< Judges 18 >

1 In those days, there was no king in Israel. And the tribe of Dan sought a possession for themselves, so that they might live in it. For even to that day, they had not received their lot among the other tribes.
To nathuem ah Israel siangpahrang om ai vop; to nathuem ah Dan acaeng loe qawk ah toep hanah a ohhaih ahmuen to pakrong o; to nathuem ah nihcae loe Israel acaengnawk thung hoiah qawktoep han ih tawn o ai vop.
2 Therefore, the sons of Dan sent five very strong men, of their stock and family, from Zorah and Eshtaol, so that they might explore the land and diligently inspect it. And they said to them, “Go, and consider the land.” And after traveling, they arrived at mount Ephraim, and they entered into the house of Micah. There they rested.
To pongah Dan kaminawk loe prae pakrong hanah, Zorah hoi Estaol vangpui hoiah misa kahoih moe, tha kacak angmacae ih kami pangato patoeh o; nihcae loe caeh oh moe, Ephraim mae nui ah kaom Mikah im ah akun o; to ah qumto a iih o.
3 And they recognized the speech of the youth who was a Levite. And while making use of an inn with him, they said to him: “Who brought you here? What are you doing here? For what reason did you want to come here?”
Nihcae Mikah im ah phak o naah, thendoeng Levi ih lok to maat o pongah, to ah akun o moe, anih khaeah, Mi mah maw hae ah ang caeh haih? Tipongah hae ah na oh loe? tiah a naa o.
4 And he answered them, “Micah has offered me one thing and another, and he has paid me wages, so that I may be his priest.”
To naah Levi mah nihcae khaeah, Mikah mah sak ih hmuen to a thuih pae; hae kami mah kai ang tlai pongah, anih ih qaima ah ka oh, tiah a naa.
5 Then they begged him to consult the Lord, so that they might be able to know whether the journey they undertook would be prosperous, and whether the matter would have success.
To naah nihcae mah Levi khaeah, Kholong ka caeh o haih hae amkah tih maw? Sithaw khaeah na dueng paeh, tiah a naa o.
6 And he responded to them, “Go in peace. The Lord looks with favor on your path, and on the journey that you have undertaken.”
Qaima mah nihcae khaeah, Lunghoihta hoiah caeh oh, Angraeng mah na caehhaih loklam patuek boeh, tiah a naa.
7 And so the five men, going on, arrived at Laish. And they saw the people, living in it without any fear, according to the custom of the Sidonians, secure and peaceful, having hardly anyone to oppose them, and with great wealth, and living separately, far from Sidon and from all men.
To pongah to kami pangatonawk loe to ahmuen hoiah angthawk o moe, Laish vangpui ah caeh o; to ah kaom kaminawk loe Sidon kaminawk baktiah misa zithaih tawn o ai, kamong ah khosak o; nihcae azatpaw hanah prae thungah zaehoikung tawn o ai, nihcae loe Sidon kaminawk hoiah angthla o parai, mi hoiah doeh angbethaih tawn o ai, tiah a hnuk o.
8 And they returned to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol, who questioned them as to what they had done. And they responded:
To pacoengah Zorah hoi Estaol vangpui ah amlaem o let; to naah angmah ih nawkamyanawk mah, Khoqam hnukhaih dan kawbangmaw oh? tiah a dueng o.
9 “Rise up. Let us ascend to them. For we have seen that the land is very wealthy and fruitful. Do not delay; do not refrain. Let us go out and possess it. There will be no difficulty.
Nihcae mah, Angthawk oh; nihcae to tuh si! Khenah, kahoih parai prae to ka hnuk o boeh; nang hngai o duem han maw? Prae thungah akun moe, qawktoep hanah mong o sut hmah.
10 We shall enter to those who dwell securely, in a very wide region, and the Lord will deliver the place to us, a place in which there is no lack of anything that grows upon the earth.”
