time with him.
4 Efter nogen Tids Forløb angreb Ammoniterne Israel.
Some time later, the Ammon people-group started to fight against the Israelis.
5 Og da Ammoniterne angreb Israel, drog Gileads Ældste hen for at hente Jefta hjem fra Landet Tob.
When that happened [DOU], the leaders of [the] Gilead [region] went to Jephthah to bring him back from the Tob region [to their area].
6 De sagde til Jefta: »Kom og vær vor Fører, at vi kan tage Kampen op med Ammoniterne!«
They said to him, “Come [with us] and lead our army, and [help us to] fight against the men from the Ammon people-group!”
7 Jefta svarede Gileads Ældste: »Har I ikke hadet mig og jaget mig bort fra min Faders Hus? Hvorfor kommer I da til mig, nu I er i Nød?«
But Jephthah replied, “You hated me [RHQ] previously! You forced me to leave my father’s house! So why are you coming to me now, [asking me to help you] when you are experiencing trouble?”
8 Men Gileads Ældste sagde til Jefta: »Derfor kommer vi jo nu tilbage til dig! Vil du drage med os og kæmpe med Ammoniterne, skal du være Høvding over os, over alle Gileads Indbyggere!«
The leaders from Gilead replied, “[Yes, we are having trouble, and] that is the reason that we have come to you now. If you come with us and [help us to] fight against the Ammon people-group, [after we defeat them, we will appoint] you to be the leader of all us people in [the] Gilead [region].”
9 Jefta svarede Gileads Ældste: »Dersom I fører mig tilbage, for at jeg skal kæmpe med Ammoniterne, og HERREN giver dem i min Magt, saa vil jeg være eders Høvding!«
Jephthah replied, “If I go back to Gilead with you to fight against the Ammon people-group, and if Yahweh helps us to defeat them, will you truly appoint me to be your leader?”
10 Da sagde Gileads Ældste til Jefta: »HERREN hører Overenskomsten mellem os; visselig vil vi gøre, som du siger!«
They replied, “Yahweh is listening to everything that we say. [So he will punish us] if we do not do everything that you tell us to do.”
11 Da drog Jefta med Gileads Ældste; og Folket gjorde ham til deres Høvding og Fører. Og alle sine Ord udtalte Jefta for HERRENS Aasyn i Mizpa.
So Jephthah went with them back to [the] Gilead [region], and the people appointed him to be their leader and the commander of their army. And Jephthah solemnly promised to Yahweh there at Mizpah [to serve him well].
12 Derpaa sendte Jefta Sendebud til Ammoniternes Konge og lod sige: »Hvad er der dig og mig imellem, siden du er draget imod mig for at angribe mit Land?«
Jephthah sent some messengers to the king of the Ammon people-group. They asked the king, “What have we [done to make you angry, with the result] that your army is coming to fight [against the people] in our land?”
13 Ammoniternes Konge svarede Jeftas Sendebud: »Jo, Israel tog mit Land, da de drog op fra Ægypten, lige fra Arnon til Jabbok og Jordan; giv det derfor tilbage med det gode!«
The king replied, “[We have come to fight against you Israelis because] you took our land when you came here from Egypt. You took all our land east of the Jordan [River], from the Arnon [River in the south] to the Jabbok [River in the north]. So if you now give it back to us, there (will be peace between us/we will not fight against you).”
14 Men Jefta sendte atter Sendebud til Ammoniternes Konge
[The messengers returned to Jephthah and told him what the king had said]. So Jephthah sent the messengers to the king again.
15 og lod sige: »Saaledes siger Jefta: Israel har ikke taget Moabs eller Ammoniternes Land!
They said to him, “This is what Jephthah says: ‘It is not [true] that we Israelis took the land from the Moab people-group and the Ammon people-group.
16 Men da de drog op fra Ægypten, vandrede Israel igennem Ørkenen til det røde Hav og kom derpaa til Kadesj.
When the Israeli people came out of Egypt, they walked through the desert to the Red Sea, and then [walked across it and traveled to Kadesh town at the border of the Edom region].
17 Da sendte Israel Sendebud til Edomiternes Konge og lod sige: Lad mig drage igennem dit Land! Men Edomiternes Konge ænsede det ikke. Ligeledes sendte de Bud til Moabiternes Konge, men han var heller ikke villig dertil. Israel blev da boende i Kadesj.
