< Judges 18 >
1 In those days there was no king in Israel; and in those days the tribe of Dan sought for itself an inheritance to inhabit, because no inheritance had fallen to it until that day in the midst of the tribes of the children 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 And the sons of Dan sent from their families five men of valour, from Saraa and from Esthaol, to spy out the land and to search it; and they said to them, Go and search out the land. And they came as far as the mount of Ephraim to the house of Michaias and they lodged there,
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 in the house of Michaias, and they recognized the voice of the young man the Levite, and turned in there; and said to him, Who brought you in hither? and what do you in this place? and what have 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 And he said to them, Thus and thus did Michaias to me, and he hired me, and I became his priest.
Ɔkaa nhyehyɛeɛ a ɔne Mika ayɛ kyerɛɛ wɔn na ɔkyerɛɛ mu sɛ, ɔyɛ ɔsɔfoɔ ma Mika.
5 And they said to him, Enquire now of God, and we shall know whether our way will prosper, on which we are going.
Na wɔkaa sɛ, “Bisa Awurade ma yɛn sɛ yɛn akwantuo yi bɛsi yie anaasɛ ɛrensi yie.”
6 And the priest said to them, Go in peace; your way in which you go, [is] before the Lord.
Ɔsɔfoɔ no kaa sɛ, “Monkɔ no asomdwoeɛ mu, ɛfiri sɛ, Awurade bɛdi mo anim wɔ mo akwantuo no mu.”
7 And the five men went on, and came to Laisa; and they saw the people in the midst of it dwelling securely, at ease as [is] the manner of the Sidonians, and there is no one perverting or shaming a matter in the land, no heir extorting treasures; and they are far from the Sidonians, and they have no intercourse with any one.
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 And the five men came to their brethren to Saraa and Esthaol, and said to their brethren, Why sit you here [idle]?
Ɛberɛ a wɔsane kɔɔ Sora ne Estaol no, wɔn nuanom bisaa wɔn sɛ, “Ɛdeɛn na mohunuiɛ?”
9 And they said, Arise, and let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and, behold, [it is] very good, yet you are still: delay not to go, an to enter in to possess 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 And whenever you shall go, you shall come in upon a people secure, and the land [is] extensive, for God has given it into your hand; a place where there is no lack of anything that the earth affords.
Sɛ moduru hɔ a, mobɛhunu nnipa a hwee mfa wɔn ho wɔ hɔ. Onyankopɔn ama yɛn asase bereɛ yantamm a biribiara wɔ so.”
11 And there departed thence of the families of Dan, from Saraa and from Esthaol, six hundred men, girded with weapons of war.
Enti, akofoɔ ahansia a wɔfiri Dan abusuakuo mu sii mu firii Sora ne Estaol.
12 And they went up, and encamped in Cariathiarim in Juda; therefore it was called in that place the camp of Dan, until this day: behold, [it is] behind Cariathiarim.
Wɔkyeree nsraban wɔ beaeɛ bi a ɛwɔ Kiriat-Yearim atɔeɛ fam wɔ Yuda asase so. Wɔfrɛ hɔ Mahane Dan bɛsi ɛnnɛ.
13 And they went on thence to the mount of Ephraim, and came to the house of Michaias.
Wɔfiri hɔ no, wɔkɔɔ Efraim bepɔ asase no so, baa Mika fie.
14 And the five men who went to spy out the land of Laisa answered, and said to their brethren, You know that there is in this place an ephod, and theraphin, and a graven and a molten image; and now consider what you shall 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 And they turned aside there, and went into the house of the young man, the Levite, [even] into the house of Michaias, and asked him how he was.
Enti, mmarima baanum no kɔɔ Mika fie, baabi a Lewini aberanteɛ no teɛ na wɔkyeaa no fɛ so.
16 And the six hundred men of the sons of Dan who were girded with their weapons of war stood by the door of the gate.
Saa ɛberɛ no na akofoɔ ahansia a wɔfiri Dan abusuakuo mu no gyinagyina abɔntenpono no ano pɛɛ,
17 And the five men who went to spy out the land went up, and entered into the house of Michaias, and the priest stood.
na akwansrafoɔ baanum no kɔɔ asɔreeɛ hɔ, kɔfaa nsɛsodeɛ a wɔasene, asɔfotadeɛ kronkron, abusua ahoni ne ohoni a wɔagu no.
18 And they took the graven image, and the ephod, and the theraphin, and the molten image; and the priest said to 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 And they said to him, Be silent, lay your hand upon your mouth, and come with us, and be to us a father and a priest: [is it] better for you to be the priest of the house of one man, or to be the priest of a tribe and house for a family of Israel?
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 And the heart of the priest was glad, and he took the ephod, and the theraphin, and the graven image, and the molten image, and went in the midst of the people.
Ɔsɔfoɔ aberanteɛ no ani gyeeɛ sɛ ɔne wɔn bɛkɔ. Enti ɔfaa asɔfotadeɛ kronkron no, abusua ahoni ne nsɛsodeɛ a wɔasene no.
21 So they turned and departed, and put their children and their property and their baggage before them.
Wɔsiim bio de wɔn mma, nyɛmmoa ne wɔn agyapadeɛ, dii wɔn anim.
22 They went some distance from the house of Michaias, and, behold, Michaias and the men in the houses near Michaias' house, cried out, and overtook the children of Dan.
Ɛberɛ a Dan abusuakuo mu nnipa no afiri Mika fie kɔ akyirikyiri no, Mika ne nʼafipamfoɔ mu bi tii wɔn.
23 And the children of Dan turned their face, and said to Michaias, What is the matter with you that you have cried out?
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 And Michaias said, Because you have taken my graven image which I made, and my priest, and are gone; and what have I remaining? and what [is] this [that] you say to me, Why cry you?
Mika buaa sɛ, “Wobisa sɛ ɛdeɛn na worehwehwɛ a na wokyerɛ sɛn? Moafa mʼanyame nyinaa ne me ɔsɔfoɔ, na menni hwee bio!”
25 And the children of Dan said to him, Let not your voice be heard with us, lest angry men run upon you, and take away your life, and the lives of your house.
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 And the children of Dan went their way; and Michaias saw that they were stronger than himself, and he returned to his house.
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 And the children of Dan took what Michaias had made, and the priest that he had, and they came to Laisa, to a people quiet and secure; and they struck them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire.
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 And there was no deliverer, because [the city] is far from the Sidonians, and they have no intercourse with men, and it [is] in the valley of the house of Raab; and they built the city, and lived in it.
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 And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel; and the name of the city was Ulamais before.
Wɔde kuro no too Dan a ɔyɛ wɔn tete agya Israel no ba, na kane no wɔfrɛ hɔ Lais.
30 And the children of Dan set up the graven image for themselves; and Jonathan son of Gerson son of Manasse, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan till the time of the carrying away of the nation.
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 And they set up for themselves the graven image which Michaias made, all the days that the house of God was in Selom; and it was so in those days [that] there was no king in Israel.
Enti Dan abusuakuo no toaa so somm nsɛsodeɛ a ɛyɛ Mika dea no wɔ ɛberɛ tenten a na Onyankopɔn Ahyiaeɛ Ntomadan no wɔ Silo.