To ahmuen to na phak o naah, misa zithaih tawn ai ah khosah kaminawk hoi kalen parai prae to na hnu o tih; Sithaw mah to prae to nangcae ban ah paek tih; to ahmuen ah loe long nuiah kaom hmuennawk to akoep boih boeh, tiah a naa o.
11 And so, those of the kindred of Dan set out, that is, six hundred men from Zorah and Eshtaol, girded with the weapons of warfare.
To pongah Dan acaeng kami cumvai taruktonawk loe, Zorah hoi Eshtaol hoiah misatukhaih maiphaw maica to sinh o moe, a caeh o.
12 And going up, they stayed at Kiriath-jearim of Judah. And so the place, from that time, received the name the Camp of Dan, and it is behind the back of Kiriath-jearim.
Nihcae loe caeh o moe, Judah prae Kirith-Jearim vangpui ah atai o; to pongah Kirith-Jearim vangpui niduem bangah kaom, to ahmuen to Mahaneh-Dan, tiah vaihni ni khoek to kawk o.
13 From there, they crossed over to mount Ephraim. And when they had arrived at the house of Micah,
Nihcae loe Ephraim mae nuiah caeh o moe, Mikah ih im to phak o.
14 the five men, who before had been sent to consider the land of Laish, said to the rest of their brothers: “You know that in these houses there is an ephod and theraphim, and a molten idol and a graven image. Consider what it may please you to do.”
To naah Laish vangpui pakrong han caeh kami pangatonawk mah, angmacae nawkamya khaeah, Hae ih im thungah kahni maeto, teraphim ih krang, phoisa hoiah daengh ih krang, phoisa atui pakaw moe, sak ih krangnawk oh, tiah na panoek o maw? To vaihi timaw na sak o han, tiah poek oh, tiah a naa.
15 And when they had turned aside a little, they entered the house of the Levite youth, who was in the house of Micah. And they greeted him with peaceful words.
Nihcae loe angqoi o moe, Mikah ih im ah kaom, thendoeng Levi khaeah caeh o pacoengah, anih to lok tapring o.
16 Now the six hundred men, who were all armed, were standing before the door.
Misatuk hanah amsak Dan kami cumvai taruktonawk loe, khongkha taengah angdoet o.
17 But those who had entered the house of the youth strove to take away the graven image, and the ephod, and the theraphim, and the molten idol. But the priest was standing in front of the door, with the six hundred very strong men waiting not far away.
Laish prae khet hanah caeh kami pangatonawk loe, Mikah imthung ah akun o moe, phoisa hoiah daengh sak ih krang, kahni, teraphim krang hoi phoisa atui pakaw moe, sak ih krangnawk to a lak o; qaima loe misatuk hanah amsak kami cumvai taruktonawk hoi nawnto khongkha taengah angdoet.
18 And so, those who had entered took away the graven image, the ephod, and the theraphim, and the molten idol. And the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”
To kaminawk loe Mikah ih imthung ah akun o moe, daengh ih krang, kahni, teraphim krang hoi atui pakaw moe, sak ih krangnawk to lak o. To pacoengah qaima mah nihcae khaeah, Timaw na sak o loe? tiah a naa.
19 And they responded to him: “Be silent and place your finger over your mouth. And come with us, so that we may have you as a father as well as a priest. For which is better for you: to be a priest in the house of one man, or in one tribe and family in Israel?”
Nihcae mah qaima khaeah, Om duem ah, na pakha to ban hoi tamuep loe, kaicae hoi nawnto angzo ah; kaicae khae angzoh loe, kaicae ih ampa hoi qaima ah om ah; imthung takoh maeto ih qaima ah oh pongah loe, Israel acaeng hoi imthung takoh ih qaima ah oh to hoih kue ai maw? tiah a naa o.
20 And when he had heard this, he agreed to their words. And he took the ephod, and the idols, and the graven image, and he set out with them.
To naah qaima loe anghoe moe, kahni, teraphim krang hoi daeng ih krang to lak moe, to kaminawk khaeah a caeh.
