< Judges 18 >

1 In those days there was no king in Israel, and the tribe of the Danites was looking for territory to occupy. For up to that time they had not come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.
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.
2 So the Danites sent out five men from their clans, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. “Go and explore the land,” they told them. The men entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night.
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.
3 And while they were near Micah’s house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; so they went over and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?”
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.
4 “Micah has done this and that for me,” he replied, “and he has hired me to be his priest.”
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.
5 Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God to determine whether we will have a successful journey.”
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.
6 And the priest told them, “Go in peace. The LORD is watching over your journey.”
Te dongah amih te khosoih loh, “Rhoepnah neh cet uh lamtah na longpuei te BOEIPA taengah pongpa uh,” a ti nah.
7 So the five men departed and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living securely, like the Sidonians, tranquil and unsuspecting. There was nothing lacking in the land and no oppressive ruler. And they were far away from the Sidonians and had no alliance with anyone.
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.
8 When the men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers asked them, “What did you find?”
Te dongah Zorah neh Eshtaol kah a pacaboeina te a paan uh hatah a paca boeina loh, “Nangmih tah metlamlae,” a ti na uh.
9 They answered, “Come on, let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and it is very good. Why would you fail to act? Do not hesitate to go there and take possession of the land!
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.
10 When you enter, you will come to an unsuspecting people and a spacious land, for God has delivered it into your hand. It is a place where nothing on earth is lacking.”
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.
11 So six hundred Danites departed from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war.
Te dongah Zorah lamkah neh Eshtaol lamkah Dan cako te pahoi puen uh tih caemtloek hnopai aka vah he hlang ya rhuk lo uh.
12 They went up and camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. That is why the place west of Kiriath-jearim is called Mahaneh-dan to this day.
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.
13 And from there they traveled to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah’s house.
Te lamloh Ephraim tlang la kat uh tih Maikah im te a paan uh.
14 Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish said to their brothers, “Did you know that one of these houses has an ephod, household gods, a graven image, and a molten idol? Now think about what you should do.”
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.
15 So they turned aside there and went to the home of the young Levite, the house of Micah, and greeted him.
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.
16 The six hundred Danites stood at the entrance of the gate, armed with their weapons of war.
Tedae Dan ca rhoek khui lamkah caemtloek pumcum aka vah hlang ya rhuk tah vongka kah thohka ah pai uh.
17 And the five men who had gone to spy out the land went inside and took the graven image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molten idol, while the priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred armed men.
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.
18 When they entered Micah’s house and took the graven image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molten idol, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”
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.
19 “Be quiet,” they told him. “Put your hand over your mouth and come with us and be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest for the house of one person or a priest for a tribe and family in Israel?”
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.
20 So the priest was glad and took the ephod, the household idols, and the graven image, and went with the people.
Khosoih kah a lungbuei tah a voelphoeng pah dongah hnisui, sithui, mueithuk te a khuen tih pilnam lakli la cet.
21 Putting their small children, their livestock, and their possessions in front of them, they turned and departed.
Hooi uh tih a caeh uh vaengah camoe, boiva neh khuehtawn amamih hmai la a khueh uh.
22 After they were some distance from Micah’s house, the men in the houses near Micah’s house mobilized and overtook the Danites.
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.
23 When they called out after them, the Danites turned to face them and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you that you have called out such a company?”
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.
24 He replied, “You took the gods I had made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you say to me, ‘What is the matter with you?’”
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.
25 The Danites said to him, “Do not raise your voice against us, or angry men will attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives.”
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.
26 So the Danites went on their way, and Micah turned to go back home, because he saw that they were too strong for him.
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.
27 After they had taken Micah’s idols and his priest, they went to Laish, to a tranquil and unsuspecting people, and they struck them with their swords and burned down the city.
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.
28 There was no one to deliver them, because the city was far from Sidon and had no alliance with anyone; it was in a valley near Beth-rehob. And the Danites rebuilt the city and lived there.
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.
29 They named it Dan, after their forefather Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city was formerly named Laish.
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.
30 The Danites set up idols for themselves, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.
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.
31 So they set up for themselves Micah’s graven image, and it was there the whole time the house of God was in Shiloh.
Pathen im te Shiloh ah a om tue khuiah Maikah kah mueithuk a saii te amamih ham a khueh uh.

< Judges 18 >