< Hakim-hakim 18 >

1 Pada masa itu di Israel tidak ada raja. Suku Dan masih mencari-cari daerah untuk menjadi wilayah mereka, sebab mereka belum juga mendapat tanah bersama suku-suku lainnya di dalam bangsa Israel.
In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel.
2 Karena itu mereka memilih lima orang yang gagah dari antara semua kaum dalam suku mereka yang tinggal di Zora dan Esytaol, lalu memberi tugas kepada kelima orang itu untuk menyelidiki negeri itu. Maka berangkatlah orang-orang itu, dan tiba di daerah pegunungan di wilayah Efraim. Di sana mereka menginap di rumah Mikha.
And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts, men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land: who when they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there.
3 Ketika hendak memasuki rumah itu mereka mendengar pemuda Lewi itu berbicara, dan mereka mengenali logatnya. Jadi, mereka mendatangi dia dan bertanya, "Mengapa kau di sini? Apa urusanmu? Siapa yang membawamu?"
When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite: and they turned in thither, and said unto him, Who brought you here? and what make you in this place? and what have you here?
4 Orang muda itu menjawab, "Saya di sini karena Mikha. Dialah yang mengangkat saya menjadi imamnya, dan memberi gaji kepada saya."
And he said unto them, Thus and thus deals Micah with me, and has hired me, and I am his priest.
5 Lalu kata mereka kepadanya, "Kalau begitu, tolong tanyakan kepada Allah apakah perjalanan kami ini akan berhasil atau tidak."
And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray you, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.
6 Jawab imam itu, "Jangan khawatir. TUHAN telah merestui perjalanan kalian ini."
And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the LORD is your way wherein all of you go.
7 Setelah itu berangkatlah kelima orang itu lalu pergi ke Lais. Di situ mereka memperhatikan penduduknya. Nyatalah bahwa cara hidup penduduk Lais itu seperti cara hidup bangsa Sidon. Walaupun mereka terpencil, dan jauh dari bangsa Sidon, mereka hidup aman dan tentram, tidak mempunyai musuh, makmur, serta tidak kurang sesuatu apa pun.
Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and there was no magistrate in the land, that might put them to shame in any thing; and they were far from the Zidonians, and had no business with any man.
8 Ketika kelima orang itu kembali kepada orang-orang sesukunya di Zora dan Esytaol, mereka diminta memberikan laporan.
And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto them, What say all of you?
9 Mereka pun berkata, "Mari kita menyerang Lais. Kami sudah ke sana, dan melihat bahwa tanahnya baik, luas dan makmur, segalanya ada. Jangan tetap saja di sini dan tidak berbuat apa-apa. Cepatlah ke sana dan merebut negeri itu. Kalian akan mendapati bahwa penduduknya sama sekali tidak menyangka akan diserang. Kami yakin Allah telah memberikan negeri itu kepada kalian."
And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are all of you still? be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess the land.
When all of you go, all of you shall come unto a people secure, and to a large land: for God has given it into your hands; a place where there is no lack of any thing that is in the earth.
11 Karena itu, berangkatlah dari Zora dan Esytaol 600 orang suku Dan. Dengan senjata lengkap,
And there went from thence of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men appointed with weapons of war.
12 mereka pergi ke bagian barat Kiryat-Yearim di wilayah Yehuda lalu berkemah di situ. Itulah sebabnya tempat itu masih dinamakan Perkemahan Dan.
And they went up, and pitched in Kirjathjearim, in Judah: wherefore they called that place Mahanehdan unto this day: behold, it is behind Kirjathjearim.
13 Dari sana mereka berjalan terus ke daerah pegunungan Efraim sampai ke rumah Mikha.
And they passed thence unto mount Ephraim, and came unto the house of Micah.
14 Kelima orang mata-mata yang dahulu diutus itu berkata kepada kawan-kawannya, "Tahukah kalian bahwa di salah satu rumah ini ada patung yang berlapis perak? Ada juga patung-patung lain dan efod. Coba pikirkan apa yang harus kita buat."
Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do all of you know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what all of you have to do.
15 Lalu mereka pergi ke rumah Mikha, tempat pemuda Lewi itu tinggal, dan menanyakan keadaannya.
And they turned in that direction, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and saluted him.
