1 Gileaditen Jefta var en dygtig Kriger. Han var Søn af en Skøge.

1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a valiant warrior, but he was the son of a harlot. And Gilead was the father of Jephthah.

2 Men Gileads Hustru fødte ham Sønner, og da de voksede op, jog de Jefta bort med de Ord: "Du skal ikke have Arv og Lod i vor Faders Hus, thi du er en fremmed Kvindes Søn!"

2 Gilead’s wife bore him sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, “You shall not have an inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.”

3 Jefta flygtede da for sine Brødre og bosatte sig i Landet Tob, hvor nogle dårlige Folk samlede sig om ham og deltog i hans Strejftog.

3 So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob; and worthless fellows gathered themselves about Jephthah, and they went out with him.

4 Efter nogen Tids Forløb angreb Ammoniterne Israel.

4 It came about after a while that the sons of Ammon fought against Israel.

5 Og da Ammoniterne angreb Israel, drog Gileads Ældste hen for at hente Jefta hjem fra Landet Tob.

5 When the sons of Ammon fought against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob;

6 De sagde til Jefta: "Kom og vær vor Fører, at vi kan tage Kampen op med Ammoniterne!"

6 and they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our chief that we may fight against the sons of Ammon.”

7 Jefta svarede Gileads Ældste: "Har I ikke hadet mig og jaget mig bort fra min Faders Hus? Hvorfor kommer I da til mig, nu I er i Nød?"

7 Then Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me and drive me from my father’s house? So why have you come to me now when you are in trouble?”

8 Men Gileads Ældste sagde til Jefta: "Derfor kommer vi jo nu tilbage til dig! Vil du drage med os og kæmpe med Ammoniterne, skal du være Høvding over os, over alle Gileads Indbyggere!"

8 The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “For this reason we have now returned to you, that you may go with us and fight with the sons of Ammon and become head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

9 Jefta svarede Gileads Ældste: "Dersom I fører mig tilbage, for at jeg skal kæmpe med Ammoniterne, og HERREN giver dem i min Magt, så vil jeg være eders Høvding!"

9 So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you take me back to fight against the sons of Ammon and the Lord gives them up to me, will I become your head?”

10 Da sagde Gileads Ældste til Jefta: "HERREN hører Overenskomsten mellem os; visselig vil vi gøre, som du siger!"

10 The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord is witness between us; surely we will do as you have said.”

11 Da drog Jefta med Gileads Ældste; og Folket gjorde ham til deres Høvding og Fører. Og alle sine Ord udtalte Jefta for HERRENs Åsyn i Mizpa.

11 Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord at Mizpah.

12 Derpå sendte Jefta Sendebud til Ammoniternes Konge og lod sige: "Hvad er der dig og mig imellem, siden du er draget imod mig for at angribe mit Land?"

12 Now Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon, saying, “What is between you and me, that you have come to me to fight against my land?”

13 Ammoniternes Konge svarede Jeftas Sendebud: "Jo, Israel tog mit Land, da de drog op fra Ægypten, lige fra Arnon til Jabbok og Jordan; giv det derfor tilbage med det gode!"

13 The king of the sons of Ammon said to the messengers of Jephthah, “Because Israel took away my land when they came up from Egypt, from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok and the Jordan; therefore, return them peaceably now.”

14 Men Jefta sendte atter Sendebud til Ammoniternes Konge

14 But Jephthah sent messengers again to the king of the sons of Ammon,

15 og lod sige: "Således siger Jefta: Israel har ikke taget Moabs eller Ammoniternes Land!

15 and they said to him, “Thus says Jephthah, ‘Israel did not take away the land of Moab nor the land of the sons of Ammon.

16 Men da de drog op fra Ægypten, vandrede Israel igennem Ørkenen til det røde Hav og kom derpå til Kadesj.

16 For when they came up from Egypt, and Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh,

17 Da sendte Israel Sendebud til Edomiternes Konge og lod sige: Lad mig drage igennem dit Land! Men Edomiternes Konge ænsede det ikke. Ligeledes sendte de Bud til Moabiternes Konge, men han var heller ikke villig dertil. Israel blev da boende i Kadesj.

17 then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, “Please let us pass through your land,” but the king of Edom would not listen. And they also sent to the king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel remained at Kadesh.

18 Derpå drog de igennem Ørkenen og gik uden om Edomiternes og Moabiternes, Land, og da de nåede Egnen østen for Moab, slog de Lejr hinsides Arnon; men de betrådte ikke Moabs Enemærker, thi Arnon er Moabs Grænse.

18 Then they went through the wilderness and around the land of Edom and the land of Moab, and came to the east side of the land of Moab, and they camped beyond the Arnon; but they did not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab.

19 Israel sendte derpå Sendebud til Kongen af Hesjbon, Amoriterkongen Sihon, og lod sige: Lad os drage igennem dit Land for at nå hen, hvor vi skal!

19 And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon, and Israel said to him, “Please let us pass through your land to our place.”

20 Men Sihon nægtede Israelitterne Tilladelse til at drage gennem hans Land; og Sihon samlede hele sin Hær, og de slog Lejr i Jaza og angreb Israel.

20 But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory; so Sihon gathered all his people and camped in Jahaz and fought with Israel.

21 Da gav HERREN, Israels Gud, Sihon og hele hans Hær i Israels Hånd, så at de slog dem. Og Israel underlagde sig hele det Land, Amoriterne boede i;

21 The Lord, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they defeated them; so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.

