< Jij 18 >

1 Nan tan sa a pa t' gen wa nan peyi Izrayèl la. Lè sa a, moun branch fanmi Dann yo t'ap chache yon pòsyon tè nan peyi a pou yo rete, paske depi tout tan sa a, nan tout branch fanmi pèp Izrayèl la, yo pa t' ankò resevwa pòsyon pa yo a.
In those days, there was no king in Israel. And the tribe of Dan sought a possession for themselves, so that they might live in it. For even to that day, they had not received their lot among the other tribes.
2 Moun Dann yo chwazi senk vanyan gason ki gen lespri nan branch fanmi yo, moun lavil Soreja ak moun lavil Echtawòl, yo voye yo al vizite tout peyi a pou wè ki jan sa ye. Se konsa, y' al nan mòn Efrayim yo, yo rive toupre lakay Mika, yo rete pase lannwit lan la.
Therefore, the sons of Dan sent five very strong men, of their stock and family, from Zorah and Eshtaol, so that they might explore the land and diligently inspect it. And they said to them, “Go, and consider the land.” And after traveling, they arrived at mount Ephraim, and they entered into the house of Micah. There they rested.
3 Antan yo te la bò kay Mika a, yo rekonèt vwa jenn moun Levi a. Yo pwoche, yo mande l': -Ki moun ki mennen ou isit la? Sa w'ap fè isit la? Kisa ou pèdi isit la?
And they recognized the speech of the youth who was a Levite. And while making use of an inn with him, they said to him: “Who brought you here? What are you doing here? For what reason did you want to come here?”
4 Li reponn yo: -Mwen gen yon dizon ak Mika, l'ap peye m', epi m'ap sèvi l' prèt.
And he answered them, “Micah has offered me one thing and another, and he has paid me wages, so that I may be his priest.”
5 Yo di l' konsa: -Tanpri, mande Bondye si n'ap jwenn sa n'ap chache nan vwayaj nou an.
Then they begged him to consult the Lord, so that they might be able to know whether the journey they undertook would be prosperous, and whether the matter would have success.
6 Prèt la di yo: -Nou pa bezwen pè. Seyè a ap voye je sou nou pandan tout vwayaj la.
And he responded to them, “Go in peace. The Lord looks with favor on your path, and on the journey that you have undertaken.”
7 Senk mesye yo ale, yo rive lavil layis. Yo wè ki jan moun ki te rete Layis yo te san pwoblèm, tankou moun peyi Sidon yo. Se te yon bann moun ki t'ap viv byen yonn ak lòt, ki pa t' nan kont ak pesonn nan peyi a. Yo te gen tou sa yo te bezwen. Yo t'ap viv byen lwen moun peyi Sidon yo, yo pa t' mele ak pesonn moun lòt nasyon yo.
And so the five men, going on, arrived at Laish. And they saw the people, living in it without any fear, according to the custom of the Sidonians, secure and peaceful, having hardly anyone to oppose them, and with great wealth, and living separately, far from Sidon and from all men.
8 Mesye yo tounen lavil Soreja ak lavil Echtawòl. Fanmi yo mande yo kisa yo wè.
And they returned to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol, who questioned them as to what they had done. And they responded:
9 Yo reponn: -Nou wè peyi a. Li bon anpil. Pa rete isit la bra kwaze ap gade. Prese non! Ann moute al pran peyi a pou nou.
“Rise up. Let us ascend to them. For we have seen that the land is very wealthy and fruitful. Do not delay; do not refrain. Let us go out and possess it. There will be no difficulty.
10 Lè n'a rive, n'a jwenn yon bann moun ki p'ap sispèk anyen. Peyi a laj anpil. Se Bondye menm ki ban nou peyi a. Se kote n'ap jwenn tou sa nou ka bezwen.
We shall enter to those who dwell securely, in a very wide region, and the Lord will deliver the place to us, a place in which there is no lack of anything that grows upon the earth.”
11 Se konsa sisan (600) gason nan branch fanmi Dann lan, yo tout moun lavil Soreja ak moun lavil Echtawòl, yo chak ak zam nan men yo, yo pati al goumen.
And so, those of the kindred of Dan set out, that is, six hundred men from Zorah and Eshtaol, girded with the weapons of warfare.
12 Yo moute, yo rete toupre lavil Kiriyat-Jearim, nan peyi Jida sou bò solèy kouche. Se poutèt sa, jouk jounen jòdi a, yo rele kote sa a Kan moun Dann yo.
And going up, they stayed at Kiriath-jearim of Judah. And so the place, from that time, received the name the Camp of Dan, and it is behind the back of Kiriath-jearim.
13 Apre sa, yo kite kote yo te ye a, y' al nan mòn Efrayim yo, yo rive bò kay Mika a.
From there, they crossed over to mount Ephraim. And when they had arrived at the house of Micah,
14 Lè sa a, senk mesye yo te voye al vizite peyi ki nan vwazinaj lavil layis la di lòt moun ki te avèk yo konsa: -Eske nou konnen, nan yonn nan kay sa yo gen yon estati ansanm ak lòt zidòl wogatwa? Gen yon estati an bwa ki kouvri ak ajan tou. Kisa nou kwè nou ta fè la a?
the five men, who before had been sent to consider the land of Laish, said to the rest of their brothers: “You know that in these houses there is an ephod and theraphim, and a molten idol and a graven image. Consider what it may please you to do.”
15 Yo fè yon ti chankre, yo antre lakay Mika, kote jenn moun fanmi Levi a te rete a. Yo mande l' nouvèl li.
And when they had turned aside a little, they entered the house of the Levite youth, who was in the house of Micah. And they greeted him with peaceful words.
