Mwet Nununku 18
1 In pacl se inge wangin tokosra lun mwet Israel. Oayapa in pacl se inge mwet in sruf lal Dan elos suk pac sie acn elos in oakwuki we, mweyen soenna oasr acn itukyang nu selos tuh in ma lalos inmasrlon sruf lun Israel.
At that time the Israelis had no king. Also at that time, the tribe of Dan was still searching for some land where they could live. The other Israeli tribes had [been able to] ([capture/take possession of]) [the] land that had been allotted to them, but the tribe of Dan had not been able to do that.
2 Ouinge mwet Dan elos sulela mwet pulaik limekosr inmasrlon sruf sac nufon, ac elos supwalosla liki acn Zorah ac Eshtaol ac sap elos in som ac tuni luman acn sac nufon oana mwet kalngeyuk. Ke elos sun infulan eol uh in acn Ephraim elos tuh muta ke lohm sel Micah.
So they chose five soldiers from their clans, men who lived in Zorah and Eshtaol [cities], to go through the land and explore it [and try to find some land where their tribe could live]. They came to Micah’s house in the hilly area where the tribe of Ephraim lived, and they stayed there that night.
3 Ke elos muta we elos lohng ahyen sramsram lun mwet fusr Levi sac lah siena, na elos kalukyang nu yorol ac fahk, “Mea kom oru inge uh, ac su uskomme nu inge?”
While they were in his house and they heard the young man who had become Micah’s priest talking, they recognized from (his accent/the way that he talked) [that he was from the southern part of Israel]. So they went to him and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing here? Why did you come here?”
4 Na el fahk nu selos, “Micah el srukyuyak ngan orekma lal, ac el moli nu sik tuh nga in mwet tol lal.”
He told them the things that Micah had done for him. And he said, “Micah (has hired me/is paying me to work for him), and I have become his priest.”
5 Na elos fahk nu sel, “Nunak munas siyuk sin God ke fahsr se lasr inge lah ac wo ouiya.”
So they said to him, “Please ask God if we will succeed [in what we are trying to do] on this journey.”
6 Na mwet tol sac fahk, “Nik kowos fosrnga, tuh LEUM GOD El ac fah karingin kowos ke fahsr lowos ingan.”
The young man replied, “Things will go well for you. Yahweh will go with you on this journey.”
7 Ouinge mwet limekosr ah som ac tuku nu in acn Laish, ac elos liye tuh mwet we elos muta in misla, oana mwet Sidon. Elos tiana akukuin yurin kutena mwet saya, ac arulana misla nunak lalos. Oayapa elos fas ke ma nukewa, wangin ma elos enenu. Elos muta loes liki acn mwet Sidon elos muta we, ac elos tia asruoki yurin kutena mutunfacl saya.
[The next day] the five men left. When they came to Laish [city], they saw that the people there lived safely, like the people in Sidon [city] did. The people there thought that they were safe/protected [from any enemies], and they had plenty of [good fertile] land. They lived very far from the people of Sidon, [so the people of Sidon would not be able to help defend/protect them]. They had no other (allies/groups nearby that would help them in battles).
8 Ke mwet limekosr ah folokla nu in acn Zorah ac Eshtaol, mwet wialos elos siyuk selos, “Fuka ma kowos som kac ah?”
When those five men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their relatives asked them “What did you find out?”
9 Ac elos fahk, “Fahsru, kut som mweuni acn Laish. Kut liye tuh acn we arulana wo. Nikmet pahtlac. Sulaklak! Kowos som eisla acn we!
They replied, “We have found some land, and it is very good. We should go and attack the people [who live there]. Why are you staying here and doing nothing [RHQ]? Do not wait any longer! We should go immediately and take possession of that land!
10 Kowos fin sun acn we, kowos fah liye lah mwet we ah tiana akoeyuk mweun ma, ac acn na lulap se pa inge ac wangin ma elos kwaco kac. God El sot tari tuh in ma lowos.”
