Atiirĩrĩri 18
1 Na rĩrĩ, matukũ-inĩ macio Isiraeli gũtiarĩ na mũthamaki. Na matukũ-inĩ macio mũhĩrĩga wa Dani nĩwacaragia kũndũ kwao gwa gũtũũra, tondũ matiegwatĩire igai rĩao gatagatĩ-inĩ ka mĩhĩrĩga ya Isiraeli.
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.
2 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio andũ a Dani magĩthuura njamba cia ita ithano kuuma Zora na Eshitaoli ithiĩ igathigaane bũrũri ũcio na ituĩrie ũhoro. Andũ a mũhĩrĩga wa Dani makĩmeera atĩrĩ, “Thiĩi, mũgatuĩrie ũhoro wa bũrũri ũcio.” Andũ acio magĩtoonya bũrũri ũrĩa ũrĩ irĩma wa Efiraimu na magĩkinya mũciĩ wa Mika kũrĩa maararĩrĩire ũtukũ ũcio.
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.
3 Na rĩrĩa maakuhĩrĩirie nyũmba ya Mika, magĩkũũrana mũgambo wa mwanake ũcio Mũlawii; nĩ ũndũ ũcio magĩtoonya kuo makĩmũũria atĩrĩ, “Nũũ wakũrehire gũkũ? Nĩ kĩĩ ũreka kũndũ gũkũ? Nĩ kĩĩ gĩtũmĩte ũkorwo ũrĩ gũkũ?”
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?”
4 Nake akĩmeera ũrĩa Mika aamwĩkĩire, akĩmeera atĩrĩ, “We nĩanyandĩkĩte na niĩ ndĩ mũthĩnjĩri-Ngai wake.”
“Micah arranged things for me, and he hired me as his priest,” he told them.
5 Nao magĩcooka makĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Twagũthaitha ũtũtuĩrĩrie ũhoro kũrĩ Ngai tũmenye kana rũgendo rwitũ nĩrũkũgaacĩra.”
“Please ask the Lord for us so we can find out if our journey will be successful,” they asked him.
6 Nake mũthĩnjĩri-Ngai ũcio akĩmacookeria atĩrĩ, “Thiĩi na thayũ. Rũgendo rwanyu nĩ rwĩtĩkĩrĩku nĩ Jehova.”
“Go in peace,” the priest replied. “The journey you are taking is being observed by the Lord.”
7 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio andũ acio atano makiuma kuo na magĩkinya Laishi, kũrĩa maakorire atĩ andũ maatũũraga na thayũ matarĩ na ũgwati, o ta andũ a Sidoni, mategwĩkũũa na mategwĩtigĩra. Na tondũ bũrũri wao ndwarĩ kĩndũ waagaga, maarĩ atongu. Ningĩ maatũũraga kũraya na andũ a Sidoni, na matiatarainie na mũndũ o na ũrĩkũ.
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.
8 Na rĩrĩa maacookire Zora na Eshitaoli, ariũ a ithe makĩmooria atĩrĩ, “Mũronire atĩa?”
The men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their relatives asked them, “What did you…?”
9 Magĩcookia atĩrĩ, “Ũkĩrai tũthiĩ tũkamatharĩkĩre! Nĩtuonete atĩ bũrũri ũcio nĩ mwega mũno. Anga gũtirĩ ũndũ mũgwĩka? Mũtigatithie gũthiĩ mũkaũtunyane.
“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!
10 Mwakinya kuo, nĩmũgũkorerera andũ mategwĩkũũa ũgwati o na ũrĩkũ. Bũrũri ũcio nĩ mũnene ũrĩa Ngai aneanĩte moko-inĩ manyu, bũrũri ũtagaga kĩndũ o na kĩrĩkũ.”
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!”
11 Hĩndĩ ĩyo andũ magana matandatũ a kuuma mũhĩrĩga wa Dani, meeohete indo cia mbaara, makiumagara kuuma Zora na Eshitaoli.
So six hundred Danite armed men left Zorah and Eshtaol, ready to attack.
12 Marĩ njĩra-inĩ, makĩamba hema ciao gũkuhĩ na Kiriathu-Jearimu kũu Juda. Nĩkĩo gĩtũmaga handũ hau he mwena wa ithũĩro rĩa Kiriathu-Jearimu heetwo Mahane-Dani nginya ũmũthĩ.
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.
13 Kuuma kũu magĩthiĩ na mbere nginya bũrũri ũrĩa ũrĩ irĩma wa Efiraimu na magĩkinya mũciĩ wa Mika.
Then they left from there and went into the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah's house.
14 Ningĩ andũ acio atano arĩa maathigaanĩte bũrũri ũcio wa Laishi makĩĩra ariũ a ithe atĩrĩ, “Inyuĩ nĩmũũĩ atĩ nyũmba ĩmwe ya ici ĩrĩ na ebodi, na ngai ingĩ cia nyũmba, na mũhianano mũicũhie, na mũhianano wa gũtwekio? Rĩu nĩmwamenya ũrĩa mũgwĩka.”
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.”
15 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio magĩtoonya nyũmba ya mwanake ũcio Mũlawii o kũu mũciĩ kwa Mika na makĩmũgeithia.
The five men left the road and went to where the young Levite was living in Micah's home to ask how he was.
