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.
Fia aɖeke menɔ Israel ɣe ma ɣi o. Dan ƒe to la nɔ teƒe aɖe dim be yewoanɔ elabena womenya amewo ɖa le anyigba si woma na wo la dzi haɖe o
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.
eya ta Dan ƒe to la tia kalẽtɔ atɔ̃ tso Zora kple Estaol duwo me be woayi aɖatsa ŋku le anyigba si dzi wodi be yewoanɔ la dzi. Esi wova ɖo Efraim ƒe tonyigba dzi la, wodze Mika ƒe aƒe me.
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?”
Wolé to ɖe Levitɔ la ƒe gbegbɔgblɔ ŋu eye woɖe kpɔe hebiae be, “Nɔvi, nu ka wɔm nèle le afi sia? Afi ka nètso?”
4 “Micah has done this and that for me,” he replied, “and he has hired me to be his priest.”
Egblɔ dɔ si wɔm wòle na Mika abe eƒe nunɔla ene la na wo.
5 Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God to determine whether we will have a successful journey.”
Wobia tso esi be, “Ekema bia Mawu be mɔ si dzi míele la adze edzi na mí mahã?”
6 And the priest told them, “Go in peace. The LORD is watching over your journey.”
Nunɔla la ɖo eŋu be, “Miyi le ŋutifafa me, Yehowa le mia ta kpɔm.”
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.
Ale ame atɔ̃awo yi Lais du la me eye wokpɔ ale si ameawo le dedie le afi mae, abe Sidontɔwo ene. Woɖe dzi ɖi bɔkɔɔ, wometsi dzi be dukɔ aɖeke aho aʋa ɖe yewo ŋu o elabena dukɔ sesẽ aɖeke menɔ nuto me ma o. Woƒe nɔƒe didi tso wo nɔvi Sidontɔwo gbɔ eye womedea ha kple du siwo te ɖe wo ŋu la o.
8 When the men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers asked them, “What did you find?”
Ale ŋkutsalawo trɔ yi wo nɔviwo gbɔ le Zora kple Estaol. Wobia wo be, “Aleke miedee eye nu kawo miekpɔ?”
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!
Ŋkutsalawo ɖo eŋu be, “Mina míaho aʋa ɖe wo ŋu! Míekpɔ anyigba la: enyo ŋutɔ. Migawɔ kuvia le anyigba la xɔxɔ ŋu o.
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.”
Ne mieyi la, miakpɔ be ameawo le ŋutifafa me, anyigba la nyo eye wòlolo. Naneke mahiã mí le anyigba la dzi o, Mawu tsɔ anyigba la de asi na mí xoxo!”
11 So six hundred Danites departed from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war.
Ale ŋutsu alafa ade tso Dan ƒe to la me bla akpa eye wodze mɔ tso Zora kple Estaol.
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.
Gbã la, woƒu asaɖa anyi ɖe teƒe aɖe si nɔ Kiriat Yearim ƒe ɣetoɖoƒe lɔƒo le Yudanyigba dzi. Woyɔa teƒe sia egbegbe be, “Maham” si gɔmee nye “Dan ƒe Asaɖa.”
13 And from there they traveled to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah’s house.
Tso afi ma wolia to la yi Efraim to la ƒe anyigba dzi.
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.”
Esi wova to Mika ƒe aƒe ŋu yina la, ŋkutsala atɔ̃awo gblɔ na wo nɔviwo be, “Kɔmewu, aƒeli, aklamakpakpɛ kple legbawo le aƒe sia me. Eme kɔ ƒãa be mienya nu si wòle be miawɔ!”
15 So they turned aside there and went to the home of the young Levite, the house of Micah, and greeted him.
Ale woge ɖe Levitɔ ɖekakpui la ƒe aƒe me le Mika ƒe teƒe hedo gbe nɛ.
16 The six hundred Danites stood at the entrance of the gate, armed with their weapons of war.
Ame alafa ade tso Dan ƒe to la me, ame siwo bla akpa na aʋawɔwɔ la tsi tsitre ɖe agbo la nu.
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.
