Κριταί 18
1 ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις οὐκ ἦν βασιλεὺς ἐν Ισραηλ καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις ἡ φυλὴ Δαν ἐζήτει αὑτῇ κληρονομίαν κατοικῆσαι ὅτι οὐκ ἐνέπεσεν αὐτῇ ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης ἐν μέσῳ φυλῶν Ισραηλ κληρονομία
In those days there was no king in Israel, and the tribe of the Danites was looking for territory to occupy. For up to that time they had not come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.
2 καὶ ἀπέστειλαν οἱ υἱοὶ Δαν ἀπὸ δήμων αὐτῶν πέντε ἄνδρας υἱοὺς δυνάμεως ἀπὸ Σαραα καὶ ἀπὸ Εσθαολ τοῦ κατασκέψασθαι τὴν γῆν καὶ ἐξιχνιάσαι αὐτὴν καὶ εἶπαν πρὸς αὐτούς πορεύεσθε καὶ ἐξιχνιάσατε τὴν γῆν καὶ ἦλθον ἕως ὄρους Εφραιμ ἕως οἴκου Μιχαια καὶ ηὐλίσθησαν ἐκεῖ
So the Danites sent out five men from their clans, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. “Go and explore the land,” they told them. The men entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night.
3 αὐτοὶ ἐν οἴκῳ Μιχαια καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐπέγνωσαν τὴν φωνὴν τοῦ νεανίσκου τοῦ Λευίτου καὶ ἐξέκλιναν ἐκεῖ καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ τίς ἤνεγκέν σε ὧδε καὶ τί σὺ ποιεῖς ἐν τῷ τόπῳ τούτῳ καὶ τί σοι ὧδε
And while they were near Micah’s house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; so they went over and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?”
4 καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς οὕτως καὶ οὕτως ἐποίησέν μοι Μιχαιας καὶ ἐμισθώσατό με καὶ ἐγενόμην αὐτῷ εἰς ἱερέα
“Micah has done this and that for me,” he replied, “and he has hired me to be his priest.”
5 καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ ἐρώτησον δὴ ἐν τῷ θεῷ καὶ γνωσόμεθα εἰ εὐοδωθήσεται ἡ ὁδὸς ἡμῶν ἐν ᾗ ἡμεῖς πορευόμεθα ἐν αὐτῇ
Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God to determine whether we will have a successful journey.”
6 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ ἱερεύς πορεύεσθε ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἐνώπιον κυρίου ἡ ὁδὸς ὑμῶν ἐν ᾗ πορεύεσθε ἐν αὐτῇ
And the priest told them, “Go in peace. The LORD is watching over your journey.”
7 καὶ ἐπορεύθησαν οἱ πέντε ἄνδρες καὶ ἦλθον εἰς Λαισα καὶ εἶδαν τὸν λαὸν τὸν ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς καθήμενον ἐπ’ ἐλπίδι ὡς κρίσις Σιδωνίων ἡσυχάζουσα καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν διατρέπων ἢ καταισχύνων λόγον ἐν τῇ γῇ κληρονόμος ἐκπιέζων θησαυροῦ καὶ μακράν εἰσιν Σιδωνίων καὶ λόγον οὐκ ἔχουσιν πρὸς ἄνθρωπον
So the five men departed and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living securely, like the Sidonians, tranquil and unsuspecting. There was nothing lacking in the land and no oppressive ruler. And they were far away from the Sidonians and had no alliance with anyone.
8 καὶ ἦλθον οἱ πέντε ἄνδρες πρὸς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτῶν εἰς Σαραα καὶ Εσθαολ καὶ εἶπον τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς αὐτῶν τί ὑμεῖς κάθησθε
When the men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers asked them, “What did you find?”
9 καὶ εἶπαν ἀνάστητε καὶ ἀναβῶμεν ἐπ’ αὐτούς ὅτι εἴδομεν τὴν γῆν καὶ ἰδοὺ ἀγαθὴ σφόδρα καὶ ὑμεῖς ἡσυχάζετε μὴ ὀκνήσητε τοῦ πορευθῆναι καὶ εἰσελθεῖν τοῦ κληρονομῆσαι τὴν γῆν
They answered, “Come on, let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and it is very good. Why would you fail to act? Do not hesitate to go there and take possession of the land!
