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.
in diebus illis non erat rex in Israhel et tribus Dan quaerebat possessionem sibi ut habitaret in ea usque ad illum enim diem inter ceteras tribus sortem non acceperat
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.
miserunt igitur filii Dan stirpis et familiae suae quinque viros fortissimos de Saraa et Esthaol ut explorarent terram et diligenter inspicerent dixeruntque eis ite et considerate terram qui cum pergentes venissent in montem Ephraim et intrassent domum Micha requieverunt ibi
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?”
et agnoscentes vocem adulescentis Levitae utentesque illius diversorio dixerunt ad eum quis te huc adduxit quid hic agis quam ob causam huc venire voluisti
4 “Micah arranged things for me, and he hired me as his priest,” he told them.
qui respondit eis haec et haec praestitit mihi Michas et me mercede conduxit ut sim ei sacerdos
5 “Please ask the Lord for us so we can find out if our journey will be successful,” they asked him.
rogaveruntque eum ut consuleret Dominum et scire possent an prospero itinere pergerent et res haberet effectum
6 “Go in peace,” the priest replied. “The journey you are taking is being observed by the Lord.”
qui respondit eis ite cum pace Dominus respicit viam vestram et iter quo pergitis
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.
euntes itaque quinque viri venerunt Lais videruntque populum habitantem in ea absque ullo timore iuxta Sidoniorum consuetudinem securum et quietum nullo eis penitus resistente magnarumque opum et procul a Sidone atque a cunctis hominibus separatum
8 The men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their relatives asked them, “What did you…?”
reversique ad fratres suos in Saraa et Esthaol et quid egissent sciscitantibus responderunt
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!
surgite et ascendamus ad eos vidimus enim terram valde opulentam et uberem nolite neglegere nolite cessare eamus et possideamus eam nullus erit labor
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!”
intrabimus ad securos in regionem latissimam tradetque nobis Dominus locum in quo nullius rei est penuria eorum quae gignuntur in terra
11 So six hundred Danite armed men left Zorah and Eshtaol, ready to attack.
profecti igitur sunt de cognatione Dan id est de Saraa et Esthaol sescenti viri accincti armis bellicis
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.
ascendentesque manserunt in Cariathiarim Iudae qui locus ex eo tempore castrorum Dan nomen accepit et est post tergum Cariathiarim
13 Then they left from there and went into the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah's house.
inde transierunt in montem Ephraim cumque venissent ad domum Micha
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.”
dixerunt quinque viri qui prius missi fuerant ad considerandam terram Lais ceteris fratribus suis nostis quod in domibus istis sit ephod et therafin et sculptile atque conflatile videte quid vobis placeat
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.
et cum paululum declinassent ingressi sunt domum adulescentis Levitae qui erat in domo Micha salutaveruntque eum verbis pacificis
16 The six hundred Danite armed men stood at the entrance by the gate.
sescenti autem viri ita ut erant armati stabant ante ostium
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.
at illi qui ingressi fuerant domum iuvenis sculptile et ephod et therafin atque conflatile tollere nitebantur et sacerdos stabat ante ostium sescentis viris fortissimis haut procul expectantibus
18 When the priest saw them taking all the religious objects from Micah's home, he asked them, “What are you doing?”
tulerunt igitur qui intraverant sculptile ephod et idola atque conflatile quibus dixit sacerdos quid facitis
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?”
cui responderunt tace et pone digitum super os tuum venique nobiscum ut habeamus te patrem et sacerdotem quid tibi melius est ut sis sacerdos in domo unius viri an in una tribu et familia in Israhel
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.
quod cum audisset adquievit sermonibus eorum et tulit ephod et idola ac sculptile et cum eis profectus est
21 They continued their journey, putting their children, livestock, and possessions ahead of them.
qui cum pergerent et ante se ire fecissent parvulos et iumenta et omne quod erat pretiosum
22 The Danites were already quite a way from Micah's home when men from Micah's village caught up with them,
iamque a domo Michae essent procul viri qui habitabant in aedibus Michae conclamantes secuti sunt
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?”
et post tergum clamare coeperunt qui cum respexissent dixerunt ad Micham quid tibi vis cur clamas
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?’”
qui respondit deos meos quos mihi feci tulistis et sacerdotem et omnia quae habeo et dicitis quid tibi est
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!”
dixeruntque ei filii Dan cave ne ultra loquaris ad nos et veniant ad te viri animo concitati et ipse cum omni domo tua pereas
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.
et sic coepto itinere perrexerunt videns autem Micha quod fortiores se essent reversus est in domum suam
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.
sescenti autem viri tulerunt sacerdotem et quae supra diximus veneruntque in Lais ad populum quiescentem atque securum et percusserunt eos in ore gladii urbemque incendio tradiderunt
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.
nullo penitus ferente praesidium eo quod procul habitarent a Sidone et cum nullo hominum haberent quicquam societatis ac negotii erat autem civitas sita in regione Roob quam rursum extruentes habitaverunt in ea
29 They renamed the city Dan after their forefather, the son of Israel. Laish was its former name.
vocato nomine civitatis Dan iuxta vocabulum patris sui quem genuerat Israhel quae prius Lais dicebatur
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.
posueruntque sibi sculptile et Ionathan filium Gersan filii Mosi ac filios eius sacerdotes in tribu Dan usque ad diem captivitatis suae
31 They worshiped the carved idol that Micah had made the whole time God's Temple was at Shiloh.
mansitque apud eos idolum Michae omni tempore quo fuit domus Dei in Silo in diebus illis non erat rex in Israhel
