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.
Saa ɛberɛ no mu na Israel nni ɔhene. Na Dan abusuakuo rehwehwɛ baabi atena, ɛfiri sɛ, na wɔntumi mpamoo nnipa a wɔte asase a wɔde maa wɔn no so.
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.
Enti, mmarima a wɔfiri Dan abusuakuo yii akofoɔ enum a na wɔte Sora ne Estaol sɛ wɔnkɔpɛ asase a wɔbɛtumi atena so. Ɛberɛ a saa akofoɔ yi duruu Efraim bepɔ asase so no, wɔkɔɔ Mika fie kɔdaa hɔ anadwo no.
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?”
Wɔtiee Lewini aberanteɛ no sɛdeɛ ɔkasa no, wɔde no kɔɔ nkyɛn bisaa no sɛ, “Hwan na ɔde wo baa ha na ɛdeɛn na woreyɛ? Na adɛn enti na wowɔ ha?”
4 “Micah arranged things for me, and he hired me as his priest,” he told them.
Ɔkaa nhyehyɛeɛ a ɔne Mika ayɛ kyerɛɛ wɔn na ɔkyerɛɛ mu sɛ, ɔyɛ ɔsɔfoɔ ma Mika.
5 “Please ask the Lord for us so we can find out if our journey will be successful,” they asked him.
Na wɔkaa sɛ, “Bisa Awurade ma yɛn sɛ yɛn akwantuo yi bɛsi yie anaasɛ ɛrensi yie.”
6 “Go in peace,” the priest replied. “The journey you are taking is being observed by the Lord.”
Ɔsɔfoɔ no kaa sɛ, “Monkɔ no asomdwoeɛ mu, ɛfiri sɛ, Awurade bɛdi mo anim wɔ mo akwantuo no mu.”
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.
Na mmarima baanum no kɔɔ kuro bi a wɔfrɛ no Lais mu. Wɔhunuu sɛ nnipa a hwee mfa wɔn ho te sɛ Sidonfoɔ na ɛte hɔ. Na wɔwɔ asomdwoeɛ ne banbɔ. Na nnipa no wɔ sika, ɛfiri sɛ, na wɔn asase no yɛ asase bereɛ. Na wɔne Sidon ntam twe yie, na wɔnni adɔmfoɔ a wɔbɛn.
8 The men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their relatives asked them, “What did you…?”
Ɛberɛ a wɔsane kɔɔ Sora ne Estaol no, wɔn nuanom bisaa wɔn sɛ, “Ɛdeɛn na mohunuiɛ?”
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!
Na wɔbuaa sɛ, “Momma yɛnkɔto nhyɛ wɔn so! Yɛahunu asase no na ɛyɛ pa ara. Monntwentwɛn mo nan ase koraa, monkɔfa asase no.
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!”
Sɛ moduru hɔ a, mobɛhunu nnipa a hwee mfa wɔn ho wɔ hɔ. Onyankopɔn ama yɛn asase bereɛ yantamm a biribiara wɔ so.”
11 So six hundred Danite armed men left Zorah and Eshtaol, ready to attack.
Enti, akofoɔ ahansia a wɔfiri Dan abusuakuo mu sii mu firii Sora ne 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.
Wɔkyeree nsraban wɔ beaeɛ bi a ɛwɔ Kiriat-Yearim atɔeɛ fam wɔ Yuda asase so. Wɔfrɛ hɔ Mahane Dan bɛsi ɛnnɛ.
13 Then they left from there and went into the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah's house.
Wɔfiri hɔ no, wɔkɔɔ Efraim bepɔ asase no so, baa Mika fie.
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.”
Enti, mmarima baanum a wɔkɔsraa Lais asase no ka kyerɛɛ wɔn a aka no sɛ, “Asɔreeɛ bi wɔ ha a asɔfotadeɛ kronkron, abusua ahoni, nsɛsodeɛ a wɔasene ne ohoni a wɔagu ho wɔ hɔ. Monim deɛ ɛsɛ sɛ yɛyɛ.”
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.
Enti, mmarima baanum no kɔɔ Mika fie, baabi a Lewini aberanteɛ no teɛ na wɔkyeaa no fɛ so.
16 The six hundred Danite armed men stood at the entrance by the gate.
Saa ɛberɛ no na akofoɔ ahansia a wɔfiri Dan abusuakuo mu no gyinagyina abɔntenpono no ano pɛɛ,
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.
na akwansrafoɔ baanum no kɔɔ asɔreeɛ hɔ, kɔfaa nsɛsodeɛ a wɔasene, asɔfotadeɛ kronkron, abusua ahoni ne ohoni a wɔagu no.