16 Nao andũ acio a Dani magana matandatũ meeohete indo cia mbaara makĩrũgama hau kĩhingo-inĩ.
The six hundred Danite armed men stood at the entrance by the gate.
17 Andũ acio atano arĩa maathigaanĩte bũrũri ũcio magĩtoonya thĩinĩ, makĩoya mũhianano ũrĩa mũicũhie, na ebodi, na ngai icio ingĩ cia nyũmba na mũhianano wa gũtwekio, nake mũthĩnjĩri-Ngai o na andũ acio magana matandatũ meeohete indo cia mbaara maarũgamĩte hau kĩhingo-inĩ.
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.
18 Rĩrĩa andũ acio maatoonyire nyũmba ya Mika na makĩoya mũhianano wa gwacũhio, na ebodi, na ngai icio ingĩ cia nyũmba, na mũhianano wa gũtwekio-rĩ, mũthĩnjĩri-ngai ũcio akĩmooria atĩrĩ, “Nĩ atĩa mũreka?”
When the priest saw them taking all the religious objects from Micah's home, he asked them, “What are you doing?”
19 Nao makĩmũcookeria atĩrĩ, “Kira ki! Ndũkoige ũndũ. Ũka ũtwarane na ithuĩ, ũtuĩke ithe witũ na mũthĩnjĩri-Ngai witũ. Githĩ ti wega ũgĩtungatĩra rũrĩrĩ na mũhĩrĩga thĩinĩ wa Isiraeli ũrĩ mũthĩnjĩri-Ngai, handũ ha gũtungatĩra nyũmba ya mũndũ ũmwe?”
“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?”
20 Nake mũthĩnjĩri-Ngai ũcio agĩkena. Akĩoya ebodi, na ngai iria ingĩ cia nyũmba, na mũhianano ũrĩa mũicũhie, nake agĩthiĩ na andũ acio.
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.
21 Nao makĩhũndũka magĩthiĩ matongoretio nĩ ciana ciao iria nini na mahiũ mao, na indo ciao.
They continued their journey, putting their children, livestock, and possessions ahead of them.
22 Rĩrĩa maakorirwo mathiĩte handũ haraaya kuuma nyũmba ya Mika-rĩ, andũ arĩa maatũũraga hakuhĩ na Mika makĩũngana hamwe na magĩkinyĩra andũ acio a Dani.
The Danites were already quite a way from Micah's home when men from Micah's village caught up with them,
23 O andũ acio makĩmoigagĩrĩria-rĩ, andũ a Dani makĩĩhũgũra makĩũria Mika atĩrĩ, “Kaĩ wona atĩa tondũ weta andũ aku othe marũe?”
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?”
24 Akĩmacookeria atĩrĩ, “Muoire ngai iria ndethondekeire, o na mũthĩnjĩri-ngai wakwa, na mwathiĩ. Nĩ kĩĩ kĩngĩ ngĩrĩ nakĩo? Mwakĩhota atĩa kũũria atĩrĩ, ‘Kaĩ wona atĩa?’”
“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?’”
25 Andũ acio a Dani magĩcookia atĩrĩ, “Tiga gũkararania na ithuĩ, kana ũtharĩkĩrwo nĩ andũ amwe arĩa me marakara, nawe hamwe na nyũmba yaku mũũrwo nĩ mĩoyo yanyu.”
“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!”
26 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio andũ acio a Dani magĩĩthiĩra, nake Mika, ona atĩ maarĩ na hinya mũnene mũno kũmũkĩra, akĩhũndũka agĩcooka mũciĩ.
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.
27 Ningĩ makĩoya kĩrĩa Mika aathondekete, na mũthĩnjĩri-Ngai wake, magĩthiĩ nginya Laishi, magĩũkĩrĩra andũ maarĩ na thayũ na matekũũaga ũndũ. Makĩmatharĩkĩra na rũhiũ rwa njora na magĩcina itũũra rĩao inene.
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.
28 Gũtiarĩ na mũndũ wa kũmahonokia tondũ maatũũraga kũraihu na Sidoni na matiatarainie na mũndũ o na ũrĩkũ. Itũũra rĩu inene rĩarĩ gĩtuamba-inĩ kĩrĩa kĩarĩ hakuhĩ na Bethi-Rehobu. Andũ acio a Dani magĩaka itũũra rĩu inene rĩngĩ na magĩthaamĩra kuo.
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.
29 Makĩrĩĩta Dani o ta ithe wao Dani ũrĩa waciarĩtwo nĩ Isiraeli o na gũtuĩka itũũra rĩu inene rĩetagwo Laishi mbere ĩyo.
They renamed the city Dan after their forefather, the son of Israel. Laish was its former name.
30 Andũ a Dani makĩĩhaandĩra mĩhianano kũu, nake Jonathani mũrũ wa Gerishomu, mũrũ wa Musa, na ariũ ake magĩtuĩka athĩnjĩri-Ngai mũhĩrĩga-inĩ wa Dani nginya hĩndĩ ĩrĩa andũ acio maatahirwo makĩrutwo bũrũri ũcio.
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.
31 Magĩthiĩ na mbere kũhũthĩra mĩhianano ĩrĩa Mika aathondekete, ihinda rĩrĩa rĩothe nyũmba ya Ngai yarĩ Shilo.
They worshiped the carved idol that Micah had made the whole time God's Temple was at Shiloh.
