< Chronicles II 19 >
1 And Josaphat king of Juda returned to his house at Jerusalem.
Kong Josafat af Juda derimod vendte uskadt hjem igen til sit Palads i Jerusalem.
2 And there went out to meet him Jeu the prophet the son of Anani, and said to him, King Josaphat, doest thou help a sinner, or act friendly towards one hated of the Lord? Therefore has wrath come upon thee from the Lord.
Da traadte Seeren Jehu, Hananis Søn, frem for ham, og han sagde til Kong Josafat: »Skal man hjælpe de ugudelige? Elsker du dem, der hader HERREN? For den Sags Skyld er HERRENS Vrede over dig!
3 Nevertheless [some] good things have been found in thee, forasmuch as thou didst remove the groves from the land of Juda, and didst direct thine heart to seek after the Lord.
Noget godt er der dog hos dig, thi du har udryddet Asjererne af Landet, og du har vendt dit Hjerte til at søge Gud.«
4 And Josaphat dwelt in Jerusalem: and he again went out among the people from Bersabee to the mount of Ephraim, and turned them back to the Lord God of their fathers.
Josafat blev nu i Jerusalem, Saa drog han atter ud blandt Folket fra Be'ersjeba til Efraims Bjerge og førte dem tilbage til HERREN, deres Fædres Gud.
5 And he appointed judges in all the strong cities of Juda, city by city.
Og han indsatte Dommere i Landet i hver enkelt af de befæstede Byer i Juda.
6 And he said to the judges, Take good heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the Lord, and with you are matters of judgment.
Og han sagde til Dommerne: »Se til, hvad I gør, thi det er ikke for Mennesker, men for HERREN, I fælder Dom, og han er hos eder, naar I afsiger Kendelser.
7 And now let the fear of the Lord be upon you, and be wary, and do [your duty]: for there is no unrighteousness with the Lord our God, neither [is it for him] to respect persons, nor take bribes.
Derfor være HERRENS Frygt over eder! Vær varsomme med, hvad I foretager eder, thi hos HERREN vor Gud er der hverken Uret eller Personsanseelse, ej heller tager han imod Bestikkelse!«
8 Moreover Josaphat appointed in Jerusalem some of the priests, and Levites, and heads of houses of Israel, for the judgment of the Lord, and to judge the dwellers in Jerusalem.
Ogsaa i Jerusalem indsatte Josafat nogle af Leviterne, Præsterne og Overhovederne for Israels Fædrenehuse til at dømme i HERRENS Sager og i Stridigheder mellem Jerusalems Indbyggere.
9 And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of the Lord, in truth and with a perfect heart.
Og han bød dem: »Saaledes skal I gøre i HERRENS Frygt, i Sanddruhed og med redeligt Hjerte:
10 Whatsoever man of your brethren that dwell in their cities [shall bring] the cause that comes before you, between blood [and] blood, and between precept and commandment, and ordinances and judgments, ye shall even decide for them; so they shall not sin against the Lord, and there shall not be wrath upon you, and upon your brethren: thus ye shall do, and ye shall not sin.
Hver Gang der forelægges eder en Retssag af eders Brødre, der bor i deres Byer, hvad enten det drejer sig om Blodskyld eller om Love, Anordninger og Lovbud, skal I hjælpe dem til Rette, at de ikke skal paadrage sig Skyld for HERREN, saa der kommer Vrede over eder og eders Brødre; gør saaledes for ikke at paadrage eder Skyld.
11 And, behold, Amarias the priest is head over you in every matter of the Lord; and Zabdias the son of Ismael is head over the house of Juda in every matter of the king; and the scribes and Levites are before you: be strong and active, and the Lord shall be with the good.
I alle HERRENS Sager skal Ypperstepræsten Amarja være eders foresatte, i alle Kongens Sager Zebadja, Jisjmaels Søn, Fyrsten i Judas Hus; og Leviterne staar eder til Tjeneste som Retsskrivere. Gaa nu frimodigt til Værket, HERREN vil være med enhver, der gør sin Pligt.«