16 Pada waktu itu keenam ratus prajurit suku Dan, yang bersenjata lengkap itu, sedang berdiri di depan pintu gerbang.
And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, which were of the children of Dan, stood by the entering of the gate.
17 Kelima mata-mata itu langsung masuk ke dalam rumah, lalu mengambil patung kayu yang berlapis perak itu bersama dengan patung-patung lainnya, dan efod. Pemuda Lewi itu sedang berdiri dengan keenam ratus prajurit itu di pintu gerbang.
And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war.
18 Ketika kelima orang itu masuk ke rumah Mikha dan mengambil efod serta patung-patung berhala itu, pemuda Lewi itu bertanya, "Apa ini yang kalian lakukan?"
And these went into Micah's house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto them, What do all of you?
19 Mereka menjawab, "Diam! Jangan bertanya. Ikut saja dengan kami, nanti engkau menjadi imam dan penasihat kami. Daripada menjadi imam untuk satu keluarga saja, lebih baik menjadi imam untuk satu suku!"
And they said unto him, Hold your peace, lay your hand upon your mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for you to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that you be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel?
20 Pemuda Lewi itu senang dengan saran itu. Jadi, ia mengambil efod dan patung-patung berhala itu lalu ikut dengan mereka.
And the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.
21 Kemudian rombongan itu meneruskan perjalanan mereka, didahului oleh anak-anak, ternak dan barang-barang mereka.
So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the carriage before them.
22 Ketika mereka sudah jauh, Mikha memanggil tetangga-tetangganya lalu bersama-sama mengejar orang-orang suku Dan itu. Setelah dekat dengan mereka,
And when they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that were in the houses near to Micah's house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan.
23 Mikha dan orang-orangnya itu berteriak-teriak kepada mereka. Orang-orang suku Dan itu menoleh dan bertanya kepada Mikha, "Ada apa? Mengapa datang dengan begitu banyak orang?"
And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, What disturbs you, that you come with such a company?
24 Mikha menjawab, "Kamu melarikan patung-patung saya dan imamnya, sehingga saya tidak mempunyai apa-apa lagi, lalu kamu berkata, 'Ada apa!'"
And he said, All of you have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and all of you are gone away: and what have I more? and what is this that all of you say unto me, What disturbs you?
25 Kata orang-orang suku Dan itu, "Lebih baik tutup mulut; jangan sampai orang-orang ini menjadi marah lalu menyerang engkau. Nanti engkau dan seluruh keluargamu mati."
And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not your voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows run upon you, and you lose your life, with the lives of your household.
26 Setelah mengatakan demikian, orang-orang suku Dan itu meneruskan perjalanan mereka. Mikha melihat bahwa mereka jauh lebih kuat dari dia, karena itu ia membalik lalu pulang.
And the children of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house.
27 Sesudah orang-orang suku Dan itu melarikan imam itu serta barang-barang ibadat buatan Mikha itu, mereka pergi menyerang Lais, kota yang penduduknya hidup aman dan tentram. (Kota itu berada dalam satu lembah dengan kota Bet-Rehob). Orang-orang Dan itu membunuh seluruh penduduk Lais lalu membakar kota itu. Tidak ada yang datang menolong orang-orang Lais itu karena tempat mereka terpencil dan jauh dari Sidon. Setelah itu orang-orang Dan membangun kembali kota itu kemudian tinggal di sana.
And they took the things which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people that were resting and secure: and they stroke them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire.
And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Zidon, and they had no business with any man; and it was in the valley that lies by Bethrehob. And they built a city, and dwelt therein.
29 Nama kota itu mereka ganti menjadi Dan, menurut nama bapak leluhur mereka, yaitu Dan, anak Yakub.
And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel: nevertheless the name of the city was Laish at the first.
30 Patung berhala yang mereka bawa itu, mereka dirikan di kota itu lalu mengangkat Yonatan, anak Gersom, cucu Musa, menjadi imam mereka. Keturunan Gersom ini tetap menjadi imam suku Dan itu sampai masa umat Israel diangkut dan dibuang ke negeri lain.
And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.
31 Patung berhala buatan Mikha itu tetap di Lais selama Kemah Tuhan berada di Silo.
And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

< Hakim-hakim 18 >