Dommer 9
1 Jerubba'als Søn Abimelek begav sig til sine Morbrødre i Sikem og talte til dem og til hele sin Moders Fædrenehus's Slægt og sagde:
And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother’s brethren, and spake with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying,
2 »Sig til alle Sikems Borgere: Hvad baader eder vel bedst, at halvfjerdsindstyve Mænd, alle Jerubba'als Sønner, eller at en enkelt Mand hersker over eder? Kom i Hu, at jeg er eders Kød og Blod!«
Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, rule over you, or that one rule over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.
3 Hans Morbrødre talte da alle disse Ord til alle Sikems Borgere til Gunst til ham; og deres Hu vendte sig til Abimelek, idet de sagde: »Han er vor Broder.«
And his mother’s brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother.
4 De gav ham derpaa halvfjerdsindstyve Sekel Sølv fra Ba'al-Berits Hus, og for dem lejede Abimelek nogle daarlige og frække Folk, som sluttede sig til ham.
And they gave him threescore and ten [pieces] of silver out of the house of Baal-berith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light fellows, which followed him.
5 Derpaa drog han til sin Faders Hus i Ofra og slog sine Brødre, Jerubba'als halvfjerdsindstyve Sønner, ihjel paa een Sten. Kun Jotam, Jerubba'als yngste Søn, blev tilbage, thi han havde skjult sig.
And he went unto his father’s house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: but Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.
6 Derefter samledes alle Sikems Borgere og hele Millos Hus og gik hen og gjorde Abimelek til Konge ved Egen med Stenstøtten i Sikem.
And all the men of Shechem assembled themselves together, and all the house of Millo, and went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar that was in Shechem.
7 Da Jotam fik Efterretning herom, gik han hen og stillede sig paa Toppen af Garizims Bjerg og raabte med høj Røst til dem: »Hør mig, Sikems Borgere, saa skal Gud høre eder!
And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you.
8 Engang tog Træerne sig for at salve sig en Konge. De sagde da til Olietræet: Vær du vor Konge!
The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us.
9 Men Olietræet svarede dem: Skulde jeg give Afkald paa min Fedme, for hvilken Guder og Mennesker priser mig, for at give mig til at svæve over Træerne?
But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to wave to and fro over the trees?
10 Saa sagde Træerne til Figentræet: Kom du og vær vor Konge!
And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.
11 Men Figentræet svarede dem: Skulde jeg give Afkald paa min Sødme og min liflige Frugt for at give mig til at svæve over Træerne?
But the fig tree said unto them, Should I leave my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to wave to and fro over the trees?
12 Saa sagde Træerne til Vinstokken: Kom du og vær vor Konge!
And the trees said unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.
13 Men Vinstokken svarede dem: Skulde jeg give Afkald paa min Most, som glæder Guder og Mennesker, for at give mig til at svæve over Træerne?
And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to wave to and fro over the trees?
14 Da sagde alle Træerne til Tornebusken: Kom du og vær vor Konge!
Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.
15 Og Tornebusken svarede Træerne: Hvis I mener det ærligt med at salve mig til eders Konge, kom saa og søg ind under min Skygge; men hvis ikke, saa vil Flammer slaa op af Tornebusken og fortære Libanons Cedre!
And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.
16 Hvis I nu er gaaet ærligt og redeligt til Værks, da I gjorde Abimelek til Konge, og hvis I har handlet vel mod Jerubba'al og hans Hus og gengældt ham, hvad han gjorde —
Now therefore, if ye have dealt truly and uprightly, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands;
17 min Fader kæmpede jo for eder og vovede sit Liv for at frelse eder af Midjaniternes Haand,
(for my father fought for you, and adventured his life, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian:
18 men I har i Dag rejst eder mod min Faders Hus, dræbt hans Sønner, halvfjerdsindstyve Mænd, paa een Sten og sat hans Trælkvindes Søn Abimelek til Konge over Sikems Borgere, fordi han er eders Broder —
and ye are risen up against my father’s house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother; )
19 ja, hvis I i Dag er gaaet ærligt og redeligt til Værks mod Jerubba'al og hans Hus, saa gid I maa faa Glæde af Abimelek, og gid han maa faa Glæde af eder;
if ye then have dealt truly and uprightly with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you:
20 men hvis ikke, saa slaa Flammer op fra Abimelek og fortære Sikems Borgere og Millos Hus, og Flammer slaa op fra Sikems Borgere og Millos Hus og fortære Abimelek!«
but if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.
