士師記 18
1 そのころイスラエルには王がなかった。そのころダンびとの部族はイスラエルの部族のうちにあって、その日までまだ嗣業の地を得なかったので自分たちの住むべき嗣業の地を求めていた。
In those days there was no king in Israel. In those days the tribe of the Danites sought an inheritance to dwell in; for to that day, their inheritance had not fallen to them among the tribes of Israel.
2 それでダンの人々は自分の部族の総勢のうちから、勇者五人をゾラとエシタオルからつかわして土地をうかがい探らせた。すなわち彼らに言った、「行って土地を探ってきなさい」。彼らはエフライムの山地に行き、ミカの家に着いて、そこに宿ろうとした。
The children of Dan sent five men of their family from their whole number, men of valor, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to search it. They said to them, “Go, explore the land!” They came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there.
3 彼らがミカの家に近づいたとき、レビびとである若者の声を聞きわけたので、身をめぐらしてそこにはいって彼に言った、「だれがあなたをここに連れてきたのですか。あなたはここで何をしているのですか。ここになんの用があるのですか」。
When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite; so they went over there and said to him, “Who brought you here? What do you do in this place? What do you have here?”
4 若者は彼らに言った、「ミカが、かようかようにしてわたしを雇ったので、わたしはその祭司となったのです」。
He said to them, “Thus and thus has Micah dealt with me, and he has hired me, and I have become his priest.”
5 彼らは言った、「どうぞ、神に伺って、われわれが行く道にしあわせがあるかどうかを知らせてください」。
They said to him, “Please ask counsel of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.”
6 その祭司は彼らに言った、「安心して行きなさい。あなたがたが行く道は主が見守っておられます」。
The priest said to them, “Go in peace. Your way in which you go is before the LORD.”
7 そこで五人の者は去ってライシに行き、そこにいる民を見ると、彼らは安らかに住まい、その穏やかで安らかなことシドンびとのようであって、この国には一つとして欠けたものがなく、富を持ち、またシドンびとと遠く離れており、ほかの民と交わることがなかった。
Then the five men departed and came to Laish and saw the people who were there, how they lived in safety, in the way of the Sidonians, quiet and secure; for there was no one in the land possessing authority, that might put them to shame in anything, and they were far from the Sidonians, and had no dealings with anyone else.
8 かくて彼らがゾラとエシタオルにおる兄弟たちのもとに帰ってくると、兄弟たちは彼らに言った、「いかがでしたか」。
They came to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol; and their brothers asked them, “What do you say?”
9 彼らは言った、「立って彼らのところに攻め上りましょう。われわれはかの地を見たが、非常に豊かです。あなたがたはなぜじっとしているのですか。ためらわずに進んで行って、かの地を取りなさい。
They said, “Arise, and let’s go up against them; for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very good. Do you stand still? Do not be slothful to go and to enter in to possess the land.
10 あなたがたが行けば、安らかにおる民の所に行くでしょう。その地は広く、神はそれをあなたがたの手に賜わるのです。そこには地にあるもの一つとして欠けているものはありません」。
When you go, you will come to an unsuspecting people, and the land is large; for God has given it into your hand, a place where there is no lack of anything that is in the earth.”
11 そこでダンの氏族のもの六百人が武器を帯びて、ゾラとエシタオルを出発し、
The family of the Danites set out from Zorah and Eshtaol with six hundred men armed with weapons of war.
12 上って行ってユダのキリアテ・ヤリムに陣を張った。このゆえに、その所は今日までマハネダンと呼ばれる。それはキリアテ・ヤリムの西にある。
They went up and encamped in Kiriath Jearim in Judah. Therefore they call that place Mahaneh Dan to this day. Behold, it is behind Kiriath Jearim.
13 彼らはそこからエフライムの山地に進み、ミカの家に着いた。
They passed from there to the hill country of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.
14 かのライシの国をうかがいに行った五人の者はその兄弟たちに言った、「あなたがたはこれらの家にエポデとテラピムと刻んだ像と鋳た像のあるのを知っていますか。それであなたがたは今、なすべきことを決めなさい」。
Then the five men who went to spy out the country of Laish answered and said to their brothers, “Do you know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a carved image, and a molten image? Now therefore consider what you have to do.”
