Dommer 8

1 Men Efraimiterne sagde til ham: »Hvorfor handler du saaledes over for os, at du ikke kaldte os til, da du drog i Kamp mod Midjaniterne?« Og de gik stærkt i Rette med ham.

And the men of Ephraim said unto him—What is this thing thou hast done to us, in not calling us, when thou wentest to fight with Midian? And they did chide with him, sharply.

2 Men han svarede dem: »Hvad er min Daad i Sammenligning med eders? Er ikke Efraims Efterhøst bedre end Abiezers Vinhøst?

And he said unto them, What have I done, now, in comparison with you? Is not the grape-gleaning of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?

3 I eders Haand gav Gud Midjaniternes Høvdinger Oreb og Ze'eb, hvad har jeg formaaet i Sammenligning med eder?« Og da han talte saaledes, lagde deres Vrede sig mod ham.

Into your hand, hath God delivered the princes of Midian—Oreb and Zeeb, what then had I been able to do in comparison with you? Then, was their spirit softened toward him, when he had spoken this word.

4 Da Gideon naaede Jordan, gik han og de 300 Mand, der var med ham, over, udmattede og sultne.

And Gideon came towards the Jordan, being about to pass over—he, and the three hundred men who were with him, faint yet pursuing.

5 Han sagde da til Folkene i Sukkot: »Giv Folkene, der følger mig, nogle Brød, thi de er udmattede, og jeg er i Færd med at forfølge Midjaniterkongerne Zeba og Zalmunna!«

So he said unto the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread to the people that are following me; for, faint, they are, and, I, am in pursuit of Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.

6 Men Høvedsmændene i Sukkot svarede: »Har du allerede faaet fat i Zeba og Zalmunna, siden vi skal give dine Folk Brød?«

And the princes of Succoth said, Are the palms of the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in thy power, —that we should give to thine army bread?

7 Da sagde Gideon: »Til Gengæld skal jeg tærske eders Kroppe med Ørkentorne og Tidsler, naar HERREN har givet Zeba og Zalmunna i min Haand!«

And Gideon said, Therefore, when Yahweh hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my power, then will I tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness, and with the nettles.

8 Saa drog han derfra til Penuel og sagde det samme til dem; og da Folkene i Penuel gav ham samme Svar som Folkene i Sukkot,

So he went up from thence, to Penuel, and spake unto them in like manner, —and the men of Penuel answered him, as had answered the men of Succoth.

9 tiltalte han dem paa lignende Maade og sagde: »Naar jeg kommer uskadt tilbage, vil jeg nedbryde Borgen her!«

So he spake to the men of Penuel also, saying, —When I return with success, I will break down this tower.

10 Zeba og Zalmunna befandt sig imidlertid med deres Hær i Karkor, henved 15 000 Mand; det var alle dem, der var tilbage af Østens Stammers, Hær; de faldne udgjorde 120 000 vaabenføre Mænd.

Now, Zebah and Zalmunna, were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand, all that were left out of all the host of the sons of the east, —and, the fallen, were a hundred and twenty thousand men, who had drawn the sword.

11 Og Gideon drog op ad Teltboernes Vej østen for Noba og Jogbeha og slog Hæren, der ikke anede Uraad.

So Gideon went up by the way of the tent-dwellers, on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host, when, the host, had become secure.

12 Zeba og Zalmunna flygtede, men han satte efter dem og fangede de to Midjaniterkonger Zeba og Zalmunna og slog hele Hæren med Rædsel.

And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, then he pursued them, and captured the two kings of Midian—Zebah and Zalmunna, and, all the host, put he in terror.

13 Da Gideon, Joasj's Søn, vendte tilbage fra Kampen, fra Herespasset,

And Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle, —from the ascent of Heres;

14 fik han fat i en ung Mand fra Sukkot og spurgte ham ud, og den unge Mand skrev Navnene paa Høvedsmændene og de Ældste i Sukkot op til ham, syv og halvfjerdsindstyve Mænd.

and caught a young man, of the men of Succoth, and enquired of him, —so he wrote down for him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, seventy-seven men.

15 Saa drog han til Folkene i Sukkot og sagde: »Se, her er Zeba og Zalmunna, som I haanede mig med, da I sagde: Har du allerede faaet fat i Zeba og Zalmunna, siden vi skal give dine udmattede Mænd Brød?«

Then came he in unto the men of Succoth, and said, Lo! Zebah and Zalmunna, —concerning whom ye did taunt me, saying—Are the palms of the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in thy power, that we should give to thy weary men bread?

16 Derpaa greb han Byens Ældste, tog Ørkentorne og Tidsler og tærskede Folkene i Sukkot med dem;

So he took the elders of the city, and the thorns of the wilderness and the nettles, and taught therewith the men of Succoth:

17 og Borgen i Penuel brød han ned og dræbte Folkene i Byen.

the tower of Penuel also, brake he down, —and slew the men of the city.

18 Men til Zeba og Zalmunna sagde han: »Hvorledes var de Mænd, I ihjelslog ved Tabor?« De svarede: »De lignede dig, de saa begge ud som Kongesønner!«

Then said he unto Zebah and unto Zalmunna, What manner of men were they, whom ye slew at Tabor? And they said, As thou art, so were they, each one, as handsome as the sons of a king.