18 When the priest saw them taking all the religious objects from Micah's home, he asked them, “What are you doing?”
Ɛberɛ a ɔsɔfoɔ no hunuu sɛ mmarima no retwe akronkronneɛ no afiri Mika asɔreeɛ hɔ no, ɔbisaa wɔn sɛ, “Ɛdeɛn na moreyɛ yi?”
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?”
Wɔbuaa no sɛ, “Mua wʼano! Di yɛn akyi na bɛyɛ yɛn nyinaa agya ne yɛn ɔsɔfoɔ. Wonnye nni sɛ ɛyɛ sɛ wobɛyɛ Israel abusuakuo bi ɔsɔfoɔ sene sɛ wobɛyɛ onipa baako fidua mu ɔsɔfoɔ?”
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.
Ɔsɔfoɔ aberanteɛ no ani gyeeɛ sɛ ɔne wɔn bɛkɔ. Enti ɔfaa asɔfotadeɛ kronkron no, abusua ahoni ne nsɛsodeɛ a wɔasene no.
21 They continued their journey, putting their children, livestock, and possessions ahead of them.
Wɔsiim bio de wɔn mma, nyɛmmoa ne wɔn agyapadeɛ, dii wɔn anim.
22 The Danites were already quite a way from Micah's home when men from Micah's village caught up with them,
Ɛberɛ a Dan abusuakuo mu nnipa no afiri Mika fie kɔ akyirikyiri no, Mika ne nʼafipamfoɔ mu bi tii wɔn.
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?”
Wɔbɛn wɔn no wɔteateaam. Na Dan mmarima no danee wɔn ani kaa sɛ, “Ɛdeɛn na morehwehwɛ? Adɛn enti na woafrɛ nnipa yi aboa ano na moretaa yɛn sei?”
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?’”
Mika buaa sɛ, “Wobisa sɛ ɛdeɛn na worehwehwɛ a na wokyerɛ sɛn? Moafa mʼanyame nyinaa ne me ɔsɔfoɔ, na menni hwee bio!”
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 mmarima no buaa sɛ, “Hwɛ deɛ woka no yie! Yɛn mu bi bo nkyɛre fu, anhwɛ a wɔn bo bɛfu na wɔakum wo ne wʼabusuafoɔ.”
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.
Enti, Dan mmarima no toaa so kɔɔ wɔn kwan. Mika hunuu sɛ nnipa no dɔɔso a enti ɔntumi nto nhyɛ wɔn so no, ɔdanee ne ho kɔɔ efie.
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 mmarima faa Mika ahoni ne ne ɔsɔfoɔ no de wɔn baa kuro Lais a emu nnipa wɔ asomdwoeɛ ne banbɔ no mu. Wɔto hyɛɛ emu nnipa no so, kunkumm wɔn nyinaa, hyee kuro no dworobɛɛ.
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.
Na obiara nni hɔ a ɔbɛgye kuro no mufoɔ, ɛfiri sɛ, na deɛ wɔte no ne Sidon mu twe na wɔnni adɔmfoɔ a wɔbɛn nso. Saa asɛm yi sii bɔnhwa a ɛbɛn Bet-Rehob no mu. Afei, Dan abusuakuo no mma sane kyekyeree kuro no, na wɔtenaa hɔ.
29 They renamed the city Dan after their forefather, the son of Israel. Laish was its former name.
Wɔde kuro no too Dan a ɔyɛ wɔn tete agya Israel no ba, na kane no wɔfrɛ hɔ Lais.
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.
Afei, wɔgyinaa nsɛsodeɛ a wɔasene no na wɔfaa Gersom babarima Yonatan a ɔyɛ Manase aseni sɛ wɔn ɔsɔfoɔ. Saa fie yi mu nnipa kɔɔ so yɛɛ asɔfoɔ maa Dan abusuakuo kɔsii Otukorɔ berɛ.
31 They worshiped the carved idol that Micah had made the whole time God's Temple was at Shiloh.
Enti Dan abusuakuo no toaa so somm nsɛsodeɛ a ɛyɛ Mika dea no wɔ ɛberɛ tenten a na Onyankopɔn Ahyiaeɛ Ntomadan no wɔ Silo.
