Judges 15 – NIV & BPH

New International Version

Judges 15:1-20

Samson’s Vengeance on the Philistines

1Later on, at the time of wheat harvest, Samson took a young goat and went to visit his wife. He said, “I’m going to my wife’s room.” But her father would not let him go in.

2“I was so sure you hated her,” he said, “that I gave her to your companion. Isn’t her younger sister more attractive? Take her instead.”

3Samson said to them, “This time I have a right to get even with the Philistines; I will really harm them.” 4So he went out and caught three hundred foxes and tied them tail to tail in pairs. He then fastened a torch to every pair of tails, 5lit the torches and let the foxes loose in the standing grain of the Philistines. He burned up the shocks and standing grain, together with the vineyards and olive groves.

6When the Philistines asked, “Who did this?” they were told, “Samson, the Timnite’s son-in-law, because his wife was given to his companion.”

So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father to death. 7Samson said to them, “Since you’ve acted like this, I swear that I won’t stop until I get my revenge on you.” 8He attacked them viciously and slaughtered many of them. Then he went down and stayed in a cave in the rock of Etam.

9The Philistines went up and camped in Judah, spreading out near Lehi. 10The people of Judah asked, “Why have you come to fight us?”

“We have come to take Samson prisoner,” they answered, “to do to him as he did to us.”

11Then three thousand men from Judah went down to the cave in the rock of Etam and said to Samson, “Don’t you realize that the Philistines are rulers over us? What have you done to us?”

He answered, “I merely did to them what they did to me.”

12They said to him, “We’ve come to tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines.”

Samson said, “Swear to me that you won’t kill me yourselves.”

13“Agreed,” they answered. “We will only tie you up and hand you over to them. We will not kill you.” So they bound him with two new ropes and led him up from the rock. 14As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands. 15Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men.

16Then Samson said,

“With a donkey’s jawbone

I have made donkeys of them.15:16 Or made a heap or two; the Hebrew for donkey sounds like the Hebrew for heap.

With a donkey’s jawbone

I have killed a thousand men.”

17When he finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone; and the place was called Ramath Lehi.15:17 Ramath Lehi means jawbone hill.

18Because he was very thirsty, he cried out to the Lord, “You have given your servant this great victory. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” 19Then God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned and he revived. So the spring was called En Hakkore,15:19 En Hakkore means caller’s spring. and it is still there in Lehi.

20Samson led15:20 Traditionally judged Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines.

Bibelen på hverdagsdansk

Dommerbogen 15:1-20

Samsons hævn over filistrene

1Senere gik Samson ned for at besøge den pige, der trods alt var hans brud. Det var under hvedehøsten, og han havde et gedekid med. „Lad mig få lov at gå ind til min kone i hendes kammer,” sagde han. Men pigens far satte sig imod det.

2„Jeg troede ikke, du brød dig om hende,” forklarede han. „Derfor gav jeg hende til den mand, der var forlover ved brylluppet. Men hendes lillesøster er endnu smukkere. Tag dog hende til kone i stedet for.”

3Samson var rasende. „Denne gang er det ikke min skyld, at det kommer til at gå ud over filistrene!” snerrede han. 4Så gik han ud og fangede 300 ræve, bandt halerne sammen på dem to og to og fastgjorde en fakkel midt imellem. 5Efter at have sat ild til faklerne, slap han rævene løs i filistrenes marker, så både det uhøstede korn, de stablede neg, vinrankerne og oliventræerne gik op i lys lue.

6„Hvem har gjort det?” spurgte filistrene. „Samson,” lød svaret. „Det er hans hævn over, at hans svigerfar fra Timna bortgiftede hans kone til forloveren.” Så gik filistrene hen og brændte huset ned, så både pigen og hendes far indebrændte. 7Det fik Samson til at udbryde: „Fordi I har gjort sådan en udåd, vil jeg hævne mig på jer.” 8I blindt raseri gik han løs på dem og slog mange af dem ihjel, hvorefter han flygtede til en klippehule ved Etam.

9Filistrene svarede igen ved at sende en stor styrke ind i Juda, hvor de spredte sig og slog lejr i omegnen af Lehi. 10„Hvorfor angriber I os?” spurgte judæerne. Filistrene svarede: „Fordi vi vil fange Samson og tage hævn over ham!” 11Så sendte judæerne 3000 mænd af sted til klippehulen ved Etam for at hente Samson. „Hvorfor har du bragt os i den her ulykkelige situation?” spurgte de Samson. „Er du ikke klar over, at filistrene har magten i landet?” „Jeg har kun gjort gengæld for det, de gjorde imod mig,” lød Samsons svar.

12Judæerne fortsatte: „Vi er kommet for at tage dig til fange og udlevere dig til filistrene!” „Lad gå,” svarede Samson, „bare I lover mig, at I ikke vil slå mig ihjel.” 13„Vi binder dig bare og overgiver dig til filistrene,” sagde de. „Vi slår dig ikke ihjel.”

Så bandt de ham omkring håndled og overarme med to nye reb og førte ham bort. 14Da de nåede frem til Lehi, blev filistrene ellevilde af begejstring, men i det samme kom Herrens Ånd over Samson og gav ham styrke, så han sprængte både rebet om overkroppen og det reb, hans håndled var bundet med. 15Samson tog derpå en æselkæbe, der lå på jorden, og slog 1000 filistre ihjel med den. 16Derefter udbrød han:

Med en æselkæbe har jeg dræbt bunker af „æsler”.

Med en æselkæbe slog jeg 1000 mand ned.

17Så kastede han æselkæben fra sig. Derfor kaldte man stedet for „Kæbehøjen”.15,17 På hebraisk: Ramat-Lehi.

18Bagefter var Samson så udmattet af tørst, at han råbte til Herren: „I dag har du givet sejr til Israel ved min hånd! Skal jeg nu dø af tørst og falde i hænderne på de her ugudelige filistre?” 19Da lod Herren vand strømme frem fra et hul i jorden, så Samson kunne drikke og komme til kræfter igen. Kilden kaldte man „Råbets Kilde”,15,19 På hebraisk: En-ha-Kore. og den findes den dag i dag i Lehi.

20De næste 20 år var Samson Israels befrier, men filistrene havde stadig magten i landet.