Dommer 20

1 Da rykkende alle Israeliterne ud, og Menigheden samledes som een Mand fra Dan til Be'ersjeba for HERREN i Mizpa; ogsaa fra Gileads Land kom de.

And so all the sons of Israel went out like one man, from Dan to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, and they gathered together, before the Lord, at Mizpah.

2 Alle Folkets Støtter, alle Israels Stammer indfandt sig i Guds Folks Forsamling, 400 000 Mand Fodfolk, væbnet med Sværd.

And all the chiefs of the people, and every tribe of Israel, convened as an assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand foot soldiers for battle.

3 Benjaminiterne hørte, at Israeliterne var draget op til Mizpa. Og Israeliterne sagde: »Fortæl dog, hvorledes denne Misgerning gik for sig!«

(But it was not hidden from the sons of Benjamin that the sons of Israel had ascended to Mizpah.) And the Levite, the husband of the woman who was killed, being questioned as to how so great a crime had been perpetrated,

4 Da tog Manden, Leviten, den myrdede Kvindes Mand, til Orde og sagde: »Jeg og min Medhustru kom til Gibea i Benjamin for at overnatte der.

responded: “I went to Gibeah of Benjamin, with my wife, and I diverted to that place.

5 Saa rejste Gibeas Borgere sig imod mig og omringede mig om Natten i Huset; mig vilde de dræbe, og min Medhustru skændede de, saa at hun døde.

And behold, the men of that city, at night, surrounded the house in which I was staying, intending to kill me. And they abused my wife with such an incredible fury of lust that in the end she died.

6 Da tog jeg min Medhustru, skar hende i Stykker og sendte Stykkerne rundt i hele Israels Arvelods Omraade, fordi de havde begaaet grov Utugt og Skændselsdaad i Israel!

And taking her up, I cut her into pieces, and I sent the parts into all the borders of your possession. For never before was such a nefarious crime, and so great a sin, committed in Israel.

7 Nu er I her, alle Israeliter, sig nu eders Mening og kom med eders Raad!«

You are all present here, O sons of Israel. Discern what you ought to do.”

8 Da rejste hele Folket sig som een Mand og sagde: »Ingen af os vil vende hjem, ingen af os vil begive sig til sit Hus!

And all the people, standing, responded as if with the word of one man: “We shall not return to our own tents, nor shall anyone enter into his own house.

9 Men saaledes vil vi handle med Gibea: Vi vil drage op imod det efter Lodkastning,

But this we shall do in common against Gibeah:

10 og vi vil udtage ti Mænd af hundrede af alle Israels Stammer, hundrede af tusind og tusind af titusind til at hente Fødemidler til Folket, til dem, som er kommet for fuldt ud at gengælde Gibea i Benjamin den Skændselsdaad, de har øvet i Israel!«

We shall select ten men out of one hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and one hundred out of one thousand, and one thousand out of ten thousand, so that they may transport supplies for the army, and so that we will be able to fight against Gibeah of Benjamin, and to repay it for its crime as it deserves.”

11 Derpaa samlede alle Israels Mænd sig mod Byen, alle som een.

And all of Israel convened against the city, like one man, with one mind and one counsel.

12 Og Israels Stammer sendte Mænd ud i hele Benjamins Stamme og lod sige: »Hvad er det for en Misgerning, der er sket hos eder?

And they sent messengers to the entire tribe of Benjamin, who said: “Why has so great a wickedness been found among you?

13 Udlever nu Mændene i Gibea, de Niddinger, for at vi kan dræbe dem og skaffe Misgerningen bort fra Israel!« Men Benjaminiterne vilde ikke høre deres Brødre Israeliternes Ord.

Deliver the men of Gibeah, who have perpetrated this deplorable act, so that they may die, and so that the evil may be taken away from Israel.” And they were not willing to listen to the command of their brothers, the sons of Israel.

14 Og Benjaminiterne stævnede sammen fra deres Byer til Gibea for at drage i Kamp mod Israeliterne.

Instead, out of all the cities that were their lot, they convened at Gibeah, so that they might bring them assistance, and so that they might contend against the entire people of Israel.

15 Da Benjaminiterne fra Byerne mønstredes den Dag, udgjorde de 25 000 vaabenføre Mænd, foruden dem af Gibeas Indbyggere, der mønstredes, 700 udsøgte Krigere;

And there were found from Benjamin twenty-five thousand who drew the sword, aside from the inhabitants of Gibeah,

16 af alle disse Krigsfolk var 700 udvalgte Krigere kejthaandede; de kunde alle slynge med Sten, saa de ramte paa et Haar uden at fejle.

who were seven hundred very strong men, fighting with the left hand as well as with the right hand, and casting stones from a sling so accurately that they were able to strike even a hair, and the path of the stone would by no means miss to either side.

17 Da Israels Mænd mønstredes, fraregnet Benjamin, udgjorde de 400 000 vaabenføre Mænd, der alle var Krigere.

Then too, among the men of Israel apart from the sons of Benjamin, there were found four hundred thousand who drew the sword and who were prepared for battle.