They sent messengers to the king of the Edom people-group, to say to him, “Please allow us Israelis to walk across your land.” But the king of the Edom people-group refused. Later we sent the same message to the king of the Moab people-group, but he also refused to allow the Israelis to go through his land. So the Israelis stayed at Kadesh [for a long time].
18 Derpaa drog de igennem Ørkenen og gik uden om Edomiternes og Moabiternes, Land, og da de naaede Egnen østen for Moab, slog de Lejr hinsides Arnon; men de betraadte ikke Moabs Enemærker, thi Arnon er Moabs Grænse.
Then the Israelis went into the desert and walked outside the borders of the Edom and Moab regions. They walked east of the Moab region, east of the Arnon [River, which is the eastern border of the Moab region]. They did not cross that river to enter [the] Moab [region].
19 Israel sendte derpaa Sendebud til Kongen af Hesjbon, Amoriterkongen Sihon, og lod sige: Lad os drage igennem dit Land for at naa hen, hvor vi skal!
‘Then the Israelis sent a message to Sihon, the king of the Amor people-group, who lived in Heshbon [city]. They asked him, “Will you please allow us Israeli people to cross through your land to arrive at the land to which we [are going].”
20 Men Sihon nægtede Israeliterne Tilladelse til at drage gennem hans Land; og Sihon samlede hele sin Hær, og de slog Lejr i Jaza og angreb Israel.
But Sihon did not trust the Israelis; [he thought that they would steal some of the things in his land]. So he gathered all his troops and they set up their tents at Jahaz [village] and then they attacked the Israelis.
21 Da gav HERREN, Israels Gud, Sihon og hele hans Hær i Israels Haand, saa at de slog dem. Og Israel underlagde sig hele det Land, Amoriterne boede i;
But Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [worship], enabled the Israeli army to defeat [IDM] Sihon and his army. Then they (took possession of/started to live in) all the land where the Amor people-group had lived.
22 de underlagde sig hele Amoriternes Omraade fra Arnon til Jabbok og fra Ørkenen til Jordan.
The Israelis took all the land that belonged to the Amor people-group, from the Arnon [River in the south] to the Jabbok [River in the north], and from the desert [in the east] to the Jordan [River in the west].
23 Saaledes drev HERREN, Israels Gud, Amoriterne bort foran sit Folk Israel; og nu vil du underlægge dig deres Land!
‘It was Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [worship], who forced the Amor people-group to leave as the Israelis advanced. So do you now think that you can force the Israelis to leave [RHQ]?
24 Ikke sandt, naar din Gud Kemosj driver nogen bort, saa tager du hans Land? Og hver Gang HERREN vor Gud driver nogen bort foran os, tager vi hans Land.
You take the land that your god Chemosh has given to you. And we will live in the land that Yahweh our God has given to us!
25 Er du vel bedre end Zippors Søn, Kong Balak af Moab? Stredes han med Israel, eller indlod han sig i Kamp med dem,
(You are no/Are you) better than Zippor’s son Balak, who was the king of the Moab people-group? He never [RHQ] quarreled with the Israeli people, and he never started to fight against us [RHQ]!
26 da Israeliterne bosatte sig i Hesjbon med Smaabyer, i Aroer med Smaabyer og i alle Byerne langs Arnon nu har de boet der i 300 Aar? Hvorfor tilrev I eder dem ikke dengang?
For 300 years the Israeli people have lived in Heshbon and Aroer [cities in your region], and in the surrounding towns, and in all the cities along the Arnon [River]. Why have you people of the Ammon people-group not taken back those cities during all those years [RHQ]?
27 Det er ikke mig, der har forbrudt mig mod dig, men dig, der handler ilde mod mig ved at angribe mig. HERREN, Dommeren, vil i Dag dømme Israeliterne og Ammoniterne imellem!«
We have not sinned against you, but you are sinning against me by attacking me [and my army]. I trust that Yahweh, the great judge, will decide whether we Israelis are right, or whether you people of the Ammon people-group are right.’”
28 Men Ammoniternes Konge ænsede ikke Jeftas Ord, som hans Sendebud overbragte.
But the king of the Ammon people-group did not pay attention to that message from Jephthah.
