Judges 18

1 In those days there is no king in Israel, and in those days the tribe of the Danite is seeking for itself an inheritance to inhabit, for [that] hath not fallen to it unto that day in the midst of the tribes of Israel by inheritance.

Pada waktu itu Israel tidak punya raja. Lagipula suku Dan masih mencari tanah warisanuntuk mereka tempati, karena sampai saat itu mereka belum mendapat tanah warisan di antara suku-suku Israel lainnya.

2 And the sons of Dan send, out of their family, five men of them, men, sons of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to traverse the land, and to search it, and they say unto them, 'Go, search the land;' and they come into the hill-country of Ephraim, unto the house of Micah, and lodge there.

Karena itu mereka membentuk satu regu yang terdiri dari lima orang laki-laki suku Dan. Semuanya kuat dan pemberani. Orang-orang pilihan itu berasal dari kota Zora dan Estaol. Kepada regu itu diperintahkan, “Pergi dan selidikilah di daerah mana kita bisa menetap.” Regu itu pun berangkat. Sesampainya di perbukitan Efraim, mereka bermalam di rumah Mika.

3 They [are] with the household of Micah, and they have discerned the voice of the young man, the Levite, and turn aside there, and say to him, 'Who hath brought thee hither? and what art thou doing in this [place?] and what to thee here?'

Ketika berada di situ, mereka mendengar seorang pemuda berbicara dengan logat dari daerah Israel sebelah selatan. Maka mereka menghampiri pemuda itu dan bertanya, “Mengapa kamu ada di sini? Siapa yang mengajakmu ke sini, dan apa yang kamu lakukan di sini?”

4 And he saith unto them, 'Thus and thus hath Micah done to me; and he hireth me, and I am to him for a priest.'

Jawab pemuda itu, “Saya di sini karena Mika mempekerjakan saya sebagai imamnya.”

5 And they say to him, 'Ask, we pray thee, at God, and we know whether our way is prosperous on which we are going.'

Lalu mereka meminta kepadanya, “Kalau begitu, tolong tanyakan kepada Allah, apakah perjalanan kami ini akan berhasil atau tidak.”

6 And the priest saith to them, 'Go in peace; over-against Jehovah [is] your way in which ye go.'

Jawab imam itu, “Pergilah dengan selamat. TUHAN menyertai perjalananmu.”

7 And the five men go, and come in to Laish, and see the people which [is] in its midst, dwelling confidently, according to the custom of Zidonians, quiet and confident; and there is none putting to shame in the land in [any] thing, possessing restraint, and they [are] far off from the Zidonians, and have no word with [any] man.

Kemudian regu itu melanjutkan perjalanan dan sampai di kota Lais. Di sana mereka melihat bahwa rakyat Lais hidup dengan tenteram sehingga tidak berjaga-jaga terhadap musuh, mirip cara hidup orang Sidon, tenang dan aman. Tidak ada yang menjajah mereka, dan kalau kota itu diserang, mereka terlalu jauh untuk mendapat pertolongan dari orang Sidon. Selain itu, Lais tidak menjalin hubungan dengan kota-kota lain.

8 And they come in unto their brethren, at Zorah and Eshtaol, and their brethren say to them, 'What — ye?'

Sesudah regu itu kembali ke Zora dan Estaol, saudara-saudara sesuku mereka bertanya, “Apa yang kalian lihat di sana?”

9 And they say, 'Rise, and we go up against them, for we have seen the land, and lo, very good; and ye are keeping silent! be not slothful to go — to enter to possess the land.

Jawab mereka, “Kami melihat tanah Lais yang sangat sejahtera. Ayo kita serang mereka! Jangan diam saja! Kita harus cepat-cepat masuk merebut wilayah itu!

10 When ye go, ye come in unto a people confident, and the land [is] large on both hands, for God hath given it into your hand, a place where there is no lack of anything which [is] in the land.'

Waktu kita ke sana, kita akan mendapati mereka tidak berjaga-jaga. Allah sudah memberi kita tanah yang luas dan tidak kekurangan apa pun!”

11 And there journey thence, of the family of the Danite, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, six hundred men girded with weapons of war.

Maka berangkatlah pasukan suku Dan yang terdiri dari 600 warga kota Zora dan Estaol. Mereka diperlengkapi dengan senjata perang.

12 And they go up and encamp in Kirjath-Jearim, in Judah, therefore they have called that place, 'Camp of Dan,' till this day; lo, behind Kirjath-Jearim.

Mereka mendaki ke sebelah barat Kiryat Yearim di Yehuda dan berkemah di sana. Karena itu, sampai waktu kitab ini ditulis, tempat itu disebut Mahane Dan, yang artinya Perkemahan Dan.

13 And they pass over thence [to] the hill-country of Ephraim, and come in unto the house of Micah.

Dari sana, mereka terus naik ke perbukitan Efraim dan sampai di dekat rumah Mika.

14 And the five men, those going to traverse the land of Laish, answer and say unto their brethren, 'Have ye known that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and graven image, and molten image? and now, know what ye do.'

Kelima orang yang mengintai Lais berkata kepada saudara-saudara mereka, “Di rumah-rumah itu ada efod, patung-patung berhala pelindung keluarga, dan sebuah patung dewa yang berlapis perak. Nah, kita tahu apa yang harus kita lakukan. Ayo!”