16 Sisan moun fanmi Dann yo te kanpe ak tout zam yo nan men yo bò pòt devan an.
Now the six hundred men, who were all armed, were standing before the door.
17 Senk mesye yo te voye al vizite peyi a antre nan kay la, yo pran estati a, zidòl wogatwa yo ak estati an bwa ki kouvri ak ajan an. Prèt la menm te rete bò pòt devan an ak sisan sòlda ame yo.
But those who had entered the house of the youth strove to take away the graven image, and the ephod, and the theraphim, and the molten idol. But the priest was standing in front of the door, with the six hundred very strong men waiting not far away.
18 Lè prèt la wè senk mesye yo ki t'ap soti lakay Mika a ak estati a, zidòl wogatwa yo ak estati an bwa kouvri ak ajan an, li di yo: -Sa n'ap fè la a?
And so, those who had entered took away the graven image, the ephod, and the theraphim, and the molten idol. And the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”
19 Yo reponn li: -Pe bouch ou, monchè! Ou pa bezwen di anyen! Vin avèk nou, w'a sèvi nou konseye, w'a prèt nou tou. Sa ou pi pito: prèt fanmi yon grenn moun osinon prèt tout yon branch fanmi nan pèp Izrayèl la?
And they responded to him: “Be silent and place your finger over your mouth. And come with us, so that we may have you as a father as well as a priest. For which is better for you: to be a priest in the house of one man, or in one tribe and family in Israel?”
20 Sa te fè kè prèt la kontan. Li pran zidòl la, estati an bwa a, ak lòt zidòl wogatwa yo, epi l' ale ansanm ak yo.
And when he had heard this, he agreed to their words. And he took the ephod, and the idols, and the graven image, and he set out with them.
21 Mesye yo reprann chemen yo, y' al fè wout yo. Yo fè timoun yo pran devan ansanm ak bèt yo ak tout lòt bagay yo.
And while traveling, they had also sent the children, and the cattle, and all that was valuable to go ahead of them.
22 Yo te deja kite kay Mika a yon bèl ti bout, lè moun nan vwazinaj kay Mika yo sanble. Yo tanmen rapouswiv moun Dann yo.
And when they were far from the house of Micah, the men who were living in the houses of Micah, crying out together, followed them.
23 Yo t'ap rele dèyè yo. Moun Dann yo vire, yo mande Mika: -Sa ki genyen? Pouki tout moun sa yo dèyè nou an?
And they began to shout behind their backs. And when they had looked back, they said to Micah: “What do you want? Why are you crying out?”
24 Mika reponn yo: -N'ap mande m' sa ki genyen menm? Nou fin vòlò estati zidòl yo, ansanm ak prèt mwen an epi n' al fè wout nou. Ak kisa nou kite m' la a?
And he responded: “You have taken away my gods, which I made for myself, and the priest, and all that I have. And do you say, ‘What is it that you want?’”
25 Moun Dann yo di l' konsa: -Pa pale fò sou nou konsa, tande. Mesye yo va fache. Y'a tonbe sou ou. Lè sa a, ni ou ni moun lakay ou yo, n'a pèdi lavi nou.
And the sons of Dan said to him, “Take care that you no longer speak to us, otherwise men with a mind for violence may overwhelm you, and you yourself would perish with all your house.”
26 Aprè sa, moun Dann yo al fè wout yo. Mika menm, lè li wè mesye yo te pi fò pase l', li tounen tounen l', l' al lakay li.
And so, they continued on the journey that they had begun. But Micah, seeing that they were stronger than he was, returned to his house.
27 Moun Dann yo te pran bagay Mika te fè yo ansanm ak prèt ki t'ap sèvi li a pou yo. Yo rive lavil layis, kote moun yo t'ap viv byen yonn ak lòt san bri san kont, yo atake lavil la. Yo bat moun yo, yo touye yo tout epi yo met dife nan lavil la.
Now the six hundred men took the priest, and the things we stated above, and they went to Laish, to a people quiet and secure, and they struck them down with the edge of the sword. And they burned the city with fire.
28 Pa t' gen pesonn pou vin sove moun sa yo anba men moun Dann yo, paske lavil la te lwen peyi Sidon an anpil, lèfini tou, moun yo pa t' mele ak pesonn moun lòt nasyon yo. Lavil la te nan menm fon ak lavil Bètreyòb la. Moun Dann yo rebati lavil la, yo rete ladan l'.
For no one at all sent reinforcements, because they lived far away from Sidon, and they had no association or business with any man. Now the city was situated in the region of Rehob. And building it up again, they lived in it,
29 Yo rele l' lavil Dann, menm non ak Dann, zansèt yo a, pitit gason Jakòb la. Anvan sa, lavil la te rele Layis.
calling the name of the city Dan, according to the name of their father, who had been born of Israel, though before it was called Laish.
30 Moun Dann yo fè yon zidòl pou yo sèvi. Se Jonatan, pitit gason Gèchon ki li menm te pitit Moyiz, ki te sèvi yo prèt. Se pitit li yo ki te toujou sèvi yo prèt apre sa jouk lè yo te depòte pèp la nan peyi etranje.
And they established for themselves the graven image. And Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, with his sons, were priests in the tribe of Dan, even until the day of their captivity.
31 Zidòl Mika a te rete la nan mitan yo pandan tout tan kay Bondye a te lavil Silo.
And the idol of Micah remained with them during the entire time that the house of God was in Shiloh. In those days, there was no king in Israel.

< Jij 18 >