When you go there, you will see that there is plenty of land, and it has everything [that we will need]. The people there are not expecting anyone to attack them. Surely God is giving that land to us.”
11 Ouinge mwet onfoko sin sruf lal Dan elos som liki acn Zorah ac Eshtaol, ac akola in mweun.
So 600 men from the tribe of Dan left Zorah and Eshtaol, carrying their weapons.
12 Elos utyak nu in acn Kiriath Jearim in acn Judah ac tulokunak lohm nuknuk selos we. Pa inge sripa se oru pangpang acn se inge Nien Aktuktuk lal Dan nwe misenge.
On their way they set up their tents near Kiriath-Jearim [city] in [the area where the tribe of] Judah [lives]. That is why the area west of Kiriath-Jearim was named ‘Camp of Dan’, and that is still its name.
13 Na elos som we lac nwe ke elos tuku sun lohm sel Micah ke fulan eol in acn Ephraim.
From there, they went to the hilly area where the tribe of Ephraim lives. And they arrived at Micah’s house.
14 Na mwet limekosr ma tuh som in tuni acn Laish elos fahk nu sin mwet wialos, “Ya kowos etu lah sie sin lohm inge oasr sie ma sruloala orek ke sak ac nukumyukla nufon ke silver— Ma sruloala saya ac sie nuknuk in mwet tol pangpang ephod oasr pac we. Kowos nunku tuh mea wo kut in oru?”
The five men who had explored the land near Laish said to their fellow Israelis, “Do you know that in one of these houses there is a sacred vest, several idols, and a statue? [We think that] you know what you should do.” [RHQ]
15 Na elos utyak nu in lohm sel Micah, nu yen mwet fusr Levi sac muta we, ac elos siyuk sel lah el fuka.
So they went to the house where the man from the tribe of Levi lived, which was the house where Micah lived, and they greeted the young man from the tribe of Levi [who had become Micah’s priest].
16 In pacl sac pacna, mwet Dan onfoko su akola in mweun elos tu ke mutunpot in siti sac.
The 600 men of the tribe of Dan stood outside the gate of the house, carrying their weapons.
17 Mwet kalngeyuk limekosr elos utyak na nu in lohm sac ac usla ma sruloala se ma orek ke sak ac nukumyukla ke silver, oayapa ma sruloala ngia ac nuknuk ephod sac. Na mwet tol sac el tu na ke mutunpot yurin mwet mweun onfoko su akola nu ke mweun.
The five men who had explored the land went into Micah’s house, and took all the idols, the sacred vest, and the statue. While they did that, the 600 men stood outside the gate, [talking] with the priest.
18 Ke mwet inge elos utyak nu in lohm sel Micah ac usla nuknuk ephod sac ac ma sruloala se ma orekla ke sak ac nukumyukla ke silver, oayapa ma sruloala saya ma oan in lohm sac, mwet tol sac el siyuk selos, “Mea kowos oru ingan?”
When the priest saw them bringing out the idols and the sacred vest and the statue, he said to them, “What are you doing?”
19 Elos fahk nu sel, “Misla! Nimet kaskas. Fahsru wi kut, mweyen kut lungse kom in mwet tol lasr, ac oana sie papa nu sesr. Pia kac ma wo uh — kom in mwet tol lun mwet sefanna ac sou lal, ku kom in mwet tol lun mwet nukewa ke sie sin sruf lun mwet Israel?”
They replied, “Be quiet! Do not say anything! You come with us and be [like] a father to us and a priest for us. Is it better for you to [stay here and] be a priest for the people in the house of one man, or to be a priest for a clan, and a priest for a whole tribe of Israelis?” [RHQ]
20 Mwet tol sac el arulana engan ke kas se inge, na el eis nuknuk ephod sac ac ma sruloala se ma orekla ke sak ac nukumyukla ke silver, oayapa ma sruloala saya liki lohm sac, ac el wi mwet Israel ah som.