21 And while traveling, they had also sent the children, and the cattle, and all that was valuable to go ahead of them.
To kaminawk mah nawktanawk, im ah pacah ih moinawk hoi a tawnh o ih hmuenmaenawk to hmabang ah caeh o sak, angmacae to loe hnukah caeh o.
22 And when they were far from the house of Micah, the men who were living in the houses of Micah, crying out together, followed them.
Mikah im hoiah tacawt o pacoengah, Mikah im taengah kaom kaminawk loe nawnto amkhueng o moe, Dan kaminawk to patom o.
23 And they began to shout behind their backs. And when they had looked back, they said to Micah: “What do you want? Why are you crying out?”
Nihcae mah hnukbang hoiah hangh o thuih naah, Dan kaminawk loe hnukbang ah angqoi o moe, Mikah khaeah, Tih raihaih maw na tawnh moe, kaminawk hoi nawnto kaicae nang patom? tiah a naa o.
24 And he responded: “You have taken away my gods, which I made for myself, and the priest, and all that I have. And do you say, ‘What is it that you want?’”
Anih mah, Ka sak ih sithawnawk hoi kai ih qaima to na lak o moe, na caeh o haih ving pongah ni; to hmuenawk ai ah loe tih kalah hmuen maw ka tawnh vop? Nangcae mah tih raihaih maw na tawnh? tiah lok nang dueng o lat loe, tiah a naa.
25 And the sons of Dan said to him, “Take care that you no longer speak to us, otherwise men with a mind for violence may overwhelm you, and you yourself would perish with all your house.”
Dan kaminawk mah anih khaeah, Na lok thaih han ka koeh o ai; to tih ai nahaeloe palungphui kaminawk mah na hmang o ueloe, nangmah hoi na imthung takoh kaminawk ih hinghaih to amro moeng tih, tiah a naa o.
26 And so, they continued on the journey that they had begun. But Micah, seeing that they were stronger than he was, returned to his house.
Dan kaminawk mah anih to caeh o taak poe; Mikah mah nihcae to ka pazawk thai mak ai, tiah panoek naah, angmah im ah amlaem taak.
27 Now the six hundred men took the priest, and the things we stated above, and they went to Laish, to a people quiet and secure, and they struck them down with the edge of the sword. And they burned the city with fire.
Mikah mah sak ih hmuennawk to nihcae mah lak o moe, anih ih qaima to hoih pae o ving pacoengah, mawnhaih om ai ah khosah kaminawk ohhaih Laish vangpui ah a caeh o; nihcae to sumsen hoiah tuk o moe, vangpui to hmai hoiah thlaek pae o.
28 For no one at all sent reinforcements, because they lived far away from Sidon, and they had no association or business with any man. Now the city was situated in the region of Rehob. And building it up again, they lived in it,
Sidon hoi angthla parai ahmuen ah oh o moe, mi hoiah doeh angpehhaih tawn o ai pongah, nihcae pahlongkung mi doeh om ai; vangpui loe Beth-Rehob taeng ih azawn ah oh. Dan kaminawk mah vangpui to sak o moe, to ahmuen ah oh o.
29 calling the name of the city Dan, according to the name of their father, who had been born of Israel, though before it was called Laish.
To vangpui kangquem ahmin loe Laish, tiah kawk o; toe amsae Israel mah sak ih a capa, Dan ih ahmin to lak o moe, vangpui to Dan, tiah a sak o.
30 And they established for themselves the graven image. And Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, with his sons, were priests in the tribe of Dan, even until the day of their captivity.
Dan kaminawk loe Mikah mah sak ih krang to suek o moe, Manasseh capa Gershom, Gershom capa Jonathan hoi anih ih caanawk loe, misong ah laem o ai karoek to, Dan acaengnawk ih qaima ah oh o.
31 And the idol of Micah remained with them during the entire time that the house of God was in Shiloh. In those days, there was no king in Israel.
Sithaw ih im Shiloh ah oh nathung, Mikah mah sak ih krang ni nihcae mah patoh o poe.

< Judges 18 >