Ŋkutsala atɔ̃awo ge ɖe xɔ la me eye wolɔ aklamakpakpɛawo, kɔmewu la, aƒeli la kple legba la esime nunɔla la nɔ agbo la nu kple asrafo alafa ade siwo kpla woƒe aʋawɔnuwo.
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?”
Esi Levitɔ la kpɔ be wotsɔ nu siawo la, ebia wo be, “Nu ka wɔm miele?”
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?”
Wogblɔ nɛ be, “Zi ɖoɖoe, mègagblɔ nya aɖeke o. Dze mía yome eye nànye fofo kple nunɔla na mí katã. Ɖe menyo be nànye nunɔla na Israel ƒe to blibo ɖeka wu nànye nunɔla na ame ɖeka pɛ ko ƒe aƒe oa?”
20 So the priest was glad and took the ephod, the household idols, and the graven image, and went with the people.
Levitɔ la lɔ̃ be yeayi kpli wo, ale wòtsɔ kɔmewu la, aƒedomemawuwo kple aklamakpakpɛwo hedze wo yome.
21 Putting their small children, their livestock, and their possessions in front of them, they turned and departed.
Wotsɔ woƒe viwo, woƒe lãhawo kple woƒe nunɔamesiwo ɖo ŋgɔ eye wotrɔ hedzo.
22 After they were some distance from Micah’s house, the men in the houses near Micah’s house mobilized and overtook the Danites.
Esi wogblẽ Mika ƒe aƒe ɖe megbe ʋɛe ko la, ŋutsu siwo nye Mika ƒe aƒelikawo la ƒo wo ɖokui nu ƒu eye wosi du va tu Dan ƒe viwo.
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?”
Esi wole ɣli dom le wo yome la Dan ƒe viwo trɔ gblɔ na Mika be, “Nu kae le wɔwòm be nèyɔ wò amewo be woawɔ avu kpli mí?”
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?’”
Eɖo eŋu na wo be, “Mietsɔ mawu siwo mewɔ kple nye nunɔla dzoe. Nu kae gasusɔ ɖe asinye? Nu ka ŋutie miabiam be, ‘Nu kae le wɔwòm mahã?’”
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.”
Dan ƒe to la ɖo eŋu be, “Mègahe nya kpli mí o, ne menye nenema o la, ame siwo doa dziku kabakaba la dometɔ aɖewo adze mia dzi eye wò kple wò aƒe miabu miaƒe agbe.”
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.
Ale Dan ƒe to la gaho ɖe edzi eye esi Mika kpɔ be ameawo sẽ wu ye akpa ta la, etrɔ dzo yi aƒe me.
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 to la tsɔ Mika ƒe legbawo eye wokplɔ eƒe nunɔla la va ɖo Lais. Lais dua me tɔwo nɔ anyi le ŋutifafa me eye womenya be naneke le dzɔdzɔm o. Wodze wo dzi kple yi eye wotɔ dzo woƒe dua.
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.
Kpeɖeŋutɔ aɖeke menɔ anyi axɔ na wo o elabena woƒe teƒea didi tso Sidon gbɔ eye womedo ka kple ame bubu aɖekewo hã o. Du la nɔ balime si te ɖe Bet Rehob ŋu. Dan ƒe to la gbugbɔ du la tu nyuie eye wònɔ afi ma.
29 They named it Dan, after their forefather Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city was formerly named Laish.
Woyɔa du la tsã be Lais, ke Dan ƒe to la tsɔ wo fofo, Dan, Israel viŋutsu ƒe ŋkɔ nɛ.
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.
Wowɔ teƒe na legbawo eye wowɔ Gersom ƒe vi kple Mose ƒe tɔgbuiyɔvi, ame si ŋkɔe nye Yonatan la kple via ŋutsuwo nunɔlawoe. Amewo tso ƒome sia me nye nunɔlawo va se ɖe esime woɖe aboyo anyigba la.
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.
Ale Dan ƒe to la subɔ Mika ƒe legbawo ŋkeke ale si Mawu ƒe agbadɔ la nɔ Silo.
