< 2 Samuel 18 >

1 David organized the men who were with him and put commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds in charge of them.
Og David talte Folket, som var hos ham, og han satte over dem Høvedsmænd over Tusinde og Høvedsmænd over Hundrede.
2 David sent the army out divided into three sections. One third was commanded by Joab, one third was commanded by Abishai, son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and one third was commanded by Ittai the Gittite. The king told the men, “I myself will go out into battle with you.”
Og David udsendte Folket, den tredje Part under Joabs Haand og den tredje Part under Abisaj', Zerujas Søns, Joabs Broders, Haand og den tredje Part under Githiteren Ithais Haand, og Kongen sagde til Folket: Ogsaa jeg vil drage ud med eder.
3 But the men replied, “No, you must not go out into battle! For if we have to run away, they won't care about us. Even if half of us die, they won't care about that either. But you are worth ten thousand of us, so it's better if you stay here and send us help from the town.”
Men Folket sagde: Du skal ikke drage ud, thi om vi flyede, da vilde man ikke lægge sig det paa Hjerte for os, eller om Halvdelen af os døde, da vilde man ikke lægge sig det paa Hjerte for os, men nu er du ligesom ti Tusinde af os: Saa er det nu bedre, at du kommer os til Hjælp fra Staden.
4 “I will do whatever you think best,” the king replied. The king stood beside the gate while all his men marched out by hundreds and by thousands.
Og Kongen sagde til dem: Hvad som godt er for eders Øjne, vil jeg gøre. Saa stod Kongen ved Siden af Porten, og alt Folket drog ud ved Hundreder og ved Tusinder.
5 The king ordered Joab, Abishai and Ittai, “Treat young Absalom gently for me.” All the men heard the king giving orders to each of his commanders about Absalom.
Og Kongen bød Joab og Abisaj og Ithaj og sagde: Farer mig lemfældeligt med den unge Mand, med Absalom; og alt Folket hørte det, at Kongen bød alle Høvedsmændene angaaende Absalom.
6 David's army marched out to face the Israelites in battle, which was fought in the forest of Ephraim.
Og der Folket kom ud paa Marken imod Israel, da stod Slaget i Efraims Skov.
7 The Israelites were defeated by David's men and many were killed that day—some twenty thousand.
Og Israels Folk blev der slaget for Davids Tjeneres Ansigt, og der skete samme Dag et stort Nederlag paa tyve Tusinde.
8 The battle covered the whole countryside, and that day more died because of the forest than were killed by the sword.
Og Krigen udbredte sig over hele Landet, og Skoven fortærede mangfoldige af Folket, flere end Sværdet fortærede den samme Dag.
9 Absalom ran into some of David's men while he was riding on his mule. As the mule went under the twisted branches of a large oak tree, Absalom's hair got caught in the tree. The mule he was riding kept going, leaving him hanging between earth and sky.
Og Absalom kom lige imod Davids Tjenere, og Absalom red paa en Mule, og der Mulen kom under de indviklede Grene af den store Eg, da holdtes hans Hoved fast ved Egen, og han blev hængende imellem Himmelen og Jorden, men Mulen, som var under ham, løb videre.
10 One of David's men saw what happened, so he told Joab, “I just saw Absalom hanging from an oak tree!”
Der en Mand saa det, da gav han Joab det til Kende, og han sagde: Se, jeg saa Absalom hænge i Egen.
11 “What! You saw him like that?” Joab said to the man. “Why didn't you kill him right then and there? I would have given you ten shekels of silver and a soldier's belt as a reward!”
Og Joab sagde til Manden, som gav ham det til Kende: Men se, saa du det, hvorfor slog du ham da ikke der til Jorden? saa vilde jeg have givet dig ti Sekel Sølv og et Bælte.
12 But the man replied, “Even if you gave me a thousand shekels of silver, I wouldn't hurt the king's son. We all heard the king give the order to you, Abishai, and Ittai, ‘Look after young Absalom for me.’
Men Manden sagde til Joab: Ja, havde jeg end faaet vejet tusinde Sekel Sølv i mine Hænder, da vilde jeg dog ikke have udrakt min Haand imod Kongens Søn; thi Kongen bød dig og Abisaj og Ithaj for vore Øren og sagde: Tager Vare, hvo I end ere, paa den unge Mand, paa Absalom.
13 If I had disobeyed and killed Absalom—and the king finds out everything—you yourself wouldn't have defended me.”
Eller dersom jeg havde gjort nogen Svig imod hans Liv (efterdi ingenting bliver dulgt for Kongen), da havde du selv sat dig derimod.
14 “I'm not going to waste time waiting around like this with you!” Joab told him. He grabbed three spears and drove them into Absalom's heart while he was still alive, hanging from the oak tree.
Da sagde Joab: Jeg kan ikke saaledes tøve hos dig. Saa tog han tre smaa Spyd i sin Haand og stødte dem i Absaloms Hjerte, medens han endnu levede, midt i Egen.
15 Ten of Joab's armor-bearers surrounded Absalom and hacked him to death.
Og ti unge Karle, som bare Joabs Vaaben, omringede og sloge Absalom og dræbte ham.
16 Then Joab blew the ram's horn, and his men stopped chasing the Israelites because Joab had signaled them to stop.
Da blæste Joab i Trompeten, og Folket kom tilbage fra at forfølge Israel; thi Joab forhindrede Folket derfra.
17 They took Absalom and threw him into a deep pit in the forest, and piled a large heap of stones over him. All the Israelites ran away to their homes.
Og de toge Absalom og kastede ham i Skoven i en stor Hule og oprejste en saare stor Dynge Sten over ham, og al Israel flyede hver til sine Telte.