29 Da kom HERRENS Aand over Jefta; og han drog igennem Gilead og Manasse; derpaa drog han til Mizpe i Gilead, og fra Mizpe i Gilead drog han mod Ammoniterne.
Then the Spirit of Yahweh took control of Jephthah. Jephthah went through [the] Gilead [region] and through the area where the tribe of Manasseh lived, [to enlist/gather men for his army]. [He finally gathered them together] in Mizpah [city] in [the] Gilead [region] to fight against the Ammon people-group.
30 Og Jefta aflagde HERREN et Løfte og sagde: »Dersom du giver Ammoniterne i min Haand,
There Jephthah made a solemn promise to Yahweh. He said, “If you will enable my army to defeat [IDM] the Ammon people-group,
31 saa skal den, som først kommer mig i Møde fra min Husdør naar jeg vender uskadt, tilbage fra Ammoniterne, tilfalde HERREN, og jeg vil ofre ham som Brændoffer!«
when I return from the battle, I will sacrifice to you the first person who comes out of my house [to greet me]. It will be a sacrifice that will be completely burned [on the altar].”
32 Saa drog Jefta i Kamp mod Ammoniterne, og HERREN gav dem i hans Haand,
Then Jephthah [and his men] went from Mizpah to attack the Ammon people-group, and Yahweh enabled his army to defeat them.
33 saa at han tilføjede dem et stort Nederlag fra Aroer til Egnen ved Minnit, tyve Byer, og til Abel-Keramim. Saaledes bukkede Ammoniterne under for Israeliterne.
Jephthah and his men killed them, from Aroer [city] all the way to the area around the city of Minnith. They destroyed 20 cities, as far as [the city of] Abel Keramim. So the Israelis [completely] defeated the Ammon people-group.
34 Men da Jefta kom til sit Hjem i Mizpa, se, da kom hans Datter ham i Møde med Haandpauker og Dans. Hun var hans eneste Barn foruden hende havde han hverken Søn eller Datter.
When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, his daughter was the first one to come out of the house to meet him. She was [joyfully] playing a tambourine and dancing. She was his only child; he had no sons and no other daughters.
35 Da han fik Øje paa hende, sønderrev han sine Klæder og raabte: »Ak, min Datter, du har bøjet mig dybt, og det er dig, der styrter mig i Ulykke! Thi jeg har aabnet min Mund for HERREN og kan ikke tage mit Ord tilbage!«
When Jephthah saw his daughter, he tore his clothes [to show that he was very sad about what he was going to do]. He said to her, “My daughter, you have caused me to become very sad [DOU] because I made a solemn promise to Yahweh [to sacrifice the first one who came out of my house], and I must do what I promised.”
36 Da svarede hun ham: »Fader, har du aabnet din Mund for HERREN, saa gør med mig, som dit Ord lød, nu da HERREN har skaffet dig Hævn over dine Fjender, Ammoniterne!«
His daughter said, “My father, you made a solemn promise to Yahweh. So you must do to me what you promised, because [you said that you would do that if] Yahweh helped you to defeat our enemies, the Ammon people-group.”
37 Men hun sagde til sin Fader: »En Ting maa du unde mig: Giv mig to Maaneders Frist, saa jeg kan gaa omkring i Bjergene for at begræde min Jomfrustand sammen med mine Veninder!«
Then she also said, “But allow me to do one thing. (First/before you do what you promised), allow me to go up into the hilly area and wander around for two months. Since I will never be married [and have children], allow me and my friends to go and cry together.”
38 Han sagde: »Gaa!« og lod hende drage bort i to Maaneder; og hun gik bort med sine Veninder for at begræde sin Jomfrustand i Bjergene.
Jephthah replied, “All right, you may go.” So she left for two months. She and her friends stayed in the hills and they cried for her because she would never be married.
39 Da de to Maaneder var omme, vendte hun tilbage til sin Fader, og han fuldbyrdede det Løfte, han havde aflagt, paa hende; og hun havde ikke kendt Mand. Og det blev Skik i Israel,
After two months, she returned to her father Jephthah, and he did to her what he had vowed. So his daughter never was married. Because of that, the Israelis now have a custom.
40 at Israels Døtre hvert Aar gaar hen for at klage over Gileaditen Jeftas Datter fire Dage om Aaret.
Every year the young Israeli women go [into the hills] for four days to remember [and cry about what happened to] the daughter of Jephthah.