15 そこで彼らはその方へ身をめぐらして、かのレビびとの若者の家すなわちミカの家に行って、彼に安否を問うた。
They went over there and came to the house of the young Levite man, even to the house of Micah, and asked him how he was doing.
16 しかし武器を帯びた六百人のダンの人々は門の入口に立っていた。
The six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate.
17 かの土地をうかがいに行った五人の者は上って行って、そこにはいり、刻んだ像とエポデとテラピムと鋳た像とを取ったが、祭司は武器を帯びた六百人の者と共に門の入口に立っていた。
The five men who went to spy out the land went up, and came in there, and took the engraved image, the ephod, the teraphim, and the molten image; and the priest stood by the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men armed with weapons of war.
18 彼らがミカの家にはいって刻んだ像とエポデとテラピムと鋳た像とを取った時、祭司は彼らに言った、「あなたがたは何をなさいますか」。
When these went into Micah’s house, and took the engraved image, the ephod, the teraphim, and the molten image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”
19 彼らは言った、「黙りなさい。あなたの手を口にあてて、われわれと一緒にきて、われわれのために父とも祭司ともなりなさい。ひとりの家の祭司であるのと、イスラエルの一部族、一氏族の祭司であるのと、どちらがよいですか」。
They said to him, “Hold your peace, put your hand on your mouth, and go with us. Be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?”
20 祭司は喜んで、エポデとテラピムと刻んだ像とを取り、民のなかに加わった。
The priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod, the teraphim, and the engraved image, and went with the people.
21 かくて彼らは身をめぐらして去り、その子供たちと家畜と貨財をさきにたてて進んだが、
So they turned and departed, and put the little ones, the livestock, and the goods before them.
22 ミカの家をはるかに離れたとき、ミカは家に近い家の人々を集め、ダンの人々に追いつき、
When they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house gathered together and overtook the children of Dan.
23 ダンの人々を呼んだので、彼らはふり向いてミカに言った、「あなたがそのように仲間を連れてきたのは、どうしたのですか」。
As they called to the children of Dan, they turned their faces, and said to Micah, “What ails you, that you come with such a company?”
24 彼は言った、「あなたがたが、わたしの造った神々および祭司を奪い去ったので、わたしに何が残っていますか。しかるにあなたがたがわたしに向かって『どうしたのですか』と言われるとは何事ですか」。
He said, “You have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and have gone away! What more do I have? How can you ask me, ‘What ails you?’”
25 ダンの人々は彼に言った、「あなたは大きな声を出さないがよい。気の荒い連中があなたに撃ちかかって、あなたは自分の命と家族の命を失うようになるでしょう」。
The children of Dan said to him, “Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows fall on you, and you lose your life, with the lives of your household.”
26 こうしてダンの人々は去って行ったが、ミカは彼らの強いのを見て、くびすをかえして自分の家に帰った。
The children of Dan went their way; and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house.
27 さて彼らはミカが造った物と、ミカと共にいた祭司とを奪ってライシにおもむき、穏やかで、安らかな民のところへ行って、つるぎをもって彼らを撃ち、火をつけてその町を焼いたが、
They took that which Micah had made, and the priest whom he had, and came to Laish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, and struck them with the edge of the sword; then they burned the city with fire.
28 シドンを遠く離れており、ほかの民との交わりがなかったので、それを救うものがなかった。その町はベテレホブに属する谷にあった。彼らは町を建てなおしてそこに住み、
There was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with anyone else; and it was in the valley that lies by Beth Rehob. They built the city and lived in it.
29 イスラエルに生れた先祖ダンの名にしたがって、その町の名をダンと名づけた。その町の名はもとはライシであった。
They called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel; however the name of the city used to be Laish.
30 そしてダンの人々は刻んだ像を自分たちのために安置し、モーセの孫すなわちゲルショムの子ヨナタンとその子孫がダンびとの部族の祭司となって、国が捕囚となる日にまで及んだ。
The children of Dan set up for themselves the engraved image; and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land.
31 神の家がシロにあったあいだ、常に彼らはミカが造ったその刻んだ像を飾って置いた。
So they set up for themselves Micah’s engraved image which he made, and it remained all the time that God’s house was in Shiloh.
