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 the Israelis had no king. Also at that time, the tribe of Dan was still searching for some land where they could live. The other Israeli tribes had [been able to] ([capture/take possession of]) [the] land that had been allotted to them, but the tribe of Dan had not been able to do that.
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 they chose five soldiers from their clans, men who lived in Zorah and Eshtaol [cities], to go through the land and explore it [and try to find some land where their tribe could live]. They came to Micah’s house in the hilly area where the tribe of Ephraim lived, and they stayed there that 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 in his house and they heard the young man who had become Micah’s priest talking, they recognized from (his accent/the way that he talked) [that he was from the southern part of Israel]. So they went to him and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing here? Why did you come 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.
He told them the things that Micah had done for him. And he said, “Micah (has hired me/is paying me to work for him), and I have become his priest.”
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.
So they said to him, “Please ask God if we will succeed [in what we are trying to do] on this journey.”
6 Te dongah amih te khosoih loh, “Rhoepnah neh cet uh lamtah na longpuei te BOEIPA taengah pongpa uh,” a ti nah.
The young man replied, “Things will go well for you. Yahweh will go with you on this journey.”
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 next day] the five men left. When they came to Laish [city], they saw that the people there lived safely, like the people in Sidon [city] did. The people there thought that they were safe/protected [from any enemies], and they had plenty of [good fertile] land. They lived very far from the people of Sidon, [so the people of Sidon would not be able to help defend/protect them]. They had no other (allies/groups nearby that would help them in battles).
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.
When those five men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their relatives asked them “What did you find out?”
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 mong sut rhoek khaw caeh hamla uelh uh boel lamtah khohmuen pang ham paan uh pawn sih.
They replied, “We have found some land, and it is very good. We should go and attack the people [who live there]. Why are you staying here and doing nothing [RHQ]? Do not wait any longer! We should go immediately and take possession of that 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 go there, you will see that there is plenty of land, and it has everything [that we will need]. The people there are not expecting anyone to attack them. Surely God is giving that land to us.”
11 Te dongah Zorah lamkah neh Eshtaol lamkah Dan cako te pahoi puen uh tih caemtloek hnopai aka vah he hlang ya rhuk lo uh.
So 600 men from the tribe of Dan left Zorah and Eshtaol, carrying their weapons.
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.
On their way they set up their tents near Kiriath-Jearim [city] in [the area where the tribe of] Judah [lives]. That is why the area west of Kiriath-Jearim was named ‘Camp of Dan’, and that is still its name.
13 Te lamloh Ephraim tlang la kat uh tih Maikah im te a paan uh.
From there, they went to the hilly area where the tribe of Ephraim lives. And they arrived at 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.
The five men who had explored the land near Laish said to their fellow Israelis, “Do you know that in one of these houses there is a sacred vest, several idols, and a statue? [We think that] you know what you should do.” [RHQ]
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.
So they went to the house where the man from the tribe of Levi lived, which was the house where Micah lived, and they greeted the young man from the tribe of Levi [who had become Micah’s priest].
16 Tedae Dan ca rhoek khui lamkah caemtloek pumcum aka vah hlang ya rhuk tah vongka kah thohka ah pai uh.
The 600 men of the tribe of Dan stood outside the gate of the house, carrying their weapons.
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 tah vongka kah thohka kaengah pai.
The five men who had explored the land went into Micah’s house, and took all the idols, the sacred vest, and the statue. While they did that, the 600 men stood outside the gate, [talking] with the priest.
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 bringing out the idols and the sacred vest and the statue, he said to 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 sue,” a ti na uh.
They replied, “Be quiet! Do not say anything! You come with us and be [like] a father to us and a priest for us. Is it better for you to [stay here and] be a priest for the people in the house of one man, or to be a priest for a clan, and a priest for a whole tribe of Israelis?” [RHQ]
20 Khosoih kah a lungbuei tah a voelphoeng pah dongah hnisui, sithui, mueithuk te a khuen tih pilnam lakli la cet.
The priest liked what they were suggesting. So he took the sacred vest and the idols, and he [prepared to] go with the men from the tribe of Dan.
21 Hooi uh tih a caeh uh vaengah camoe, boiva neh khuehtawn amamih hmai la a khueh uh.
They all put their little children and their animals and everything else that they owned in front 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.
After they had gone a little distance from Micah’s house, Micah [saw what was happening. He] quickly summoned the men who lived near him, and they ran and caught up with the men from the tribe of Dan.
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.
They shouted at them. The men of the tribe of Dan turned around and said to Micah, “What is the problem? Why have you gathered these men [to pursue 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.
Micah shouted, “You took the silver idols that were made for me! You also took my priest! I do not have anything left [RHQ]! So why do you ask me, ‘What is the problem?’”
25 Tedae Maikah te Dan ca rhoek loh, “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.
The men from the tribe of Dan replied, “You should not shout loudly like that! One of our angry men might attack you and kill you and your family!”
26 Dan ca rhoek amah longpuei 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.
Then the men from the tribe of Dan continued walking. Micah realized that there was a very large group of them, [so that it would be useless for him to try to fight them]. So he turned around and went 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.
The men of the tribe of Dan were carrying the things that had been made for Micah, and they also took his priest, and they continued traveling to Laish. They attacked the people who were peacefully living there, and killed them with their swords, and then they burned everything in the city.
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.
Laish was far from [the city of] Sidon, [so the people of Sidon could not rescue the people of Laish]. And the people of Laish had no other allies. Laish was in a valley near Beth-Rehob [town]. The people of the tribe of Dan rebuilt the city and started to live 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 gave to the city a [new] name, Dan, in honor of their ancestor Dan, who was one of the sons of Jacob.
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 people of the tribe of Dan set up [in the city] the idols [that had been made for Micah]. Jonathan, who was the son of Gershom and the grandson of Moses, was appointed to be their priest. His descendants continued to be priests until the Israelis were captured and taken [to Assyria].
31 Pathen im te Shiloh ah a om tue khuiah Maikah kah mueithuk a saii te amamih ham a khueh uh.
After the people of the tribe of Dan set up the idols that had been made for Micah, [they worshiped those idols, even though] the Sacred Tent [where they had been commanded to worship] God, was at Shiloh.
