Judges 18
1 At that time the Israelis had no king. Also at that time, the tribe of Dan was still searching for some land where they could live. The other Israeli tribes had [been able to] ([capture/take possession of]) [the] land that had been allotted to them, but the tribe of Dan had not been able to do that.
En aquellos días no había rey en Israel. Y en aquellos días la tribu de Dan buscaba posesión para sí donde morase, porque hasta entonces no le había caído su suerte entre las tribus de Israel por heredad.
2 So they chose five soldiers from their clans, men who lived in Zorah and Eshtaol [cities], to go through the land and explore it [and try to find some land where their tribe could live]. They came to Micah’s house in the hilly area where the tribe of Ephraim lived, and they stayed there that night.
Y los hijos de Dan enviaron de su tribu cinco hombres de sus términos, hombres valientes, de Zora y Estaol, para que reconociesen y explorasen bien la tierra; y les dijeron: Id y reconoced la tierra. Estos vinieron al monte de Efraín, hasta la casa de Micaía, y allí posaron.
3 While they were in his house and they heard the young man who had become Micah’s priest talking, they recognized from (his accent/the way that he talked) [that he was from the southern part of Israel]. So they went to him and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing here? Why did you come here?”
Y cuando estaban cerca de la casa de Micaía, reconocieron el acento de la voz del joven levita; y llegándose allá, le dijeron: ¿Quién te ha traído por acá? ¿Y qué haces aquí? ¿Y qué tienes tú por aquí?
4 He told them the things that Micah had done for him. And he said, “Micah (has hired me/is paying me to work for him), and I have become his priest.”
Y él les respondió: De esta y de esta manera ha hecho conmigo Micaía, y me ha tomado para que sea su sacerdote.
5 So they said to him, “Please ask God if we will succeed [in what we are trying to do] on this journey.”
Y ellos le dijeron: Pregunta, pues, ahora a Dios, para que sepamos si ha de prosperar nuestro viaje que hacemos.
6 The young man replied, “Things will go well for you. Yahweh will go with you on this journey.”
Y el sacerdote les respondió: Id en paz, que vuestro viaje que hacéis es delante del SEÑOR.
7 [The next day] the five men left. When they came to Laish [city], they saw that the people there lived safely, like the people in Sidon [city] did. The people there thought that they were safe/protected [from any enemies], and they had plenty of [good fertile] land. They lived very far from the people of Sidon, [so the people of Sidon would not be able to help defend/protect them]. They had no other (allies/groups nearby that would help them in battles).
Entonces aquellos cinco hombres partieron, y vinieron a Lais; y vieron que el pueblo que habitaba en ella estaba seguro, ocioso y confiado, conforme a la costumbre de los de Sidón; no había nadie en aquella región que los perturbase en cosa alguna para poseer aquel reino; además de esto, estaban lejos de los sidonios, y no tenían negocios con nadie.
8 When those five men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their relatives asked them “What did you find out?”
Volviendo, pues, ellos a sus hermanos en Zora y Estaol, sus hermanos les dijeron: ¿Qué hay? Y ellos respondieron:
9 They replied, “We have found some land, and it is very good. We should go and attack the people [who live there]. Why are you staying here and doing nothing [RHQ]? Do not wait any longer! We should go immediately and take possession of that land!
Levantaos, subamos contra ellos; porque nosotros hemos explorado la región, y hemos visto que es muy buena; ¿y vosotros os estáis quedos? No seáis perezosos en poneros en marcha para ir a poseer la tierra.
10 When you go there, you will see that there is plenty of land, and it has everything [that we will need]. The people there are not expecting anyone to attack them. Surely God is giving that land to us.”
Cuando allá llegaréis, vendréis a una gente segura, y a una tierra de ancho asiento; pues que Dios la ha entregado en vuestras manos; lugar donde no hay falta de cosa que sea en la tierra.
11 So 600 men from the tribe of Dan left Zorah and Eshtaol, carrying their weapons.
Y partiendo los de Dan de allí, de Zora y de Estaol, seiscientos hombres armados de armas de guerra,
12 On their way they set up their tents near Kiriath-Jearim [city] in [the area where the tribe of] Judah [lives]. That is why the area west of Kiriath-Jearim was named ‘Camp of Dan’, and that is still its name.
fueron y asentaron campamento en Quiriat-jearim, en Judá; de donde aquel lugar fue llamado el campamento de Dan, hasta hoy; está detrás de Quiriat-jearim.
13 From there, they went to the hilly area where the tribe of Ephraim lives. And they arrived at Micah’s house.
Y pasando de allí al monte de Efraín, vinieron hasta la casa de Micaía.
14 The five men who had explored the land near Laish said to their fellow Israelis, “Do you know that in one of these houses there is a sacred vest, several idols, and a statue? [We think that] you know what you should do.” [RHQ]
Entonces aquellos cinco hombres que habían ido a reconocer la tierra de Lais, dijeron a sus hermanos: ¿No sabéis como en estas casas hay efod y terafines, e imagen de talla y de fundición? Mirad, pues, lo que habéis de hacer.
15 So they went to the house where the man from the tribe of Levi lived, which was the house where Micah lived, and they greeted the young man from the tribe of Levi [who had become Micah’s priest].
Y llegándose allá, vinieron a la casa del joven levita en casa de Micaía, y le preguntaron cómo estaba.
