Judges 18
1 At that time Israel didn't have a king. The tribe of Dan was looking for territory where they could live, because up until then they hadn't gained possession of the land granted to them 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 chose from among them five leading men from Zorah and Eshtaol to scout out the land and explore it. “Go and explore the land,” they told them. When the men came to the hill country of Ephraim, they arrived at Micah's house 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 While they were there, they recognized the young Levite's accent, so they went to him and asked him, “So who brought you here, and 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 arranged things for me, and he hired me as his priest,” he told them.
Egblɔ dɔ si wɔm wòle na Mika abe eƒe nunɔla ene la na wo.
5 “Please ask the Lord for us so we can find out if our journey will be successful,” they asked him.
Wobia tso esi be, “Ekema bia Mawu be mɔ si dzi míele la adze edzi na mí mahã?”
6 “Go in peace,” the priest replied. “The journey you are taking is being observed by the Lord.”
Nunɔla la ɖo eŋu be, “Miyi le ŋutifafa me, Yehowa le mia ta kpɔm.”
7 The five men left and went to the town of Laish. They observed that the people there lived in safety, and followed the customs of the Sidonians. The people were unsuspecting and confident of their security, at home in a productive land. They didn't have a strong ruler, they lived a long way from the Sidonians, and had no other allies to help them.
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 The men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their relatives asked them, “What did you…?”
Ale ŋkutsalawo trɔ yi wo nɔviwo gbɔ le Zora kple Estaol. Wobia wo be, “Aleke miedee eye nu kawo miekpɔ?”
9 “Come on, let's go and attack them!” the men interrupted. “We've surveyed the land, and it's excellent! Aren't you going to do something? Don't put off going there and occupying 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 get there you'll find the people are unsuspecting and the land is extensive. God has given you a place where there's no shortage of anything!”
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 Danite armed men left Zorah and Eshtaol, ready to attack.
Ale ŋutsu alafa ade tso Dan ƒe to la me bla akpa eye wodze mɔ tso Zora kple Estaol.
12 En route they camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. That's why the place west of Kiriath-jearim is called the Camp of Dan to this very 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 Then they left from there and went into 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 scout out the land of Laish told the other tribesmen, “Do you realize that here in these houses there's an ephod, household gods, and a carved idol, an image made with molten silver? So you know 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 The five men left the road and went to where the young Levite was living in Micah's home to ask how he was.
Ale woge ɖe Levitɔ ɖekakpui la ƒe aƒe me le Mika ƒe teƒe hedo gbe nɛ.
16 The six hundred Danite armed men stood at the entrance by the gate.
Ame alafa ade tso Dan ƒe to la me, ame siwo bla akpa na aʋawɔwɔ la tsi tsitre ɖe agbo la nu.
17 The five men went inside and took the carved idol, the ephod, the household idols, and the image made with molten silver. The priest was standing by 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 the priest saw them taking all the religious objects from Micah's home, he asked them, “What are you doing?”
Esi Levitɔ la kpɔ be wotsɔ nu siawo la, ebia wo be, “Nu ka wɔm miele?”
19 “Be quiet! Don't say anything! Come with us, and you can be our ‘father’ and priest. Wouldn't it be better for you if instead of being a priest for just one man's household that you were the priest of an Israelite tribe and family?”
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 This seemed like a good idea to the priest and he left with them. Carrying the ephod, the household idols, and the image made with molten silver, he marched with the people all around him.
Levitɔ la lɔ̃ be yeayi kpli wo, ale wòtsɔ kɔmewu la, aƒedomemawuwo kple aklamakpakpɛwo hedze wo yome.
21 They continued their journey, putting their children, livestock, and possessions ahead of them.
Wotsɔ woƒe viwo, woƒe lãhawo kple woƒe nunɔamesiwo ɖo ŋgɔ eye wotrɔ hedzo.
22 The Danites were already quite a way from Micah's home when men from Micah's village caught up with them,
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 shouting at them. The Danites turned around to face them and asked Micah, “What's the matter with you? Why call out these men to come after us?”
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 “You stole the gods I made, and my priest too, and then left. What have you left me with? How can you ask me, ‘What's 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 “Don't complain to us!” Danites replied. “Otherwise some hot-tempered people here might 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 The Danites carried on their way. Micah saw that they were too strong for him to fight so he turned around and went back home.
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 So the Danites took with them the idols that Micah had made, as well as his priest. They attacked Laish with its peaceful and unsuspecting people, killed them with swords, and burned down the town.
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 No one could save them because they were a long way from Sidon and had no other allies to help them. The town was in the valley belonging to Beth-rehob. 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 renamed the city Dan after their forefather, the son of Israel. Laish was its former name.
Woyɔa du la tsã be Lais, ke Dan ƒe to la tsɔ wo fofo, Dan, Israel viŋutsu ƒe ŋkɔ nɛ.
30 The Danites erected the carved idol to worship, and Jonathan, son of Gershom, son of Moses, and his sons became priests for the tribe of Dan until the time when the people went into captivity from 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 They worshiped the carved idol that Micah had made the whole time God's Temple was at Shiloh.
Ale Dan ƒe to la subɔ Mika ƒe legbawo ŋkeke ale si Mawu ƒe agbadɔ la nɔ Silo.