21 Derpaa tog Jotam Flugten og flygtede til Be'er; og der tog han Ophold for at være i Sikkerhed for sin Broder Abimelek.
And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.
22 Da Abimelek havde haft Magten over Israel i tre Aar,
And Abimelech was prince over Israel three years.
23 sendte Gud en ond Aand mellem Abimelek og Sikems Borgere, og Sikems Borgere faldt fra Abimelek,
And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:
24 for at Voldsgerningen mod Jerubba'als halvfjerdsindstyve Sønner kunde blive hævnet og deres Blod komme over deres Broder Abimelek, som havde dræbt dem, og over Sikems Borgere, som havde sat ham i Stand til at dræbe sine Brødre.
that the violence done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and that their blood might be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them, and upon the men of Shechem, which strengthened his hands to slay his brethren.
25 Sikems Borgere lagde da Baghold paa Bjergtoppene, og de udplyndrede alle vejfarende, der kom forbi dem. Dette meldtes Abimelek.
And the men of Shechem set liers in wait for him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and it was told Abimelech.
26 Nu kom Ga'al, Ebeds Søn, med sine Brødre og flyttede ind i Sikem; og Sikems Borgere fattede Tillid til ham.
And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their trust in him.
27 De begav sig ud i Marken, plukkede Druer og pressede dem og fejrede deres Vinhøstfest. Og de gik ind i deres Guds Hus, hvor de spiste og drak og udstødte Forbandelser over Abimelek.
And they went out into the field, and gathered their vineyards, and trode [the grapes], and held festival, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech.
28 Da sagde Ga'al, Ebeds Søn: »Hvem er Abimelek, og hvad er Sikem, at vi skal være hans Trælle! Var ikke Jerubba'als Søn og hans Foged Zebul Trælle for Hamors, Sikems Faders, Mænd hvorfor skal vi da være hans Trælle?
And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve ye the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: but why should we serve him?
29 Havde jeg blot Magten over Folket her, skulde jeg nok skaffe Abimelek af Vejen!«
And would to God this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out.
30 Da Zebul, Byens Høvedsmand, hørte Ga'als, Ebeds Søns, Ord, blussede hans Vrede op,
And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled.
31 og han sendte Bud til Abimelek i Aruma og lod sige: »Se, Ga'al, Ebeds Søn, og hans Brødre er kommet til Sikem, og se, de ophidser Byen imod dig; forstærk derfor din Hær og ryk ud!
And he sent messengers unto Abimelech craftily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren are come to Shechem; and, behold, they constrain the city [to take part] against thee.
32 Og nu, bryd op ved Nattetide med dine Folk og læg dig i Baghold paa Marken;
Now therefore, up by night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in wait in the field:
33 og kast dig saa over Byen tidligt om Morgenen, naar Solen staar op! Naar da han og hans Folk rykker ud imod dig, kan du gøre med dem, hvad der falder for!«
and it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early, and set upon the city: and, behold, when he and the people that is with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find occasion.
34 Abimelek brød da op ved Nattetide med alle sine Folk, og de lagde sig i Baghold imod Sikem i fire Afdelinger.
And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies.
35 Da gik Ga'al, Ebeds Søn, ned og stillede sig op ved Byporten. Og Abimelek og hans Folk rejste sig fra deres Baghold.
And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from the ambushment.
36 Da Ga'al fik Øje paa Folkene, sagde han til Zebul: »Se, der stiger Folk ned fra Bjergtoppene!« Men Zebul sagde til ham: »Det er Bjergenes Skygge, du tager for Mænd!«
And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, there come people down from the tops of the mountains. And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as if they were men.
37 Men Ga'al sagde atter: »Der stiger Folk ned fra Landets Navle, og en anden Skare kommer i Retning af Sandsigernes Træ!«
And Gaal spake again and said, See, there come people down by the middle of the land, and one company cometh by the way of the oak of Meonenim.
