Dommer 9
1 Jerubba'als Søn Abrimelek begav sig til sine Morbrødere i Sikem og talte til dem og til hele sin Moders Fædrenehus's Slægt og sagde:
Abimelech, son of Jerub-baal, went to his mother's brothers at Shechem and told them and all his mother's relatives,
2 "Sig til alle Sikems Borgere: Hvad båder 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 Bød og Blod!"
“Please ask all the leaders of Shechem, ‘What's best for you? That seventy men, all of them Jerub-baal's sons, rule over you—or just one man?’ Remember I'm your own flesh and blood!”
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."
His mother's brothers shared his proposal with all the leaders of Shechem, and they decided to follow Abimelech, because they said, “He is our relative.”
4 De gav ham derpå halvfjerdsindstyve Sekel Sølv fra Ba'al Berits Hus, og for dem lejede Abimelek nogle dårlige og frække Folk, som sluttede sig til ham.
They gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-berith. Abimelech used the money to hire some arrogant troublemakers as his gang.
5 Derpå drog han til sin Faders Hus i Ofra og slog sine Brødre, Jerubba'als halvfjerdsindstyve Sønner, ihjel på een Sten. Kun Jotam, Jerubba'als yngste Søn, blev tilbage, thi han havde skjult sig.
He went to his father's house in Ophrah, and on one stone killed his seventy half-brothers, the sons of Jerub-baal. But Jotham, Jerub-baal's youngest son, escaped by going into hiding.
6 Derefter samledes alle Sikems Borgere og hele Millos Hus og gik hen og gjorde Abimelek til Konge ved Egen med Stenstøtten i Sikem.
Then the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo all assembled by the oak at the pillar in Shechem and made Abimelech their king.
7 Da Jotam fik Efterretning herom, gik han hen og stillede sig på Toppen af Garizims Bjerg og råbte med høj Røst til dem: "Hør mig, Sikems Borgere, så skal Gud høre eder!
When Jotham got to hear this, he went up to the top of Mount Gerizim, and shouted in a loud voice: “Listen to me, leaders of Shechem, and God may to listen to you!
8 Engang tog Træerne sig for at salve sig en Konge. De sagde da til Olietræet: Vær du vor Konge!
Once upon a time the trees were determined to anoint a king to rule over them. They said to the olive tree, ‘You shall be our king.’
9 Men Olietræet svarede dem: Skulde jeg give Afkald på min Fedme, for hvilken Guder og Mennesker priser mig, for at give mig til at svæve over Træerne?
But the olive tree replied, ‘Should I stop giving my rich oil that benefits both gods and men just to go and sway to and fro over the trees?’
10 Så sagde Træerne til Figentræet: Kom du og vær vor Konge!
Then the trees asked the fig tree, ‘You come and be our king.’
11 Men Figentræet svarede dem: Skulde jeg give Afkald på min Sødme og min liflige Frugt for at give mig til at svæve over Træerne?
But the fig tree replied, ‘Should I stop giving my good sweet fruit just to go and sway to and fro over the trees?’
12 Så sagde Træerne til Vinstokken: Kom du og vær vor Konge!
Then the trees asked the grape vine, ‘You come and be our king.’
13 Men Vinstokken svarede dem: Skulde jeg give Afkald på min Most, som glæder Guder og Mennesker, for at give mig til at svæve over Træerne?
But the grape vine replied, ‘Should I stop giving my wine that makes both gods and men happy just to go and sway to and fro over the trees?’
14 Da sagde alle Træerne til Tornebusken: Kom du og vær vor Konge!
Then all the trees asked the thorn bush, ‘You come and be our king.’
15 Og Tornebusken svarede Træerne: Hvis I mener det ærligt med at salve mig til eders Konge, kom så og søg ind under min Skygge; men hvis ikke, så vil Flammer slå op af Tornebusken og fortære Libanons Cedre!
The thorn bush replied to the trees, ‘If you're really sincere about anointing me as your king, come and find shelter in my shade. But if not, may fire flame out of the thorn bush and burn up the cedars of Lebanon!’
16 Hvis I nu er gået 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 -
Have you acted sincerely and honestly by making Abimelech your king? Have you been acted honorably to Jerub-baal and his family? Have you respected him for all that he accomplished?
17 min Fader kæmpede jo for eder og vovede sit Liv for at frelse eder af Midjaniternes Hånd,
Don't forget how my father fought for you and risked his own life to save you from the Midianites!
18 men I har i bag rejst eder mod min Faders Hus, dræbt hans Sønner, halvfjerdsindstyve Mænd, på een Sten og sat hans Trælkvindes Søn Abimelek til Konge over Sikems Borgere, fordi han er eders Broder
But you have rebelled against my father's family today. You have killed his seventy sons on one stone and have made Abimelech, the son of his slave woman, king over the leaders of Shechem simply because he's related to you.
