< 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.
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 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.
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 nauh. Te dongah Ephraim tlang kah Maikah im la pawk uh tih pahoi pah uh.
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?”
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 nauh.
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.”
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 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.
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 he responded to them, “Go in peace. The Lord looks with favor on your path, and on the journey that you have undertaken.”
Te dongah amih te khosoih loh, “Rhoepnah neh cet uh lamtah na longpuei te BOEIPA taengah pongpa uh,” a ti nah.
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.
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 And they returned to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol, who questioned them as to what they had done. And they responded:
Te dongah Zorah neh Eshtaol kah a pacaboeina te a paan uh hatah a paca boeina loh, “Nangmih tah metlamlae,” a ti nauh.
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.
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.
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.”
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 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.
Te dongah Zorah lamkah neh Eshtaol lamkah Dan cako te pahoi puen uh tih caemtloek hnopai aka vah he hlang ya rhuk louh.
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.
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 From there, they crossed over to mount Ephraim. And when they had arrived at the house of Micah,
Te lamloh Ephraim tlang la kat uh tih Maikah im te a paan uh.
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.”
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 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.
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 Now the six hundred men, who were all armed, were standing before the door.
Tedae Dan ca rhoek khui lamkah caemtloek pumcum aka vah hlang ya rhuk tah vongka kah thohka ah pai uh.
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.
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.
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?”
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 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?”
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 nauh.
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.
Khosoih kah a lungbuei tah a voelphoeng pah dongah hnisui, sithui, mueithuk te a khuen tih pilnam lakli la cet.
21 And while traveling, they had also sent the children, and the cattle, and all that was valuable to go ahead of them.
Hooi uh tih a caeh uh vaengah camoe, boiva neh khuehtawn amamih hmai la a khueh uh.
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.
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 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?”
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 nauh.
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?’”
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 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.”
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 nauh.
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 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.
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.
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 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 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 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.
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 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 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 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.
Pathen im te Shiloh ah a om tue khuiah Maikah kah mueithuk a saii te amamih ham a khueh uh.

< Judges 18 >