10 καὶ ἡνίκα ἂν ἔλθητε εἰσελεύσεσθε πρὸς λαὸν ἐπ’ ἐλπίδι καὶ ἡ γῆ πλατεῖα ὅτι ἔδωκεν αὐτὴν ὁ θεὸς ἐν χειρὶ ὑμῶν τόπος ὅπου οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκεῖ ὑστέρημα παντὸς ῥήματος τῶν ἐν τῇ γῇ
When you enter, you will come to an unsuspecting people and a spacious land, for God has delivered it into your hand. It is a place where nothing on earth is lacking.”
11 καὶ ἀπῆραν ἐκεῖθεν ἀπὸ δήμων τοῦ Δαν ἀπὸ Σαραα καὶ ἀπὸ Εσθαολ ἑξακόσιοι ἄνδρες ἐζωσμένοι σκεύη παρατάξεως
So six hundred Danites departed from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war.
12 καὶ ἀνέβησαν καὶ παρενέβαλον ἐν Καριαθιαριμ ἐν Ιουδα διὰ τοῦτο ἐκλήθη ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ τόπῳ παρεμβολὴ Δαν ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης ἰδοὺ ὀπίσω Καριαθιαριμ
They went up and camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. That is why the place west of Kiriath-jearim is called Mahaneh-dan to this day.
13 καὶ παρῆλθον ἐκεῖθεν ὄρος Εφραιμ καὶ ἦλθον ἕως οἴκου Μιχαια
And from there they traveled to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah’s house.
14 καὶ ἀπεκρίθησαν οἱ πέντε ἄνδρες οἱ πεπορευμένοι κατασκέψασθαι τὴν γῆν Λαισα καὶ εἶπαν πρὸς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτῶν ἔγνωτε ὅτι ἔστιν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τούτῳ εφωδ καὶ θεραφιν καὶ γλυπτὸν καὶ χωνευτόν καὶ νῦν γνῶτε ὅ τι ποιήσετε
Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish said to their brothers, “Did you know that one of these houses has an ephod, household gods, a graven image, and a molten idol? Now think about what you should do.”
15 καὶ ἐξέκλιναν ἐκεῖ καὶ εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ νεανίσκου τοῦ Λευίτου οἶκον Μιχαια καὶ ἠρώτησαν αὐτὸν εἰς εἰρήνην
So they turned aside there and went to the home of the young Levite, the house of Micah, and greeted him.
16 καὶ οἱ ἑξακόσιοι ἄνδρες οἱ ἀνεζωσμένοι τὰ σκεύη τῆς παρατάξεως αὐτῶν ἑστῶτες παρὰ θύρας τῆς πύλης οἱ ἐκ τῶν υἱῶν Δαν
The six hundred Danites stood at the entrance of the gate, armed with their weapons of war.
17 καὶ ἀνέβησαν οἱ πέντε ἄνδρες οἱ πορευθέντες κατασκέψασθαι τὴν γῆν
And the five men who had gone to spy out the land went inside and took the graven image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molten idol, while the priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred armed men.
18 καὶ εἰσῆλθον ἐκεῖ εἰς οἶκον Μιχαια καὶ ὁ ἱερεὺς ἑστώς καὶ ἔλαβον τὸ γλυπτὸν καὶ τὸ εφωδ καὶ τὸ θεραφιν καὶ τὸ χωνευτόν καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὁ ἱερεύς τί ὑμεῖς ποιεῖτε
When they entered Micah’s house and took the graven image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molten idol, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”
19 καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ κώφευσον ἐπίθες τὴν χεῖρά σου ἐπὶ τὸ στόμα σου καὶ δεῦρο μεθ’ ἡμῶν καὶ γενοῦ ἡμῖν εἰς πατέρα καὶ εἰς ἱερέα μὴ ἀγαθὸν εἶναί σε ἱερέα οἴκου ἀνδρὸς ἑνὸς ἢ γενέσθαι σε ἱερέα φυλῆς καὶ οἴκου εἰς δῆμον Ισραηλ
“Be quiet,” they told him. “Put your hand over your mouth and come with us and be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest for the house of one person or a priest for a tribe and family in Israel?”
20 καὶ ἠγαθύνθη ἡ καρδία τοῦ ἱερέως καὶ ἔλαβεν τὸ εφωδ καὶ τὸ θεραφιν καὶ τὸ γλυπτὸν καὶ τὸ χωνευτὸν καὶ ἦλθεν ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ λαοῦ
So the priest was glad and took the ephod, the household idols, and the graven image, and went with the people.
