Mpitsara 18
1 Ary tamin’ izany andro izany dia tsy nisy mpanjaka teo amin’ ny Isiraely; ary tamin’ izany andro izany kosa ny firenen’ i Dana nitady lova mba honenany, satria na dia hatramin’ izany andro izany aza dia tsy mbola nahazo lova ho azy teo amin’ ny firenen’ Isiraely izy.
At that time Israel didn't have a king. The tribe of Dan was looking for territory where they could live, because up until then they hadn't gained possession of the land granted to them among the tribes of Israel.
2 Ary ny taranak’ i Dana naniraka dimy lahy nofantenany avy amin’ ny fokony rehetra, dia lehilahy mahery, avy tany Zora sy Estaola, mba hisafo ny tany sy hizaha ny toetrany; ary hoy izy taminy: Mandehana izahao ny toetry ny tany. Ary tonga tany amin’ ny tany havoan’ i Efraima tao an-tranon’ i Mika izy, dia nandry tao.
So the Danites chose from among them five leading men from Zorah and Eshtaol to scout out the land and explore it. “Go and explore the land,” they told them. When the men came to the hill country of Ephraim, they arrived at Micah's house where they spent the night.
3 Rehefa mby teo akaikin’ ny tranon’ i Mika izy, dia fantany ny feon’ ilay Levita zatovo; dia nivily teo izy ka nanao taminy hoe: Iza no nitondra anao tatỳ? ary maninona atỳ ianao? ary inona no anananao atỳ?
While they were there, they recognized the young Levite's accent, so they went to him and asked him, “So who brought you here, and what are you doing in this place? Why are you here?”
4 Dia hoy kosa izy taminy: Izany ka izany no nataon’ i Mika tamiko, ary efa nanamby ahy izy, ka efa mpisorony aho izao.
“Micah arranged things for me, and he hired me as his priest,” he told them.
5 Dia hoy izy ireo taminy: Masìna ianao, manontania amin’ Andriamanitra mba ho fantatray na hambinina amin’ ny lalana alehanay izahay, na tsia.
“Please ask the Lord for us so we can find out if our journey will be successful,” they asked him.
6 Dia hoy ilay mpisorona taminy: Mandehana soa aman-tsara; fa eo anatrehan’ i Jehovah izao lalana alehanareo izao.
“Go in peace,” the priest replied. “The journey you are taking is being observed by the Lord.”
7 Dia nandeha izy dimy lahy ka tonga tany Laisy, ary hitany ny olona tao, fa nonina tsy nanana ahiahy tahaka ny fanaon’ ny Sidoniana izy, dia nandry fahizay ka tsy nanana ahiahy, sady tsy nisy mpanapaka hampahory azy teo amin’ ny tany na amin’ inona na amin’ inona; ary lavitra ny Sidoniana izy sady tsy nanan-draharaha tamin’ olona akory.
The five men left and went to the town of Laish. They observed that the people there lived in safety, and followed the customs of the Sidonians. The people were unsuspecting and confident of their security, at home in a productive land. They didn't have a strong ruler, they lived a long way from the Sidonians, and had no other allies to help them.
8 Dia nandeha ho any amin’ ny rahalahiny any Zora sy Estaola ireo; ary hoy ny rahalahiny taminy: Naninona moa ianareo?
The men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their relatives asked them, “What did you…?”
9 Dia hoy izy: Mitsangàna, ka aoka isika hiakatra hamely azy; fa efa nahita ny tany izahay, fa, indro, tsara indrindra izany; moa mbola mijanonjanona ihany va ianareo? aza malain-kandeha hiditra handova ny tany.
“Come on, let's go and attack them!” the men interrupted. “We've surveyed the land, and it's excellent! Aren't you going to do something? Don't put off going there and occupying the land!
10 Raha mandeha ianareo, dia ho tonga any amin’ ny olona tsy manana ahiahy sy any amin’ ny tany malalaka; fa efa natolotr’ Andriamanitra ho eo an-tananareo izany; dia tany tapi-javatra irina atỳ ambonin’ ny tany.
When you get there you'll find the people are unsuspecting and the land is extensive. God has given you a place where there's no shortage of anything!”
11 Dia nisy niainga avy tamin’ ny fokon’ i Dana, avy tany Zora sy Estaola, dia enin-jato lahy efa voaomana tamin’ ny fiadiany.
So six hundred Danite armed men left Zorah and Eshtaol, ready to attack.
12 Ary niakatra ireo ka nitoby tany Kiriata-jearima any Joda (izany no nanaovana ny anaran’ izany tany izany hoe mandraka androany Mahane-dana; indro, eo andrefan’ i Kiriata-jearima izany).