19 ja, hvis I i Dag er gået ærligt og redeligt til Værks mod Jerubba'al og hans Hus, så gid I må få Glæde af Abimelek, og gid han må få Glæde af eder;
Have you acted sincerely and honestly toward Jerub-baal and his family today? If so, may you be happy with Abimelech, and may he be happy with too!
20 men hvis ikke, så slå Flammer op fra Abimelek og fortære Sikems Borgere og Millos Hus, og Flammer slå op fra Sikems Borgere og Millos Hus og fortære Abimelek!"
But if you haven't, then may fire flame out from Abimelech, and may it burn up the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo, and may fire flame out from the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo and burn up Abimelech!”
21 Derpå tog Jotam Flugten og flygtede til Be'er; og der tog han Ophold for at være i Sikkerhed for sin Broder Abimelek.
Then Jotham escaped and ran away. He went to Beer and stayed there because of the threat of Abimelech his brother.
22 Da Abimelek havde haft Magten over Israel i tre År,
Abimelech ruled over Israel for three years.
23 sendte Gud en ond Ånd mellem Abimelek og Sikems Borgere. og Sikems Borgere faldt fra Abimelek,
Then God sent an evil spirit to cause trouble between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem. The leaders of Shechem betrayed 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.
This happened because of the murder of the seventy sons of Jerub-baal and that responsibility for their blood be placed on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the leaders of Shechem, who provided the means to kill his brothers.
25 Sikems Borgere lagde da Baghold på Bjergtoppene, og de udplyndrede alle vejfarende, der kom forbi dem. Dette meldtes Abimelek.
The leaders of Shechem sent men to the hill passes to lie in wait and attack Abimelech, and, in the meantime, they robbed everyone who passed by on the road. Abimelech found out what was happening.
26 Nu kom Ga'al, Ebeds Søn, med sine Brødre og flyttede ind i Sikem; og Sikems Borgere fattede Tillid til ham.
Gaal, son of Ebed, had moved to Shechem with his relatives, and he gained the loyalty of the leaders of Shechem.
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.
At harvest time they went out into the countryside and gathered the grapes from their vineyards and trod them. They celebrated by having a festival in the temple of their god, where they ate and drank, 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?
“Who is this Abimelech?” asked Gaal, son of Ebed. “And who is Shechem, that we should have to serve him? Isn't he the son of Jerub-baal, while Zebul is actually the one in charge? You should serve the family of Hamor, the father of Shechem. Why should we have to serve Abimelech?
29 Havde jeg blot Magten over Folket her, skulde jeg nok skaffe Abimelek af Vejen!"
If I was the one in charge of you people, I would dispose of Abimelech! I would tell him, ‘Get your army together, and come and fight!’”
30 Da Zebul, Byens Høvedsmand, hørte Ga'als, Ebeds Søns, Urd, blussede hans Vrede op,
When Zebul, the governor of the city, got to hear what Gaal was saying, he became very angry.
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!
He secretly sent messengers to Abimelech to tell him, “Look, Gaal, son of Ebed, and his relatives have arrived in Shechem, and they are stirring up the town to rebel against you.
32 Og nu, bryd op ved Nattetide med dine Folk og læg dig i Baghold på Marken;
So come at night with your army and hide in the countryside.
33 og kast dig så over Byen tidligt om Morgenen, når Solen står op! Når da han og hans Folk rykker ud imod dig, kan du gøre med dem, hvad der falder for!"
In the morning as soon as the sun comes up, go and attack the town. When Gaal and his men come out to fight you, you can do whatever you want to them.”
34 Abimelek brød da op ved Nattetide med alle sine Folk, og de lagde sig i Baghold imod Sikem i fire Afdelinger.
Abimelech left at night along with his army, and they separated into four companies that lay in wait near Shechem.
35 Da gik Ga'al, Ebeds Søn, ned og stillede sig op ved Byporten. Og Abimelek og hans Folk rejste sig fra deres Baghold.
When Gaal, son of Ebed, went out and stood at the town's entrance gate, Abimelech and his army came out from where they had been hiding.
36 Da Ga'al fik Øje på 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!"
Gaal saw the army approaching and said to Zebul, “Look! Some people are coming down from the hilltops!” “That's just shadows made by the hills that look like men,” Zebul replied.
37 Men Ga'al sagde atter: "Der stiger Folk ned fra Landets Navle, og en anden Skare kommer i Retning af Sandsigernes Træ!"
“No really, people are coming down from the high ground,” Gaal repeated. “Plus, there's another company coming down the road that passes the diviners' oak tree.”
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 hånt om - ryk nu ud og kæmp med dem!"
“Where's your big mouth now? You're the one who said, ‘Who is this Abimelech, that we should have to serve him?’” Zebul told him. “Aren't these the people you detested? Go on then—go and fight with them!”
