Dommer 18

1 I de Dage var der ingen Konge i Israel, og i de Dage var Daniternes Stamme i Færd med at søge sig en Arvelod, hvor de kunde bo, thi hidindtil var der ikke tilfaldet dem nogen Arvelod blandt Israels Stammer.

In those days there was no king in Israel, and the tribe of the Danites was looking for territory to occupy. For up to that time they had not come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.

2 Daniterne udtog da af deres Slægt fem stærke Mænd fra Zor'a og Esjtaol og udsendte dem for at udspejde og undersøge Landet, og de sagde til dem: »Drag hen og undersøg Landet!« De kom da til Mikas Hus i Efraims Bjerge og overnattede der.

So the Danites sent out five men from their clans, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. “Go and explore the land,” they told them. The men entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night.

3 Da de kom i Nærheden af Mikas Hus og kendte den unge Levits Stemme, tog de derind og spurgte ham: »Hvem har ført dig herhen, hvad tager du dig for paa dette Sted, og hvorfor er du her?«

And while they were near Micah’s house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; so they went over and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?”

4 Han svarede dem: »Det og det har Mika gjort for mig; han har lejet mig til Præst.«

“Micah has done this and that for me,” he replied, “and he has hired me to be his priest.”

5 Da sagde de til ham: »Adspørg da Gud, at vi kan faa at vide, om vor Færd skal lykkes!«

Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God to determine whether we will have a successful journey.”

6 Præsten sagde da til dem: »Far med Fred, HERREN vaager over eders Færd!«

And the priest told them, “Go in peace. The LORD is watching over your journey.”

7 Saa drog de fem Mænd videre og kom til Lajisj; og de saa, at Byen levede trygt paa Zidoniernes Vis, at Folket der levede sorgløst og trygt og ikke manglede nogen Verdens Ting, men var rigt, og at de boede langt fra Zidonierne og intet havde med Aramæerne at gøre.

So the five men departed and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living securely, like the Sidonians, tranquil and unsuspecting. There was nothing lacking in the land and no oppressive ruler. And they were far away from the Sidonians and had no alliance with anyone.

8 Da de kom tilbage til deres Brødre i Zor'a og Esjtaol, spurgte disse dem: »Hvad har I at melde?«

When the men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers asked them, “What did you find?”

9 De svarede: »Kom, lad os drage op til Lajisj, thi vi har set Landet, og se, det er saare godt! Hvorfor holder I eder uvirksomme? Nøl ikke med at drage hen og underlægge eder Landet!

They answered, “Come on, let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and it is very good. Why would you fail to act? Do not hesitate to go there and take possession of the land!

10 Thi Gud har givet det i eders Haand — et Sted, hvor der ikke er Mangel paa nogen Verdens Ting! Naar I kommer derhen, kommer I til et Folk, der lever i Tryghed, og det er et vidtstrakt Land!«

When you enter, you will come to an unsuspecting people and a spacious land, for God has delivered it into your hand. It is a place where nothing on earth is lacking.”

11 Saa brød 600 væbnede Mænd af Daniternes Slægt op fra Zor'a og Esjtaol,

So six hundred Danites departed from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war.

12 og de drog op og slog Lejr i Kirjat-Jearim i Juda; derfor kalder man endnu den Dag i Dag dette Sted hans Lejr; det ligger vesten for Kirjat-Jearim.

They went up and camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. That is why the place west of Kiriath-jearim is called Mahaneh-dan to this day.

13 Derfra drog de over til Efraims Bjerge; og da de kom til Mikas Hus,

And from there they traveled to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah’s house.

14 tog de fem Mænd, der havde været henne at udspejde Landet, til Orde og sagde til deres Brødre: »Ved I, at der i Husene her findes en Efod, en Husgud og et udskaaret og støbt Billede? Saa indser I vel, hvad I har at gøre!«

Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish said to their brothers, “Did you know that one of these houses has an ephod, household gods, a graven image, and a molten idol? Now think about what you should do.”

15 De begav sig derhen og kom til den unge Levits Hus, Mikas Hus, og hilste paa ham,

So they turned aside there and went to the home of the young Levite, the house of Micah, and greeted him.

16 medens de 600 væbnede danitiske Mænd stod ved Porten.