18 De brød saa op og drog til Betel og raadspurgte Gud; og Israeliterne sagde: »Hvem af os skal først drage i Kamp mod Benjaminiterne?« HERREN svarede: »Det skal Juda!«

And they rose up and went to the house of God, that is, to Shiloh. And they consulted God, and they said, “Who shall be, in our army, the first to contend against the sons of Benjamin?” And the Lord responded to them, “Let Judah be your leader.”

19 Saa brød Israeliterne op om Morgenen og slog Lejr uden for Gibea.

And immediately the sons of Israel, rising up in the morning, made camp near Gibeah.

20 Og Israels Mænd rykkede ud til Kamp imod Benjamin, og Israels Mænd stillede sig op til Kamp imod dem for at angribe Gibea.

And setting out from there to fight against Benjamin, they began to assault the city.

21 Men Benjaminiterne gjorde Udfald fra Gibea og fældede den Dag 22 000 Mand af Israel.

And the sons of Benjamin, departing from Gibeah, slew twenty-two thousand men from the sons of Israel, on that day.

22 Folket, Israels Mænd, tog sig da sammen og stillede sig atter op til Kamp paa samme Sted som den første Dag;

Again the sons of Israel, trusting in both strength and number, set their troops in order, in the same place where they had contended before.

23 Da drog Israeliterne op til Betel og græd lige til Aften for HERRENS Aasyn; og de adspurgte HERREN: »Skal jeg atter tage Kampen op med min Broder Benjamins Sønner?« Og HERREN svarede: »Drag op imod ham!«

But first they also went up and wept before the Lord, even until night. And they consulted him and said, “Should I continue to go forth, so as to contend against the sons of Benjamin, my brothers, or not?” And he responded to them, “Ascend against them, and undertake the struggle.”

24 og Israeliterne rykkede Benjaminiterne paa nært Hold den anden Dag.

And when the sons of Israel had continued to do battle against the sons of Benjamin on the next day,

25 Men Benjaminiterne gjorde Udfald fra Gibea for at møde dem den anden Dag, og de fældede yderligere 18 000 Mand af Israeliterne, alle sammen vaabenføre Mænd.

the sons of Benjamin burst forth from the gates of Gibeah. And meeting them, they made such a frenzied slaughter against them that they struck down eighteen thousand men who drew the sword.

26 Saa drog alle Israeliterne, hele Folket, op til Betel; og de græd og sad der for HERRENS Aasyn og fastede den Dag lige til Aften, og de ofrede Brændofre og Takofre for HERRENS Aasyn.

As a result, all the sons of Israel went to the house of God, and sitting down, they wept before the Lord. And they fasted that day until evening, and they offered to him holocausts and victims of peace offerings.

27 Derpaa raadspurgte Israeliterne HERREN i de Dage var Guds Pagts Ark der,

And they inquired about their state. At that time, the ark of the covenant of the Lord was in that place.

28 og Pinehas, en Søn af Arons Søn Eleazar, gjorde i de Dage Tjeneste ved den — og de sagde: »Skal jeg atter drage i Kamp mod min Broder Benjamins Sønner eller lade være?« HERREN svarede: »Drag i Kamp, thi i Morgen giver jeg ham i din Haand!«

And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, was the first ruler of the house. And so, they consulted the Lord, and they said, “Should we continue to go forth in battle against the sons of Benjamin, our brothers, or should we cease?” And the Lord said to them: “Ascend. For tomorrow, I will deliver them into your hands.”

29 Israeliterne lagde nu Baghold rundt om Gibea.

And the sons of Israel stationed ambushes around the city of Gibeah.

30 Og Israeliterne drog op mod Benjaminiterne paa den tredje Dag og stillede sig op til Angreb paa Gibea ligesom de tidligere Gange.

And they brought out their army against Benjamin a third time, just as they had done on the first and second times.

31 Da nu Benjaminiterne gjorde Udfald mod Hæren, blev de afskaaret fra Byen og lokket ud paa Vejene til Betel og Gibeon; til at begynde med huggede de nogle al Folkene ned paa aaben Mark ligesom de tidligere Gange, omtrent tredive Mand af Israel,

But the sons of Benjamin again burst forth boldly from the city. And since their enemies were fleeing, they pursued them a long way, so that they might wound or kill some of them, just as they had done on the first and second days. And they turned their backs along two paths, one bringing them toward Bethel, and the other toward Gibeah. And they struck down about thirty men.

32 og Benjaminiterne tænkte nu: »Vi har slaaet dem ligesom før!« Men Israeliterne sagde: »Lad os flygte og saaledes afskære dem fra Byen og lokke dem ud paa Vejene!«

For they thought that they were falling back as they had done before. But instead, skillfully feigning flight, they undertook a plan to draw them away from the city, and by seeming to flee, to lead them along the above stated paths.

33 Saa brød alle Israels Mænd op fra deres Plads og stillede sig op til Kamp i Ba'al-Tamar, medens Bagholdet brød op fra sin Plads vesten for Geba.

