Laitloekkung 17
1 Te vaengah Ephraim tlang lamkah hlang pakhat, a ming ah Mikhaiah te om.
There was a man named Micah who lived in the hilly area where the tribe of Ephraim live.
2 Te vaengah a manu taengah, “Nang taengkah cak thawngkhat yakhat a loh dongah nang n'tap coeng. Ka hna ah khaw, ‘Cak te kamah taengla ka loh ne,’ a ti,” a ti nah. Te dongah a manu loh, “BOEIPA rhangneh ka ca a yoethen,” a ti.
One day he said to his mother, “I heard you curse whoever stole (1,100 pieces/28 pounds/13 kg.) of silver from your house. I am the one who took the silver, and I still have it.” His mother replied, “My son, I pray that Yahweh will bless you [for admitting that you took it].”
3 Te dongah cak thawngkhat yakhat te a manu taengla a bal hatah a manu loh, “Ka kut lamkah cak te ka ca kah mueithuk neh mueihlawn saii nah ham BOEIPA taengah ka hoep rhoela ka hoep coeng. Te dongah namah taengla kam mael pawn ni,” a ti nah.
Micah gave all the silver back to his mother. Then she said [to herself], “I will give [some of] this silver to Yahweh.” And she said to her son, “My son, I want you to make an idol and a statue [from this silver]. So I will give [some of] this silver back to you [for making these things].”
4 Te dongah a manu taengla a mael tangtae cak te a manu loh a loh. Cak yakhat te, mueithuk aka saii tih mueihlawn aka hlawn, Mikhaiah im kah aka om taengah a paek.
So when he gave all the silver to his mother, she took (200 pieces/about 5 pounds/1.6 kg.) of it to a (silversmith/man who made things from silver). With the silver that man made an idol and a statue, [and gave them to Micah]. Micah put them in his house.
5 Tekah hlang Maikah amah taengah pathen im pakhat om. Te dongah hnisui neh sithui te a saii tih a ca rhoek khui lamkah pakhat kut dongah a poem sak phoeiah amah kah khosoih la a khueh.
He had in his house a special (shrine/place for putting sacred things). He made a sacred vest and some small idols [and put them in this shrine along with the big idol and the statue]. Then Micah chose one of his sons to become his priest.
6 Te vaeng tue ah Israel he manghai a khueh pawt dongah hlang boeih loh a mik dongkah a thuem sak bangla a saii.
At that time, the Israeli people did not have a king. So [Micah and everyone else] did whatever they considered to be the right thing to do.
7 Te vaengah Judah kho Bethlehem lamkah Judah koca cadong pakhat om tih anih khaw Levi la a om dongah te ah te pah van.
There was a young man who had been living in Bethlehem in the area where the tribe of Judah lives. He [wanted to work as a priest because he] was a member of the tribe of Levi.
8 Judah Bethlehem khopuei lamkah hlang te cet tih a pah nah te a toem tih a longpuei a thuep hatah Ephraim tlang kah Maikah im la pawk.
So he left Bethlehem to find another place to live [and work]. He came to Micah’s house in the hilly area where the tribe of Ephraim live.
9 Te vaengah anih te Maikah loh, “Me lamkah lae na thoeng,” a ti nah hatah, “Kai he Judah Bethlehem lamkah Levi ni, te dongah pah nah te toem ham ka caeh dae he,” a ti nah.
Micah asked him, “Where are you from?” He replied, “I come from Bethlehem. I am from the tribe of Levi, and I am looking for a place to live [and work as a priest].”
10 Te dongah anih te Maikah loh, “Kai taengah khosa mai lamtah kai hamla a pa banghui neh khosoih lam khaw om mai. Nang te kamah loh kum khat ah cak a laang, himbai phu, na thahuelnah khaw kam paek bitni,” a ti nah. Te dongah Levi te khaw pahoi kun.
Micah said to him, “Stay with me, and you can become like a father [to counsel me], and be my priest. Each year I will give to you ten pieces of silver and some [new] clothes. And I will provide food for you.”
11 Levi khaw hlang neh khosak ham a mulmet coeng dongah a capa pakhat bangla anih taengah cadong la a om pah.
So the young man agreed to live with Micah. He became like one of Micah’s own sons.
12 Levi kut te khaw Maikah loh a khueh pah coeng dongah cadong khaw anih kah khosoih la a om pah tih Maikah im ah kho a sak.
Micah appointed him to be a priest, and he lived in Micah’s house.
13 Te daengah Maikah loh, “Levi he ka khosoih la om coeng tih kai hamla BOEIPA then tila ka ming coeng,” a ti.
Then Micah said, “Now I know that Yahweh will do good things for me, because I have a man from the tribe of Levi to be my priest.”