The priest liked what they were suggesting. So he took the sacred vest and the idols, and he [prepared to] go with the men from the tribe of Dan.
21 Na elos forla ac mutawauk fahsr, ac tulik natulos, kosro natulos, ac ma lalos nukewa fahsr meet lukelos.
They all put their little children and their animals and everything else that they owned in front of them.
22 Ke elos som loes liki lohm sel Micah, na Micah el pangoneni mwet tulan lal in ukwalos. Ac ke elos sun mwet Dan inge,
After they had gone a little distance from Micah’s house, Micah [saw what was happening. He] quickly summoned the men who lived near him, and they ran and caught up with the men from the tribe of Dan.
23 elos wo elos. Na mwet Dan elos forla ac siyuk sel Micah, “Mea se inge— Mwe mea u na lulap se ingan?”
They shouted at them. The men of the tribe of Dan turned around and said to Micah, “What is the problem? Why have you gathered these men [to pursue us]?”
24 Na Micah el topuk ac fahk, “Mea kowos fahk an, ku kowos fahsrot ac usla mwet tol se luk oayapa god nukewa ma nga orala, na mea lula luk?”
Micah shouted, “You took the silver idols that were made for me! You also took my priest! I do not have anything left [RHQ]! So why do you ask me, ‘What is the problem?’”
25 Na mwet Dan elos fahk nu sel, “Taran, kom fin sifil fahk kutu ma na mwet inge ac foloyak ac lain kom. Ku na in anwuki kom ac sou lom an nufon.”
The men from the tribe of Dan replied, “You should not shout loudly like that! One of our angry men might attack you and kill you and your family!”
26 Na mwet Dan elos sifilpa fahsr som. Ke Micah el akilen lah mwet inge arulana ku lukel, el forla ac folokla nu acn sel ah.
Then the men from the tribe of Dan continued walking. Micah realized that there was a very large group of them, [so that it would be useless for him to try to fight them]. So he turned around and went home.
27 Na mwet Dan elos us mwet tol sac ac ma nukewa Micah el tuh orala, na elos som ac mweuni mwet Laish. Mwet in acn se inge elos muta in misla. Mwet Dan elos uniya mwet we, ac esukak acn we.
The men of the tribe of Dan were carrying the things that had been made for Micah, and they also took his priest, and they continued traveling to Laish. They attacked the people who were peacefully living there, and killed them with their swords, and then they burned everything in the city.
28 Wangin mwet in molelosla, mweyen acn Laish oan loesla liki acn Sidon ke infahlfal se Bethrehob oan we, oayapa mwet Laish elos tia wi asruoki nu sin kutena mutunfacl saya. Mwet Dan elos sifil musaela acn we ac oakwuki we.
Laish was far from [the city of] Sidon, [so the people of Sidon could not rescue the people of Laish]. And the people of Laish had no other allies. Laish was in a valley near Beth-Rehob [town]. The people of the tribe of Dan rebuilt the city and started to live there.
29 Elos ekulla e se inge Laish, ac sang inen acn sac Dan, ke inen papa matu tumalos Dan, sie sin wen natul Jacob.
They gave to the city a [new] name, Dan, in honor of their ancestor Dan, who was one of the sons of Jacob.
30 Mwet Dan elos tulokunak ma sruloala sac mwet uh in alu nu kac. Na Jonathan, wen natul Gershom su ma natul Moses, el mwet tol lalos nwe ke na utukla elos nu ke sruoh.
The people of the tribe of Dan set up [in the city] the idols [that had been made for Micah]. Jonathan, who was the son of Gershom and the grandson of Moses, was appointed to be their priest. His descendants continued to be priests until the Israelis were captured and taken [to Assyria].
31 Ma sruloala lal Micah oanna we ke lusen pacl ma Lohm Nuknuk Mutal lun God oan in acn Shiloh.
After the people of the tribe of Dan set up the idols that had been made for Micah, [they worshiped those idols, even though] the Sacred Tent [where they had been commanded to worship] God, was at Shiloh.