18 Absalom while he was alive had made a stone pillar and set it up in the King's Valley as a memorial to himself, for he thought to himself, “I don't have a son to keep the memory of my name alive.” He named the pillar after himself, and it's called Absalom's Monument even today.
Og Absalom havde i levende Live taget og oprejst sig en Støtte, som staar i Kongens Dal; thi han sagde: Jeg har ingen Søn, derfor skal denne være til mit Navns Ihukommelse; og han kaldte denne Støtte efter sit Navn, og den kaldes Absaloms Mindesmærke indtil denne Dag.
19 Then Ahimaaz, son of Zadok, said, “Please let me run and take the good news to the king that the Lord has vindicated him over his enemies.”
Og Ahimaaz, Zadoks Søn, sagde: Kære, lad mig løbe og bringe Kongen Budskab, at Herren har skaffet ham Ret og friet ham af hans Fjenders Haand.
20 “You're not the man to take the good news today,” Joab replied. “You can do it some other time, but don't do it today, because the king's son is dead.”
Men Joab sagde til ham: Du bliver ikke i Dag en Mand med et glædeligt Budskab, men en anden Dag kan du bringe Budskab; men i Dag kan du ikke bringe noget godt Budskab, fordi Kongens Søn er død.
21 So Joab said to a man from Ethiopia, “Go and tell the king what you have seen.” He bowed to Joab and ran off.
Og Joab sagde til Kusiten: Gak hen, sig til Kongen det, som du har set; og Kusiten bøjede sig ned for Joab og løb.
22 Ahimaaz asked Joab again, “Never mind what happens, please let me run too, after the Ethiopian!” “Son, why do you want to run—you won't get anything for it?” Joab replied.
Men Ahimaaz, Zadoks Søn, blev endnu ved og sagde til Joab: Det gaa, som det vil, kære, lad mig ogsaa løbe efter Kusiten; og Joab sagde: Hvorfor vil du løbe, min Søn? du har dog ikke et godt Budskab at bringe.
23 “Doesn't matter, I want to run anyway,” he said. “Fine, start running!” Joab told him. Ahimaaz took the route over flatter ground and overtook the Ethiopian.
Det gaa, som det vil, saa vil jeg løbe; og han sagde til ham: Løb! saa løb Ahimaaz ad Vejen over Sletten og løb forbi Kusiten.
24 David was sitting between the inside and outside gates. The watchman climbed up to the roof of the gateway by the wall. He looked out, and saw a man running by himself.
Og David sad imellem de to Porte, og Skildvagten gik paa Portens Tag over Muren og opløftede sine Øjne og saa, og se, en Mand kom løbende alene.
25 So he shouted down to tell the king. “If he's by himself then he's bringing good news,” the king replied. As the first runner got closer,
Da raabte Skildvagten og gav Kongen det til Kende, og Kongen sagde: Dersom han er alene, da er der et godt Budskab i hans Mund; og han kom stedse nærmere.
26 the watchman saw someone else running, and he shouted down to the gatekeeper, “Look! There's another man running by himself!” “He'll also be bringing good news,” said the king.
Da saa Skildvagten en anden Mand løbende, og Skildvagten raabte til Portneren og sagde: Se, en Mand kommer løbende alene, og Kongen sagde: Denne bringer ogsaa et godt Budskab.
27 “The first man seems to me to be running like Ahimaaz, son of Zadok,” said the watchman. “He's a good man,” he king replied. “He'll bring good news.”
Og Skildvagten sagde: Jeg ser, den førstes Løb er som Ahimaaz, Zadoks Søns Løb, og Kongen sagde: Det er en god Mand, og han kommer med et godt Budskab.
28 Ahimaaz shouted out greetings to the king, Then he came and he bowed facedown before the king. “Blessed be the Lord your God!” he said. “He has defeated the men who rebelled against Your Majesty!”
Og Ahimaaz raabte og sagde til Kongen: Fred! og bøjede sig ned for Kongen paa sit Ansigt til Jorden, og han sagde: Velsignet være Herren din Gud, som har overantvordet dig de Mænd, der opløftede deres Haand imod min Herre, Kongen!
29 “How is young Absalom? Is he alright?” the king asked. Ahimaaz answered, “It was very chaotic when your officer Joab sent me, your servant. I really don't know what was happening.”
Og Kongen sagde: Gaar det den unge Mand Absalom vel? og Ahimaaz sagde: Jeg saa det store Bulder, der Joab sendte Kongens Tjener og mig, din Tjener; men jeg ved ikke, hvad det var.
30 “Stand to one side and wait,” the king told him. So Ahimaaz stood to one side and waited.
Og Kongen sagde: Gak omkring, stil dig her; og han gik omkring og blev staaende.
31 Right then the Ethiopian arrived and said, “Your Majesty, listen to the good news! Today the Lord has defeated all those who rebelled against you!”
Og se, da kom Kusiten, og Kusiten sagde: Det Budskab bringes min Herre Kongen, at Herren har skaffet dig Ret i Dag og friet dig af alle deres Haand, som stode op imod dig.
32 “How is young Absalom? Is he alright?” the king asked. The Ethiopian replied, “May what has happened to the young man happen to Your Majesty's enemies, and to everyone who rebels against you!”
Og Kongen sagde til Kusiten: Gaar det den unge Mand Absalom vel? Og Kusiten sagde: Min Herre Kongens Fjender og alle de, som staa op imod dig til ondt, vorde som den unge Mand!
33 The king broke down. He went up to the room over the gate and cried. As he walked, he sobbed out, “My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! I wish I'd died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!”
Da blev Kongen heftig bevæget og gik op paa Salen over Porten og græd, og der han gik, sagde han saaledes: Min Søn Absalom! min Søn, min Søn Absalom! gid jeg var død for dig, Absalom, min Søn, min Søn!

< 2 Samuel 18 >