15 And they turn aside thither, and come in unto the house of the young man the Levite, the house of Micah, and ask of him of welfare, —

Maka kelima orang itu menyimpang ke rumah Mika dan menyapa pemuda Lewi itu.

16 (and the six hundred men girded with their weapons of war, who [are] of the sons of Dan, are standing at the opening of the gate), —

Sementara itu, 600 orang pasukan Dan yang bersenjata berdiri di pintu gerbang.

17 yea, the five men, those going to traverse the land, go up — they have come in thither — they have taken the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image — and the priest is standing at the opening of the gate, and the six hundred men who are girded with weapons of war —

Ketika imam itu keluar menemui 600 tentara suku Dan di pintu gerbang, kelima orang itu masuk ke dalam rumah dan mengambil patung yang berlapis perak, efod, serta patung-patung berhala pelindung keluarga.

18 yea, these have entered the house of Micah, and take the graven image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image; and the priest saith unto them, 'What are ye doing?'

Ketika imam itu melihat bahwa mereka mengambil efod dan patung-patung itu, dia berseru kepada mereka, “Apa-apaan ini!”

19 and they say to him, 'Keep silent, lay thy hand on thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us for a father and for a priest: is it better thy being a priest to the house of one man, or thy being priest to a tribe and to a family in Israel?'

Jawab mereka, “Diam! Tutup mulutmu! Ikutlah kami menjadi penasihat dan imam bagi kami. Mana yang lebih baik? Menjadi imam bagi satu orang atau menjadi imam bagi satu suku?”

20 And the heart of the priest is glad, and he taketh the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and goeth into the midst of the people,

Imam itu senang mendengarnya. Dia pun ikut bersama mereka dengan membawa efod, patung yang berlapis perak, dan patung-patung berhala pelindung keluarga.

21 and they turn and go, and put the infants, and the cattle, and the baggage, before them.

Pasukan Dan melanjutkan perjalanan. Mereka menempatkan anak-anak, ternak, serta barang-barang berharga di rombongan terdepan.

22 They have been far off from the house of Micah — and the men who [are] in the houses which [are] near the house of Micah have been called together, and overtake the sons of Dan,

Ketika pasukan Dan sudah jauh dari rumah Mika, Mika memanggil tetangga-tetangganya dan mereka mengejar rombongan itu.

23 and call unto the sons of Dan, and they turn round their faces, and say to Micah, 'What — to thee that thou hast been called together?'

Sewaktu mereka sudah dekat, mereka berteriak memanggil pasukan itu. Pasukan Dan menoleh dan bertanya kepada Mika, “Mau apa kamu? Buat apa ramai-ramai mengejar kami?”

24 And he saith, 'My gods which I made ye have taken, and the priest, and ye go; and what to me more? and what [is] this ye say unto me, What — to thee!'

Jawab Mika, “Enak saja kalian bertanya, ‘Mau apa kamu!’ Kalian sudah merebut semua milik saya! Kalian pergi membawa patung-patung dewa buatan saya. Imam saya juga kalian ambil!”

25 And the sons of Dan say unto him, 'Let not thy voice be heard with us, lest men bitter in soul fall upon you, and thou hast gathered thy life, and the life of thy household;'

Orang-orang Dan mengancamnya, “Tidak usah banyak mulut! Awas, orang-orang kami bisa marah mendengarnya. Kamu sekeluarga belum mau mati, bukan?”

26 and the sons of Dan go on their way, and Micah seeth that they are stronger than he, and turneth, and goeth back unto his house.

Ketika Mika menyadari bahwa pasukan Dan jauh lebih kuat daripadanya, dia pun kembali ke rumah, sementara pasukan itu melanjutkan perjalanan.

27 And they have taken that which Micah had made, and the priest whom he had, and come in against Laish, against a people quiet and confident, and smite them by the mouth of the sword, and the city have burnt with fire,

Pasukan Dan membawa patung-patung buatan Mika beserta imamnya ke kota Lais, yang penduduknya hidup aman dan tenteram. Mereka membunuh semua penduduknya dan membakar kota itu.

28 and there is no deliverer, for it [is] far off from Zidon, and they have no word with [any] man, and it [is] in the valley which [is] by Beth-Rehob; and they build the city, and dwell in it,

Tidak ada yang datang menolong penduduk Lais, karena kota itu jauh dari kota Sidon, lagipula mereka tidak menjalin hubungan dengan kota-kota lain. Lais berada di lembah dekat kota Bet Rehob. Kemudian suku Dan membangun kembali kota itu dan tinggal di sana.

29 and call the name of the city Dan, by the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel; and yet Laish [is] the name of the city at the first.

Mereka mengganti nama kota Lais menjadi kota Dan, menurut nama nenek moyang mereka, yaitu Dan anak Yakub.

30 And the sons of Dan raise up for themselves the graven image, and Jonathan son of Gershom, son of Manasseh, he and his sons have been priests to the tribe of the Danite, till the day of the removal of [the people] of the land.

Mereka mendirikan patung buatan Mika itu dan menahbiskan imam Mika tadi menjadi imam mereka. Namanya Yonatan anak Gersom, cucu Musa. Anak-cucu Yonatan turun-temurun menjadi imam bagi suku Dan sampai masa orang Israel ditawan ke negeri lain.

31 And they appoint for them the graven image of Micah, which he had made, all the days of the house of God being in Shiloh.

Patung yang dibuat Mika itu tetap di sana selama kemah Tuhan berada di Silo.