19 Da sagde han: »Mine Brødre, min Moders Sønner var det! Saa sandt HERREN lever; havde I skaanet deres Liv, havde jeg ikke slaaet eder ihjel!«

And he said: My brethren, sons of my mother, they were! As Yahweh liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not have slain you.

20 Derpaa sagde han til sin førstefødte Søn Jeter: »Staa op og dræb dem!« Men den unge Mand drog ikke sit Sværd; han havde ikke Mod dertil, fordi han endnu var ung.

So he said to Jether his firstborn, Up! slay them. But the youth drew not his sword, for he feared, because he was yet a youth.

21 Da sagde Zeba og Zalmunna: »Staa selv op og giv os Dødsstødet, thi som Manden saaledes hans Styrke!« Saa stod Gideon op og dræbte Zeba og Zalmunna. Og han tog de Halvmaaner, deres Kameler havde om Halsen.

Then said Zebah and Zalmunna—Up! thou, and fall upon us, for, like the man, is his might. So Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescents that were on the necks of their camels.

22 Derefter sagde Israeliterne til Gideon: »Vær vor Hersker, du selv og siden din Søn og din Sønnesøn, da du nu har frelst os af Midjaniternes Haand!«

Then said the men of Israel, unto Gideon, Rule over us—even thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, —for thou hast saved us out of the power of Midian.

23 Men Gideon svarede dem: »Hverken jeg eller min Søn vil herske over eder; HERREN skal herske over eder!«

And Gideon said unto them, I, will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you, —Yahweh, shall rule over you.

24 Derpaa sagde Gideon til dem: »Jeg har noget at bede eder om: Enhver af eder skal give mig de Ringe, der findes mellem hans Bytte!« Hine havde nemlig Guldringe, thi de var Ismaeliter.

And Gideon said unto them—I would make to you a request, Give me, then, every man the nose-ring of his spoil. For they had, nose-rings of gold, for, Ishmaelites, they were.

25 De svarede: »Ja, vi vil gerne give dig dem!« Saa bredte han sin Kappe ud, og enhver af dem lagde de Ringe, der fandtes mellem hans Bytte, derpaa.

And they said, We will, freely give. So they spread out a mantle, and cast therein, every man the nose-ring of his spoil.

26 Vægten af Guldringene, som han havde bedt om, udgjorde 1700 Sekel Guld bortset fra Halvmaanerne, Ørenringene og Purpurklæderne, som Midjaniterkongerne bar, og Kæderne paa Kamelernes Halse.

And so it was, that the weight of the nose-rings of gold which he requested, was a thousand and seven hundred [shekels] of gold, —besides the crescents, and the pendants, and the raiment of purple that were upon the kings of Midian, and besides the ornaments that were on the necks of their camels.

27 Gideon lavede deraf en Efod, som han gav Plads i sin Fødeby Ofra; og alle Israeliterne bolede med den, og den blev Gideon og hans Hus en Snare.

And Gideon made thereof an Ephod, and set it up in his own city, in Ophrah, and all Israel went unchastely astray after it there, —so it became, to Gideon and to his house, a snare.

28 Saaledes bukkede Midjaniterne under for Israeliterne, og de rejste sig ikke mere; og Landet havde Ro i fyrretyve Aar, saa længe Gideon levede.

Thus was Midian subdued, before the sons of Israel, neither did they again lift up their head, —and the land had rest forty years, in the days of Gideon.

29 Og Jerubba'al, Joasj's Søn, begav sig til sit Hjem og opholdt sig der.

So then Jerubbaal, son of Joash, went and dwelt in his own house.

30 Gideon havde halvfjerdsindstyve Sønner, der var avlede af ham, thi han havde mange Hustruer.

And, Gideon, had seventy sons, sprung from his own loins, —for, many wives, had he.

31 Han havde en Medhustru i Sikem; hun fødte ham en Søn, som han gav Navnet Abimelek.

And, his concubine who was in Shechem, she also, bare him a son, —and he gave him the name of Abimelech.

32 Gideon, Joasj's Søn, døde i en høj Alder og blev jordet i sin Fader Abiezriten Joasj's Grav i Ofra.

And Gideon, son of Joash, died in a good old age, —and was buried in the grave of Joash his father, in Ophrah, of the Abiezrites.

33 Men da Gideon var død, gav Israeliterne sig atter til at bole med Ba'alerne og gjorde Ba'al-Berit til deres Gud;

And it came to pass that, as soon as Gideon was dead, the sons of Israel turned back, and went unchastely astray after the Baals, —and appointed them Baal-berith, to be god:

34 og Israeliterne kom ikke HERREN deres Gud i Hu, ham, som frelste dem fra alle deres Fjender, der omgav dem paa alle Kanter.

so the sons of Israel remembered not Yahweh, their own God, —who had rescued them out of the hand of all their enemies, on every side;

35 Og de handlede ikke vel mod Jerubba'als, Gideons, Hus, trods alt det gode, han havde gjort Israel.

neither dealt they in lovingkindness with the house of Jerubbaal [namely] Gideon, —according to all the goodness wherewith he had dealt with Israel.