The six hundred Danites stood at the entrance of the gate, armed with their weapons of war.

17 Og de fem Mænd, der havde været henne at udspejde Landet, gik op og tog det udskaarne og støbte Billede, Efoden og Husguden, medens Præsten og de 600 væbnede Mænd stod ved Porten.

And the five men who had gone to spy out the land went inside and took the graven image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molten idol, while the priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred armed men.

18 Hine gik ind i Mikas Hus og tog det udskaarne og støbte Billede, Efoden og Husguden. Præsten sagde til dem: »Hvad er det, I gør?«

When they entered Micah’s house and took the graven image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molten idol, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”

19 Og de svarede ham: »Stille, læg Fingeren paa Munden og følg med os og bliv vor Fader og Præst! Hvad baader dig vel bedst, at være Præst for een Mands Hus eller for en Stamme og Slægt i Israel?«

“Be quiet,” they told him. “Put your hand over your mouth and come with us and be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest for the house of one person or a priest for a tribe and family in Israel?”

20 Da blev Præsten glad, tog Efoden, Husguden og Gudebilledet og sluttede sig til Krigsfolkene.

So the priest was glad and took the ephod, the household idols, and the graven image, and went with the people.

21 Derpaa vendte de om og drog bort, idet de stillede Kvinderne og Børnene, Kvæget og Trosset forrest i Toget.

Putting their small children, their livestock, and their possessions in front of them, they turned and departed.

22 Da de var kommet et Stykke fra Mikas Hus, stævnedes Mændene i de Huse, der laa ved Mikas Hus, sammen, og de indhentede Daniterne.

After they were some distance from Micah’s house, the men in the houses near Micah’s house mobilized and overtook the Danites.

23 Da de raabte efter Daniterne, vendte disse sig om og sagde til Mika: »Hvad er der i Vejen, siden du har kaldt Folk til Hjælp?«

When they called out after them, the Danites turned to face them and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you that you have called out such a company?”

24 Han svarede: »I har taget min Gud, som jeg havde lavet mig, tillige med Præsten og er rejst eders Vej! Hvad har jeg nu tilbage? Hvor kan I spørge mig, hvad der er i Vejen?«

He replied, “You took the gods I had made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you say to me, ‘What is the matter with you?’”

25 Men Daniterne svarede ham: »Lad os ikke høre et Ord mere fra dig, ellers kunde det hænde, at nogle Mænd, som er bitre i Hu, faldt over eder, og at du satte baade dit eget og dine Husfolks Liv paa Spil!«

The Danites said to him, “Do not raise your voice against us, or angry men will attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives.”

26 Dermed drog Daniterne deres Vej, og da Mika saa, at de var ham for stærke, vendte han om og begav sig tilbage til sit Hus.

So the Danites went on their way, and Micah turned to go back home, because he saw that they were too strong for him.

27 De tog saa Guden, som Mika havde lavet, tillige med hans Præst og drog mod Lajisj, mod et Folk, der levede sorgløst og trygt, huggede dem ned med Sværdet og stak Ild paa Byen,

After they had taken Micah’s idols and his priest, they went to Laish, to a tranquil and unsuspecting people, and they struck them with their swords and burned down the city.

28 uden at nogen kunde komme den til Hjælp, thi den laa langt fra Zidon, og de havde intet med Aramæerne at gøre. Den ligger i Bet-Rehobs Dal. Saa byggede de Byen op igen og bosatte sig der;

There was no one to deliver them, because the city was far from Sidon and had no alliance with anyone; it was in a valley near Beth-rehob. And the Danites rebuilt the city and lived there.

29 og de gav den Navnet Dan efter deres Stamfader Dan, Israels Søn; men før var Byens Navn Lajisj.

They named it Dan, after their forefather Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city was formerly named Laish.

30 Derpaa stillede Daniterne Gudebilledet op hos sig; og Jonatan, en Søn af Moses's Søn Gersom, og hans Efterkommere var Præster for Daniternes Stamme, indtil Landets Indbyggere førtes i Landflygtighed.

The Danites set up idols for themselves, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.

31 Og det Gudebillede, Mika havde lavet sig, stillede de op hos sig, og det stod der, al den Tid Guds Hus var i Silo.

So they set up for themselves Micah’s graven image, and it was there the whole time the house of God was in Shiloh.