Laitloekkung 18
1 Te vaeng tue ah khaw Israel ah he manghai om pawh. Tedae Dan koca tah Israel koca lakli ah rho pang ham a tue a pha hlan dongah khosak thil ham rho a tlap uh pueng.
At that time Israel didn't have a king. The tribe of Dan was looking for territory where they could live, because up until then they hadn't gained possession of the land granted to them among the tribes of Israel.
2 Te dongah amih cako khuiah Zorah neh Eshtaol lamkah tatthai ca hlang boeih tah hlang panga te Dan ca rhoek loh khohmuen aka hip tih aka khe ham a tueih uh. Te vaengah khohip rhoek te, “Cet uh lamtah khohmuen ke khe uh,” a ti na uh. Te dongah Ephraim tlang kah Maikah im la pawk uh tih pahoi pah uh.
So the Danites chose from among them five leading men from Zorah and Eshtaol to scout out the land and explore it. “Go and explore the land,” they told them. When the men came to the hill country of Ephraim, they arrived at Micah's house where they spent the night.
3 Maikah im taengkah Levi cadong ol te amih loh a hmat uh dongah pahoi pah uh. Te phoeiah anih te, “Hela nang aka khuen te unim? He ah he balae na saii? He ah he nang ham balae aka om?,” a ti na uh.
While they were there, they recognized the young Levite's accent, so they went to him and asked him, “So who brought you here, and what are you doing in this place? Why are you here?”
4 Te dongah amih taengah heben hebang la, “Maikah loh kai hamla a saii tih kai m'paang coeng dongah anih kah khosoih la ka om coeng,” a ti nah.
“Micah arranged things for me, and he hired me as his priest,” he told them.
5 Te vaengah anih taengah, “Pathen kah hlang dawt lamtah ming lah sih. A soah mamih m'pongpa bangla mamih longpuei he thaihtak venim,” a ti uh.
“Please ask the Lord for us so we can find out if our journey will be successful,” they asked him.
6 Te dongah amih te khosoih loh, “Rhoepnah neh cet uh lamtah na longpuei te BOEIPA taengah pongpa uh,” a ti nah.
“Go in peace,” the priest replied. “The journey you are taking is being observed by the Lord.”
7 Te dongah hlang panga cet uh tih Laish la pawk uh. Te vaengah a khui kah pilnam te a hmuh uh. Sidoni khosing bangla a khosak ngaikhuek la mong tih palyal. Khohmuen kah te khokung khomah la a pang tih olka loh vaitah pawh. Tedae amih te Sidoni lamloh hla tih amih te hlang neh ol a khueh moenih.
The five men left and went to the town of Laish. They observed that the people there lived in safety, and followed the customs of the Sidonians. The people were unsuspecting and confident of their security, at home in a productive land. They didn't have a strong ruler, they lived a long way from the Sidonians, and had no other allies to help them.
8 Te dongah Zorah neh Eshtaol kah a pacaboeina te a paan uh hatah a paca boeina loh, “Nangmih tah metlamlae,” a ti na uh.
The men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their relatives asked them, “What did you…?”
9 Te vaengah, Khohmuen ke m'hmuh uh tih bahoeng a then tarha coeng dongah halo lamtah amih te cuk thil pawn sih. Nangmih aka ngam rhoek khaw caeh hamla uelh uh boel lamtah khohmuen pang ham paan uh sih.
“Come on, let's go and attack them!” the men interrupted. “We've surveyed the land, and it's excellent! Aren't you going to do something? Don't put off going there and occupying the land!
10 Na paan uh vaengah pilnam palyal neh, Pathen loh na kut dongah hang khueh khohmuen dang aka ka mungkung te paan uh. Te hmuen tah hnopai pakhat khaw tloelnah aka om pawh khohmuen ni,” a ti uh.
When you get there you'll find the people are unsuspecting and the land is extensive. God has given you a place where there's no shortage of anything!”
11 Te dongah Zorah lamkah neh Eshtaol lamkah Dan cako te pahoi puen uh tih caemtloek hnopai aka vah he hlang ya rhuk louh.
So six hundred Danite armed men left Zorah and Eshtaol, ready to attack.
12 Cet uh bal tih, Judah Kiriathjearim ah rhaeh uh. Te dongah tekah hmuen te Mahanehdan a sui uh tih tihnin duela Kiriathjearim ah om ke.
En route they camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. That's why the place west of Kiriath-jearim is called the Camp of Dan to this very day.
13 Te lamloh Ephraim tlang la kat uh tih Maikah im te a paan uh.
Then they left from there and went into the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah's house.
14 Te vaengah Laish khohmuen hip hamla ka cet hlang panga loh a doo tih pacaboeina te, “Im ah hnisui, sithui, mueithuk neh mueihlawn a om te na ming uh a? Te dongah na saii uh koi te ming uh laeh,” a ti nah.
Then the five men who had gone to scout out the land of Laish told the other tribesmen, “Do you realize that here in these houses there's an ephod, household gods, and a carved idol, an image made with molten silver? So you know what you should do.”
15 Te dongah te lam te khoe uh tih Maikah im taengkah Levi cadong im la a caeh uh vaengah Levi te ngaimong lam ni a. dawt uh.
The five men left the road and went to where the young Levite was living in Micah's home to ask how he was.