And so all the sons of Israel, rising up from their positions, set their troops in order, in the place which is called Baaltamar. Likewise, the ambushes that encircled the city began, little by little, to reveal themselves,

34 Nu rykkede 10 000 Mand, udvalgte Folk af hele Israel, frem for Gibea, og Kampen blev haard; men de vidste ikke, at Ulykken var ved at ramme dem.

and to advance upon the western part of the city. Moreover, another ten thousand men from all of Israel were provoking a conflict with the inhabitants of the city. And the war grew heavy against the sons of Benjamin. And they did not realize that, on all sides of them, death was imminent.

35 Saa slog HERREN Benjamin foran Israel, og Israeliterne fældede den Dag 25 100 Mand af Benjamin, alle vaabenføre Mænd;

And the Lord struck them down in the sight of the sons of Israel, and they put to death, on that day, twenty-five thousand of them, along with one hundred men, all warriors and those who drew the sword.

36 da indsaa Benjaminiterne, at de var slagne. Israeliterne trak sig tilbage for Benjamin, idet de stolede paa Bagholdet, de havde lagt mod Gibea;

But the sons of Benjamin, when they had seen themselves to be the weaker, began to flee. And the sons of Israel discerning this, gave them room to flee, so that they might arrive at the ambushes that were prepared, which they had positioned near the city.

37 og Bagholdet kastede sig i en Fart over Gibea og drog frem og huggede hele Byens Befolkning ned med Sværdet.

And after they had risen up suddenly from hiding, and those of Benjamin had turned their backs to those who cut them down, they entered the city, and they struck it with the edge of the sword.

38 Der var truffet den Aftale mellem Israels Mænd og Bagholdet, at de skulde lade en Røgsøjle stige op fra Byen.

Now the sons of Israel had given a sign to those whom they had stationed in ambushes, so that, after they had seized the city, they would light a fire, and by the smoke ascending on high, they would show that the city was captured.

39 Da Israels Mænd vendte om i Kampen, huggede Benjamin til at begynde med henved tredive af Israels Mænd ned, thi de tænkte: »Visselig, vi har slaaet dem ligesom i den forrige Kamp.«

And then, the sons of Israel discerned this sign during the battle (for the sons of Benjamin had thought that they fled, and they pursued them forcefully, cutting down thirty men from their army).

40 Da nu Søjlen, Røgstøtten, begyndte at stige op fra Byen, vendte Benjamin sig om, og se, Røgen slog op mod Himmelen fra hele Byen,

And they saw something like a pillar of smoke ascending from the city. Likewise, Benjamin, looking back, discerned that the city was captured, for the flames were being carried on high.

41 og samtidig vendte Israels Mænd om fra Flugten. Da blev Benjamins Mænd forfærdede, thi de indsaa, at Ulykken havde ramt dem;

And those who before had pretended to flee, turning their faces, withstood them more strongly. And when the sons of Benjamin had seen this, they turned their backs in flight,

42 og de gjorde omkring for Israels Mænd og flygtede ad Ørkenen til. Men Kampen fortsattes i Hælene paa dem. Og de fra Byerne huggede ned for Fode iblandt dem;

and they began to go toward the way of the desert, with the adversary pursuing them to that place also. Moreover, those who had set fire to the city also met them.

43 de omringede Benjaminiterne og forfulgte dem, til de havde Geba foran sig mod Øst.

And so it happened that they were cut down on both sides by the enemies, nor was there any respite for the dying. They were killed and struck down on the eastern side of the city of Gibeah.

44 Af Benjamin faldt 18 000 Mand, lutter dygtige Krigere.

Now those who were put to death in the same place were eighteen thousand men, all very robust fighters.

45 De gjorde omkring og flygtede og deres Forfølgere gjorde paa Vejene en Efterhøst paa 5000 Mand: de forfulgte dem skarpt, til de fik dem tilintetgjort, og huggede 2000 Mand ned af dem.

And when those who remained of Benjamin had seen this, they fled into the wilderness. And they were traveling toward the rock which is called Rimmon. In that flight also, among those who were scattering in different directions, they slew five thousand men. And though they scattered all the more, they continued to pursue them, and then they put to death another two thousand.

46 De, der faldt af Benjamin den Dag, var saaledes i alt 25 000 vaabenføre Mænd, alle tapre Folk.

And so it happened that all of those who were slain from Benjamin, in various places, were twenty-five thousand fighters, very willing to go to war.

47 De gjorde omkring og flygtede ud i Ørkenen til Rimmons Klippe, 600 Mand stærke, og blev der i fire Maaneder.

And so there remained from the entire number of Benjamin six hundred men who were able to escape and to flee into the wilderness. And they settled at the rock of Rimmon, for four months.

48 Men Israels Mænd vendte tilbage til Benjaminiterne og huggede dem ned med Sværdet, baade Mennesker og Kvæg, overhovedet alt, hvad der var, og desuden stak de Ild paa alle Byerne der.

But the sons of Israel, returning, had struck with the sword all that remained in the city, from men even to cattle. And all the cities and villages of Benjamin were consumed with devouring flames.