1 Samuel 8

1 And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he appointed his sons judges to Israel;

Da Samuel var blevet gammel, satte han sine Sønner til Dommere over Israel;

2 and the name of his firstborn son was, Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah, —they were judges in Beer-sheba.

hans førstefødte Søn hed Joel og hans anden Søn Abija; de dømte i Be'ersjeba.

3 Howbeit his sons walked not in his ways, but stooped to extortion, —and took bribes, and perverted judgment.

Men hans Sønner vandrede ikke i hans Spor; de lod sig lede af egen Fordel, tog imod Bestikkelse og bøjede Retten.

4 So then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, —and came unto Samuel, to Ramah;

Da kom alle Israels Ældste sammen og begav sig til Samuel i Rama

5 and said unto him—Lo! thou, art old, and, thy sons, walk not in thy ways: Now, appoint for us a king to judge us, like all the nations.

og sagde til ham: »Se, du er blevet gammel, og dine Sønner vandrer ikke i dit Spor. Sæt derfor en Konge over os til at dømme os, ligesom alle de andre Folk har det!«

6 But the thing was displeasing in the eyes of Samuel, when they said, Give unto us a king to judge us. So Samuel prayed unto Yahweh.

Men det vakte Samuels Mishag, at de sagde: »Giv os en Konge, som kan dømme os!« Og Samuel bad til HERREN.

7 And Yahweh said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people, in all that they shall say unto thee, —for, not thee, have they rejected, but, me, have they rejected, from being king over them.

Da sagde HERREN til Samuel: »Ret dig i et og alt efter, hvad Folket siger, thi det er ikke dig, de vrager, men det er mig, de vrager som deres Konge.

8 According to all the doings which they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt, even until this day, in that they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so, are they doing even unto thee.

Ganske som de har handlet imod mig, lige siden jeg førte dem ud af Ægypten og indtil denne Dag, idet de forlod mig og dyrkede andre Guder, saaledes handler de ogsaa imod dig.

9 Now, therefore, hearken to their voice, —save that thou, enter protest, against them, and tell them the manner of the king who will reign over them.

Men ret dig nu efter dem; dog skal du indtrængende advare dem og lade dem vide, hvad Ret den Konge skal have, som skal herske over dem!«

10 So then Samuel spake all the words of Yahweh unto the people, who were asking of him, a king.

Saa forebragte Samuel Folket, som krævede en Konge af ham, alle HERRENS Ord

11 And he said, This, will be the manner of the king who will reign over you, —Your sons, will he take and appoint for himself, as his charioteers and as his horsemen, and they shall run before his chariots;

og sagde: »Denne Ret skal den Konge have, som skal herske over eder: Eders Sønner skal han tage og sætte ved sin Vogn og sine Heste, saa de maa løbe foran hans Vogn,

12 and he will appoint for himself, princes of thousands, and princes of fifties, —and to plough his fields, and to reap his harvest, and to make his weapons of war, and the instruments of his chariots;

og sætte dem til Tusindførere og Halvhundredførere og til at pløje og høste for ham og lave hans Krigsredskaber og Vogntøj.

13 And, your daughters, will he take, —as perfumers and as cooks, and as bakers;

Eders Døtre skal han tage til at blande Salver, koge og bage.

14 And, your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, the best of them, will he take, and give to his servants;

De bedste af eders Marker, Vingaarde og Oliventræer skal han tage og give sine Folk.

15 And, your seed, and your vineyards, will he tithe, and give to his courtiers and to his servants;

Af eders Sæd og Vinhøst skal han tage Tiende og give sine Hofmænd og Tjenere.

16 And, your men-servants, and your maidservants, and your oxen, even the goodliest, and your asses, will he take, —and put them to his work;

De bedste af eders Trælle og Trælkvinder, det bedste af eders Hornkvæg og Æsler skal han tage og bruge til sit eget Arbejde.

17 Your flocks, will he tithe, —and, ye yourselves, shall become his servants.

Af eders Smaakvæg skal han tage Tiende; og I selv skal blive hans Trælle.

18 Then will ye make outcry, in that day, because of your king whom ye have chosen for yourselves, —and Yahweh will not answer you, in that day.

Og naar I da til den Tid klager over eders Konge, som I har valgt eder, saa vil HERREN ikke bønhøre eder!«

19 But the people refused to hearken unto the voice of Samuel, —and they said—Nay! but, a king, shall be over us:

Folket vilde dog ikke rette sig efter Samuel, men sagde: »Nej, en Konge vil vi have over os,

20 so shall, even we, become like all the nations, —and our king shall judge us, and go forth before us, and fight our battles.

vi vil have det som alle de andre Folk; vor Konge skal dømme os og drage ud i Spidsen for os og føre vore Krige!«

21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, —and spake them in the ears of Yahweh.

Da Samuel havde hørt alle Folkets Ord, forebragte han HERREN dem;

22 And Yahweh said unto Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel: Go ye, every man to his own city.

og HERREN sagde til Samuel: »Ret dig efter dem og sæt en Konge over dem!« Da sagde Samuel til Israels Mænd: »Gaa hjem, hver til sin By!«