38 Da sagde Zebul til ham: »Hvor er nu dine store Ord fra før: Hvem er Abimelek, at vi skal være hans Trælle? Der er de Folk, du lod haant om — ryk nu ud og kæmp med dem!«
Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, that thou saidst, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou hast despised? go out now, I pray, and fight with them.
39 Ga'al rykkede da ud i Spidsen for Sikems Borgere for at kæmpe mod Abimelek.
And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.
40 Men Abimelek slog ham paa Flugt, og mange faldt og laa dræbte helt hen til Byporten.
And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and there fell many wounded, even unto the entering of the gate.
41 Abimelek tog saa Ophold i Aruma; og Zebul jog Ga'al og hans Brødre bort fra Sikem.
And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul drave out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem.
42 Næste Dag begav Folket sig ud paa Marken, og det meldtes Abimelek.
And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech.
43 Han tog da sine Folk og delte dem i tre dele og lagde Baghold paa Marken; og da han saa Folket drage ud, overfaldt han dem og slog dem.
And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and laid wait in the field; and he looked, and, behold, the people came forth out of the city; and he rose up against them, and smote them.
44 Og Abimelek og den Afdeling, han havde hos sig, brød frem og tog Stilling ved Indgangen til Byen, medens de to andre Afdelinger kastede sig over alle dem, der var ude paa Marken; og huggede dem ned;
And Abimelech, and the companies that were with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and the two companies rushed upon all that were in the field, and smote them.
45 og efter at Abimelek hele Dagen igennem havde angrebet Byen, indtog han den, dræbte Folkene deri, nedbrød Byen og strøede Salt paa den.
And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein: and he beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.
46 Da hele Besætningen i Sikems Taarn hørte det, begav de sig ben til Kælderrummet i El-Berits Hus.
And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard thereof, they entered into the hold of the house of El-berith.
47 Og da Abimelek fik Melding om, at hele Besætningen i Sikems Taarn var samlet,
And it was told Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.
48 gik han med alle sine Folk op paa Zalmonbjerget. Her greb han en Økse, afhuggede et Knippe Grene, løftede det op og tog det paa Skulderen; og han sagde til sine Folk: »Skynd eder at gøre det samme, som I saa, jeg gjorde!«
And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it up, and laid it on his shoulder: and he said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done.
49 Alle Folkene afhuggede da ogsaa hver sit Knippe og fulgte efter Abimelek og lagde det oven paa Kælderrummet og stak Ild paa Kælderrummet oven over dem. Saaledes omkom ogsaa hele Besætningen i Sikems Taarn, henved 1000 Mænd og Kvinder.
And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.
50 Derefter drog Abimelek mod Tebez, og han belejrede Byen og indtog den.
Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.
51 Inde i Byen var der et stærkt befæstet Taarn; derhen flygtede alle Mænd og Kvinder, alle Byens Indbyggere, idet de stængede efter sig og tyede op paa Taarnets Tag;
But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut themselves in, and gat them up to the roof of the tower.
52 Abimelek rykkede da frem til Taarnet og angreb det; men da han nærmede sig Taarnets Indgang for at stikke Ild derpaa,
And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire.
53 kastede en Kvinde en Møllesten ned paa Abimeleks Hoved og knuste hans Hjerneskal.
And a certain woman cast an upper millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and brake his skull.
54 Da raabte han i Hast til sin Vaabendrager: »Drag dit Sværd og dræb mig, for at det ikke skal siges, at en Kvinde har slaaet mig ihjel!« Og Vaabendrageren gennemborede ham, saa han døde.
Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and kill me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.
55 Men da Israeliterne saa, at Abimelek var død, begav de sig hver til sit.
And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place.
56 Saaledes gengældte Gud det onde, Abimelek havde øvet mod sin Fader ved at dræbe sine halvfjerdsindstyve Brødre;
Thus God requited the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:
57 og al Sikemiternes Ondskab lod Gud komme over deres egne Hoveder. Paa den Maade kom Jotams, Jerubba'als Søns, Forbandelse over dem.
and all the wickedness of the men of Shechem did God requite upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.