22 de underlagde sig hele Amoriternes Område fra Arnon til Jabbok og fra Ørkenen til Jordan.

22 So they possessed all the territory of the Amorites, from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok, and from the wilderness as far as the Jordan.

23 Således drev HERREN, Israels Gud, Amoriterne bort foran sit Folk Israel; og nu vil du underlægge dig deres Land!

23 Since now the Lord, the God of Israel, drove out the Amorites from before His people Israel, are you then to possess it?

24 Ikke sandt, når din Gud Kemosj driver nogen bort, så tager du hans Land? Og hver Gang HERREN vor Gud driver nogen bort foran os, tager vi hans Land.

24 Do you not possess what Chemosh your god gives you to possess? So whatever the Lord our God has driven out before us, we will possess it.

25 Er du vel bedre end Zippors Søn, Kong Balak af Moab? Stredes han med Israel, eller indlod han sig i Kamp med dem,

25 Now are you any better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever strive with Israel, or did he ever fight against them?

26 da Israelitterne bosatte sig i Hesjbon med Småbyer, i Aroer med Småbyer og i alle Byerne langs Arnon nu har de boet der i 300 År? Hvorfor tilrev I eder dem ikke dengang?

26 While Israel lived in Heshbon and its villages, and in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities that are on the banks of the Arnon, three hundred years, why did you not recover them within that time?

27 Det er ikke mig, der har forbrudt mig mod dig, men dig, der handler ilde mod mig ved at angribe mig. HERREN, Dommeren, vil i Dag dømme Israelitterne og Ammoniterne imellem!"

27 I therefore have not sinned against you, but you are doing me wrong by making war against me; may the Lord, the Judge, judge today between the sons of Israel and the sons of Ammon.’”

28 Men Ammoniternes Konge ænsede ikke Jeftas Ord, som hans Sendebud overbragte.

28 But the king of the sons of Ammon disregarded the message which Jephthah sent him.

29 Da kom HERRENs Ånd over Jefta; og han drog igennem Gilead og Manasse; derpå drog han til Mizpe i Gilead, og fra Mizpe i Gilead drog han mod Ammoniterne.

29 Now the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, so that he passed through Gilead and Manasseh; then he passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he went on to the sons of Ammon.

30 Og Jefta aflagde HERREN et Løfte og sagde: "Dersom du giver Ammoniterne i min Hånd,

30 Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, “If You will indeed give the sons of Ammon into my hand,

31 så skal den, som først kommer mig i Møde fra min Husdør når jeg vender uskadt, tilbage fra Ammoniterne, tilfalde HERREN, og jeg vil ofre ham som Brændoffer!"

31 then it shall be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, it shall be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.”

32 Så drog Jefta i Kamp mod Ammoniterne, og HERREN gav dem i hans Hånd,

32 So Jephthah crossed over to the sons of Ammon to fight against them; and the Lord gave them into his hand.

33 så at han tilføjede dem et stort Nederlag fra Aroer til Egnen ved Minnit, tyve Byer, og til Abel Keramim. Således bukkede Ammoniterne under for Israelitterne.

33 He struck them with a very great slaughter from Aroer to the entrance of Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim. So the sons of Ammon were subdued before the sons of Israel.

34 Men da Jefta kom til sit Hjem i Mizpa, se, da kom hans Datter ham i Møde med Håndpauker og Dans. Hun var hans eneste Barn foruden hende havde han hverken Søn eller Datter.

34 When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, behold, his daughter was coming out to meet him with tambourines and with dancing. Now she was his one and only child; besides her he had no son or daughter.

35 Da han fik Øje på hende, sønderrev han sine Klæder og råbte: "Ak, min Datter, du har bøjet mig dybt, og det er dig, der styrter mig i Ulykke! Thi jeg har åbnet min Mund for HERREN og kan ikke tage mit Ord tilbage!"

35 When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you are among those who trouble me; for I have given my word to the Lord, and I cannot take it back.”

36 Da svarede hun ham: "Fader, har du åbnet din Mund for HERREN, så gør med mig, som dit Ord lød, nu da HERREN har skaffet dig Hævn over dine Fjender, Ammoniterne!"

36 So she said to him, “My father, you have given your word to the Lord; do to me as you have said, since the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the sons of Ammon.”

37 Men hun sagde til sin Fader: "En Ting må du unde mig: Giv mig to Måneders Frist, så jeg kan gå omkring i Bjergene for at begræde min Jomfrustand sammen med mine Veninder!"

37 She said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me; let me alone two months, that I may go to the mountains and weep because of my virginity, I and my companions.”

38 Han sagde: "Gå!" og lod hende drage bort i to Måneder; og hun gik bort med sine Veninder for at begræde sin Jomfrustand i Bjergene.

38 Then he said, “Go.” So he sent her away for two months; and she left with her companions, and wept on the mountains because of her virginity.

39 Da de to Måneder var omme, vendte hun tilbage til sin Fader, og han fuldbyrdede det Løfte, han havde aflagt, på hende; og hun havde ikke kendt Mand. Og det blev Skik i Israel,

39 At the end of two months she returned to her father, who did to her according to the vow which he had made; and she had no relations with a man. Thus it became a custom in Israel,

40 at Israels Døtre hvert År går hen for at klage over Gileaditen Jeftas Datter fire Dage om Året. 

40 that the daughters of Israel went yearly to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year.

Det Nye Testamente 1907. Det Gamle Testamente 1931

Public Domain

New American Standard Bible Copyright ©1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org