21 καὶ ἐπέστρεψαν καὶ ἀπῆλθαν καὶ ἔθηκαν τὰ τέκνα καὶ τὴν κτῆσιν καὶ τὸ βάρος ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν
Putting their small children, their livestock, and their possessions in front of them, they turned and departed.
22 αὐτοὶ ἐμάκρυναν ἀπὸ οἴκου Μιχαια καὶ ἰδοὺ Μιχαιας καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες οἱ ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις ταῖς μετὰ οἴκου Μιχαια ἐβόησαν καὶ κατελάβοντο τοὺς υἱοὺς Δαν
After they were some distance from Micah’s house, the men in the houses near Micah’s house mobilized and overtook the Danites.
23 καὶ ἐπέστρεψαν τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν υἱοὶ Δαν καὶ εἶπαν τῷ Μιχαια τί ἐστίν σοι ὅτι ἐβόησας
When they called out after them, the Danites turned to face them and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you that you have called out such a company?”
24 καὶ εἶπεν Μιχαιας ὅτι τὸ γλυπτόν μου ὃ ἐποίησα ἐλάβετε καὶ τὸν ἱερέα καὶ ἐπορεύθητε καὶ τί ἐμοὶ ἔτι καὶ τί τοῦτο λέγετε πρός με τί κράζεις
He replied, “You took the gods I had made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you say to me, ‘What is the matter with you?’”
25 καὶ εἶπον πρὸς αὐτὸν οἱ υἱοὶ Δαν μὴ ἀκουσθήτω δὴ φωνή σου μεθ’ ἡμῶν μήποτε συναντήσωσιν ἐν ἡμῖν ἄνδρες πικροὶ ψυχῇ καὶ προσθήσουσιν ψυχὴν καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ οἴκου σου
The Danites said to him, “Do not raise your voice against us, or angry men will attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives.”
26 καὶ ἐπορεύθησαν οἱ υἱοὶ Δαν εἰς ὁδὸν αὐτῶν καὶ εἶδεν Μιχαιας ὅτι δυνατώτεροί εἰσιν ὑπὲρ αὐτόν καὶ ἐπόστρεψεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ
So the Danites went on their way, and Micah turned to go back home, because he saw that they were too strong for him.
27 καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ Δαν ἔλαβον ὃ ἐποίησεν Μιχαιας καὶ τὸν ἱερέα ὃς ἦν αὐτῷ καὶ ἦλθον ἐπὶ Λαισα ἐπὶ λαὸν ἡσυχάζοντα καὶ πεποιθότα ἐπ’ ἐλπίδι καὶ ἐπάταξαν αὐτοὺς ἐν στόματι ῥομφαίας καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἐνέπρησαν ἐν πυρί
After they had taken Micah’s idols and his priest, they went to Laish, to a tranquil and unsuspecting people, and they struck them with their swords and burned down the city.
28 καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ ῥυόμενος ὅτι μακράν ἐστιν ἀπὸ Σιδωνίων καὶ λόγος οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῖς μετὰ ἀνθρώπου καὶ αὐτὴ ἐν τῇ κοιλάδι τοῦ οἴκου Ρααβ καὶ ᾠκοδόμησαν τὴν πόλιν καὶ κατεσκήνωσαν ἐν αὐτῇ
There was no one to deliver them, because the city was far from Sidon and had no alliance with anyone; it was in a valley near Beth-rehob. And the Danites rebuilt the city and lived there.
29 καὶ ἐκάλεσαν τὸ ὄνομα τῆς πόλεως Δαν ἐν ὀνόματι Δαν πατρὸς αὐτῶν ὃς ἐτέχθη τῷ Ισραηλ καὶ Ουλαμαις τὸ ὄνομα τῆς πόλεως τὸ πρότερον
They named it Dan, after their forefather Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city was formerly named Laish.
30 καὶ ἔστησαν ἑαυτοῖς οἱ υἱοὶ Δαν τὸ γλυπτόν καὶ Ιωναθαμ υἱὸς Γηρσομ υἱὸς Μανασση αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ ἦσαν ἱερεῖς τῇ φυλῇ Δαν ἕως ἡμέρας ἀποικίας τῆς γῆς
The Danites set up idols for themselves, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.
31 καὶ ἔθηκαν αὐτοῖς τὸ γλυπτόν ὃ ἐποίησεν Μιχαιας πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ἃς ἦν ὁ οἶκος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν Σηλωμ
So they set up for themselves Micah’s graven image, and it was there the whole time the house of God was in Shiloh.