16 Tedae Dan ca rhoek khui lamkah caemtloek pumcum aka vah hlang ya rhuk tah vongka kah thohka ah pai uh.
The six hundred Danite armed men stood at the entrance by the gate.
17 Khohmuen hip ham aka cet hlang panga rhoek te tah a khuila kun uh tih mueithuk, hnisui, sithui neh mueihlawn te a loh uh. Te vaengah khosoih khaw, caemtloek pumcum aka vah hlang ya rhuk vongka kah thohka kaengah pai.
The five men went inside and took the carved idol, the ephod, the household idols, and the image made with molten silver. The priest was standing by the gate with the six hundred armed men.
18 Maikah im kah aka kun rhoek loh mueithuk, hnisui, sithui, neh mueihlawn te a loh uh dongah amih te khosoih loh, “Balae na saii uh?,” a ti nah.
When the priest saw them taking all the religious objects from Micah's home, he asked them, “What are you doing?”
19 Tedae khosoih te, “Na kut te na ka dongah duem khueh. Kaimih taengla halo lamtah kaimih napa lam khaw khosoih lam khaw om mai. Hlang imkhui pakhat kah khosoih la na om te then aya? Israel koca neh a cako kah khosoih ham man nih na om,” a ti na uh.
“Be quiet! Don't say anything! Come with us, and you can be our ‘father’ and priest. Wouldn't it be better for you if instead of being a priest for just one man's household that you were the priest of an Israelite tribe and family?”
20 Khosoih kah a lungbuei tah a voelphoeng pah dongah hnisui, sithui, mueithuk te a khuen tih pilnam lakli la cet.
This seemed like a good idea to the priest and he left with them. Carrying the ephod, the household idols, and the image made with molten silver, he marched with the people all around him.
21 Hooi uh tih a caeh uh vaengah camoe, boiva neh khuehtawn amamih hmai la a khueh uh.
They continued their journey, putting their children, livestock, and possessions ahead of them.
22 Amih te Maikah im lamloh a lakhla vaengah im kah hlang rhoek loh Maikah im taengkah te a hueh uh tih Dan ca rhoek te a cuuk uh.
The Danites were already quite a way from Micah's home when men from Micah's village caught up with them,
23 Dan ca rhoek te a doek uh hatah a maelhmai a hoi tih Maikah te, “Nang khue te nang taengah balae kan loh eh,” a ti na uh.
shouting at them. The Danites turned around to face them and asked Micah, “What's the matter with you? Why call out these men to come after us?”
24 Te dongah, “Ka pathen, ka saii te na loh uh tih khosoih khaw na caeh puei uh phoeiah kai ham balae aka om bal? Te dongah, 'Nang neh kai balae benbo benpang?' na ti uh he balae aka om voel eh?,” a ti nah.
“You stole the gods I made, and my priest too, and then left. What have you left me with? How can you ask me, ‘What's the matter with you?’”
25 Tedae Maikah te Dan ca rhoek, “Na ol te kaimih n'yaak sak boeh, Hluthlut hinglu kah hlang rhoek loh nang te n'cuuk thil vetih namah kah hinglu, na imkhui kah a hinglu te na khum sak ve,” a ti na uh.
“Don't complain to us!” Danites replied. “Otherwise some hot-tempered people here might attack you and you and your family will lose your lives!”
26 Dan ca rhoek amah longpui ah a caeh uh daengah Maikah loh amih tah anih lakah tlungluen uh tila a hmuh. Te dongah hooi uh tih amah im la mael.
The Danites carried on their way. Micah saw that they were too strong for him to fight so he turned around and went back home.
27 Dan ca rhoek loh Maikah kah hno a saii khaw, anih taengah aka om khosoih te khaw a khuen uh. Aka mong tih aka palyal Laish pilnam te a paan uh tih cunghang ha neh a tloek uh phoeiah khopuei te hmai neh a hoeh uh.
So the Danites took with them the idols that Micah had made, as well as his priest. They attacked Laish with its peaceful and unsuspecting people, killed them with swords, and burned down the town.
28 Sidon lamloh a hla dongah Laish te huul voel pawh. Olka dongah hlang nen khaw amih te benbo benpang pawh. Laish tah Bethrekhob taengkah tuikol ah om. Te dongah kho a thoong uh tih a om thil uh.
No one could save them because they were a long way from Sidon and had no other allies to help them. The town was in the valley belonging to Beth-rehob. The Danites rebuilt the city and lived there.
29 Te dongah khopuei ming he Israel loh a sak a napa Dan ming voel la Dan koep a sui uh. Tedae hlamat lamkah loh khopuei ming Laish lam ni ana om.
They renamed the city Dan after their forefather, the son of Israel. Laish was its former name.
30 Dan ca rhoek kah a ling mueithuk te Manasseh koca Gershom capa Jonathan neh anih koca rhoek loh Dan koca ham khosoih uh tih khohmuen a poel a yoe tue duela om pueng.
The Danites erected the carved idol to worship, and Jonathan, son of Gershom, son of Moses, and his sons became priests for the tribe of Dan until the time when the people went into captivity from the land.
31 Pathen im te Shiloh ah a om tue khuiah Maikah kah mueithuk a saii te amamih ham a khueh uh.
They worshiped the carved idol that Micah had made the whole time God's Temple was at Shiloh.