16 The 600 men of the tribe of Dan stood outside the gate of the house, carrying their weapons.
Y los seiscientos hombres, que eran de los hijos de Dan, estaban armados de sus armas de guerra a la entrada de la puerta.
17 The five men who had explored the land went into Micah’s house, and took all the idols, the sacred vest, and the statue. While they did that, the 600 men stood outside the gate, [talking] with the priest.
Y subiendo los cinco hombres que habían ido a reconocer la tierra, entraron allá, y tomaron la imagen de talla, y el efod, y los terafines, y la imagen de fundición, mientras estaba el sacerdote a la entrada de la puerta con los seiscientos hombres armados de armas de guerra.
18 When the priest saw them bringing out the idols and the sacred vest and the statue, he said to them, “What are you doing?”
Entrando, pues, aquellos en la casa de Micaía, tomaron la imagen de talla, el efod, y el terafin, y la imagen de fundición. Y el sacerdote les dijo: ¿Qué hacéis vosotros?
19 They replied, “Be quiet! Do not say anything! You come with us and be [like] a father to us and a priest for us. Is it better for you to [stay here and] be a priest for the people in the house of one man, or to be a priest for a clan, and a priest for a whole tribe of Israelis?” [RHQ]
Y ellos le respondieron: Calla, pon la mano sobre tu boca, y vente con nosotros, para que seas nuestro padre y sacerdote. ¿Es mejor que seas tú sacerdote en casa de un hombre solo, que de una tribu y familia de Israel?
20 The priest liked what they were suggesting. So he took the sacred vest and the idols, and he [prepared to] go with the men from the tribe of Dan.
Y se alegró el corazón del sacerdote; el cual tomando el efod y los terafines, y la imagen, se vino entre la gente.
21 They all put their little children and their animals and everything else that they owned in front of them.
Y ellos tornaron y se fueron; y pusieron los niños, y el ganado y el bagaje, delante de sí.
22 After they had gone a little distance from Micah’s house, Micah [saw what was happening. He] quickly summoned the men who lived near him, and they ran and caught up with the men from the tribe of Dan.
Y cuando ya se habían alejado de la casa de Micaía, los hombres que habitaban en las casas cercanas a la casa de Micaía, se juntaron, y siguieron a los hijos de Dan.
23 They shouted at them. The men of the tribe of Dan turned around and said to Micah, “What is the problem? Why have you gathered these men [to pursue us]?”
Y dando voces a los de Dan, éstos volvieron sus rostros, y dijeron a Micaía: ¿Qué tienes que has juntado gente?
24 Micah shouted, “You took the silver idols that were made for me! You also took my priest! I do not have anything left [RHQ]! So why do you ask me, ‘What is the problem?’”
Y él respondió: Mis dioses que yo hice, que lleváis juntamente con el sacerdote, y os vais; ¿qué más me queda? ¿Y a qué propósito me decís: Qué tienes?
25 The men from the tribe of Dan replied, “You should not shout loudly like that! One of our angry men might attack you and kill you and your family!”
Y los hijos de Dan le dijeron: No des voces tras nosotros, que por ventura los varones de ánimo colérico os acometan, y pierdas también tu vida, y la vida de los tuyos.
26 Then the men from the tribe of Dan continued walking. Micah realized that there was a very large group of them, [so that it would be useless for him to try to fight them]. So he turned around and went home.
Y yéndose los hijos de Dan su camino, y viendo Micaía que eran más fuertes que él, volvió y regresó a su casa.
27 The men of the tribe of Dan were carrying the things that had been made for Micah, and they also took his priest, and they continued traveling to Laish. They attacked the people who were peacefully living there, and killed them with their swords, and then they burned everything in the city.
Y ellos llevando las cosas que había hecho Micaía, juntamente con el sacerdote que tenía, llegaron a Lais, al pueblo reposado y seguro; y los metieron a cuchillo, y abrasaron la ciudad con fuego.
28 Laish was far from [the city of] Sidon, [so the people of Sidon could not rescue the people of Laish]. And the people of Laish had no other allies. Laish was in a valley near Beth-Rehob [town]. The people of the tribe of Dan rebuilt the city and started to live there.
Y no hubo quien los defendiese, porque estaban lejos de Sidón, y no tenían comercio con nadie. Y la ciudad estaba en el valle que hay en Bet-rehob. Luego reedificaron la ciudad, y habitaron en ella.
29 They gave to the city a [new] name, Dan, in honor of their ancestor Dan, who was one of the sons of Jacob.
Y llamaron el nombre de aquella ciudad Dan, conforme al nombre de Dan su padre, hijo de Israel, bien que antes se llamaba la ciudad Lais.
30 The people of the tribe of Dan set up [in the city] the idols [that had been made for Micah]. Jonathan, who was the son of Gershom and the grandson of Moses, was appointed to be their priest. His descendants continued to be priests until the Israelis were captured and taken [to Assyria].
Y los hijos de Dan se levantaron imagen de talla; y Jonatán, hijo de Gersón, hijo de Manasés, él y sus hijos fueron sacerdotes en la tribu de Dan, hasta el día de la transmigración de la tierra.
31 After the people of the tribe of Dan set up the idols that had been made for Micah, [they worshiped those idols, even though] the Sacred Tent [where they had been commanded to worship] God, was at Shiloh.
Y levantaron la imagen de Micaía, la cual él había hecho, todo el tiempo que la casa de Dios estuvo en Silo.