39 Ga'al rykkede da ud i Spidsen for Sikems Borgere for at kæmpe mod Abimelek.
So Gaal led the leaders of Shechem out of the town and fought with Abimelech.
40 Men Abimelek slog ham på Flugt, og mange faldt og lå dræbte helt hen til Byporten.
Abimelech attacked, and chased him and his men as they ran away, killing many of them as they tried to get back to the town gate.
41 Abimelek tog så Ophold i Aruma; og Zebul jog Ga'al og hans Brødre bort fra Sikem.
Abimelech went back to Arumah while Zebul expelled Gaal and his relatives from Shechem.
42 Næste Dag begav Folket sig ud på Marken, og det meldtes Abimelek.
The following day the people of Shechem went out to the fields, and Abimelech was informed about it.
43 Han tog da sine Folk og delte dem i tre dele og lagde Baghold på Marken; og da han så Folket drage ud, overfaldt han dem og slog dem.
He divided his army into three companies and had them lay in ambush in the fields. When he saw the people coming out of the city, he attacked and killed 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 på Marken; og huggede dem ned;
Abimelech and his company raced to occupy the town's entrance gate, while the two companies raced to attack everyone in the fields and kill them.
45 og efter at Abimelek hele Dagen igennem havde angrebet Byen, indtog han den, dræbte Folkene deri, nedbrød Byen og strøede Salt på den.
The battle for the town lasted all day but eventually Abimelech captured it. He killed the people, demolished the town, and scattered salt over the ground.
46 Da hele Besætningen i Sikems Tårn hørte det, begav de sig ben til Kælderrummet i El Berits Hus.
When all the leaders of the tower of Shechem realized what had happened, they took refuge in the strongroom of the temple of El-berith.
47 Og da Abimelek fik Melding om, at hele Besætningen i Sikems Tårn var samlet,
When Abimelech found out that all the leaders in the tower of Shechem had gathered there,
48 gik han med alle sine Folk op på Zalmonbjerget. Her greb han en Økse, afhuggede et Knippe Grene, løftede det op og tog det på Skulderen; og han sagde til sine Folk: "Skynd eder at gøre det samme, som I så, jeg gjorde!"
he and all the men with him went up Mount Zalmon. Abimelech grabbed hold of an ax and cut a branch from the trees. He lifted it onto his shoulder, and told his men, “Quick! You saw what I did. Do the same!”
49 Alle Folkene afhuggede da også hver sit Knippe og fulgte efter Abimelek og lagde det oven på Kælderrummet og stak Ild på Kælderrummet oven over dem. Således omkom også hele Besætningen i Sikems Tårn, henved 1000 Mænd og Kvinder.
Each of them cut down a branch and followed Abimelech. They placed the branches against the strongroom and set it on fire. So all the people who lived in the tower of Shechem died, around one thousand men and women.
50 Derefter drog Abimelek mod Tebez, og han belejrede Byen og indtog den.
Then Abimelech went to attack Thebez and captured it.
51 Inde i Byen var der et stærkt befæstet Tårn; derhen flygtede alle Mænd og Kvinder, alle Byens Indbyggere, idet de stængede efter sig og tyede op på Tårnets Tag;
But there was a strong tower inside the city. All the men and women and the town leaders ran there and barricaded themselves in, and then went up to the roof of the tower.
52 Abimelek rykkede da frem til Tårnet og angreb det; men da han nærmede sig Tårnets Indgang for at stikke Ild derpå,
Abimelech went up to the tower to attack it. But as he came close to the tower's entrance to set it on fire,
53 kastede en Kvinde en Møllesten ned på Abimeleks Hoved og knuste hans Hjerneskal.
a woman dropped millstone down on Abimelech's head and cracked his skull open.
54 Da råbte han i Hast til sin Våbendrager: "Drag dit Sværd og dræb mig, for at det ikke skal siges, at en Kvinde har slået mig ihjel!" Og Våbendrageren gennemborede ham, så han døde.
He quickly called the young man who carried his weapons, and ordered him, “Draw your sword and kill me, so they won't say about me that a woman killed him.” So the young man drove his sword through him, and he died.
55 Men da Israelitterne så, at Abimelek var død, begav de sig hver til sit.
When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they all left and went home.
56 Således gengældte Gud det onde, Abimelek havde øvet mod sin Fader ved at dræbe sine halvfjerdsindstyve Brødre;
This is how God paid back Abimelech's crime against his father of murdering his seventy brothers.
57 og al Sikemiternes Ondskab lod Gud komme over deres egne Hoveder. På den Måde kom Jotams, Jerubba'als Søns, Forbandelse over dem.
He also repaid the people of Shechem for their evil, and the curse of Jotham, son of Jerub-baal, came down upon them.