En route they camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. That's why the place west of Kiriath-jearim is called the Camp of Dan to this very day.
13 Dia niala tao izy ka nandroso nantany amin’ ny tany havoan’ i Efraima, dia tonga tao an-tranon’ i Mika.
Then they left from there and went into the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah's house.
14 Ary niteny izy dimy lahy, izay nandeha hisafo ny tany Laisy, ka nanao tamin’ ny rahalahiny hoe: Fantatrareo va fa ato amin’ ireto trano ireto misy efoda sy terafima ary sarin-javatra voasokitra sy sarin-javatra an-idina? koa hevero izay hataonareo.
Then the five men who had gone to scout out the land of Laish told the other tribesmen, “Do you realize that here in these houses there's an ephod, household gods, and a carved idol, an image made with molten silver? So you know what you should do.”
15 Dia nivily tao izy ka tonga tao an-tranon’ ilay Levita zatovo, dia tao an-tranon’ i Mika, ka niarahaba azy.
The five men left the road and went to where the young Levite was living in Micah's home to ask how he was.
16 Ary ny enin-jato lahy efa voaomana tamin’ ny fiadiany, izay avy tamin’ ny taranak’ i Dana, dia nijanona teo anoloan’ ny vavahady.
The six hundred Danite armed men stood at the entrance by the gate.
17 Ary niakatra izy dimy lahy, izay nandeha hisafo ny tany, dia niditra ka naka ny sarin-javatra voasokitra sy ny efoda sy ny terafima ary ny sarin-javatra an-idina; ary ny mpisorona mbamin’ ny enin-jato lahy efa voaomana tamin’ ny fiadiany nijanona teo anoloan’ ny vavahady.
The five men went inside and took the carved idol, the ephod, the household idols, and the image made with molten silver. The priest was standing by the gate with the six hundred armed men.
18 Dia niditra tao an-tranon’ i Mika ireo ka naka ny sarin-javatra voasokitra sy ny efoda sy ny terafima ary ny sarin-javatra an-idina. Ary hoy ny mpisorona taminy: Maninona ianareo?
When the priest saw them taking all the religious objects from Micah's home, he asked them, “What are you doing?”
19 Dia hoy ireo taminy: Mangìna ianao, tampeno ny tananao ny vavanao, ka andeha hiaraka aminay, dia ho rainay sy mpisoronay ianao; moa tsara ho anao va ny ho mpisorona ho an’ ny olona iray trano noho ny ho mpisorona amin’ ny firenena iray sy ny foko iray amin’ ny Isiraely?
“Be quiet! Don't say anything! Come with us, and you can be our ‘father’ and priest. Wouldn't it be better for you if instead of being a priest for just one man's household that you were the priest of an Israelite tribe and family?”
20 Dia faly ny fon’ ilay mpisorona, ka nalainy ny efoda sy ny terafima ary ny sarin-javatra voasokitra, ary nandeha voahodidin’ ny olona izy.
This seemed like a good idea to the priest and he left with them. Carrying the ephod, the household idols, and the image made with molten silver, he marched with the people all around him.
21 Dia nihodina izy ireo ka lasa nandeha; ary ny zaza amim-behivavy sy ny omby aman’ ondry mbamin’ ny entany tsara dia nataony teo alohany.
They continued their journey, putting their children, livestock, and possessions ahead of them.
22 Ary rehefa lasa lavitra ny tranon’ i Mika izy, dia nivory ny lehilahy nifanolo-bodirindrina tamin’ i Mika ka nahatratra ny taranak’ i Dana.
The Danites were already quite a way from Micah's home when men from Micah's village caught up with them,
23 Dia niantso ny taranak’ i Dana izy. Ary niherika ireo ka nanao tamin’ i Mika hoe: Haninona ianao, no nanangona olona maro toy izao?
shouting at them. The Danites turned around to face them and asked Micah, “What's the matter with you? Why call out these men to come after us?”
24 Ary hoy Izy: Ny andriamanitro izay nataoko sy ny mpisorona koa dia nalainareo, ka lasa ianareo; koa inona intsony no mba ho ahy? Ary ahoana no anaovanareo amiko hoe: Haninona ianao?
“You stole the gods I made, and my priest too, and then left. What have you left me with? How can you ask me, ‘What's the matter with you?’”
25 Dia hoy ny taranak’ i Dana taminy: Aoka tsy ho re eto aminay intsony ny feonao, fandrao hisy olo-masiaka hamely anareo, ka dia hanao izay hahafaty ny tenanao sy ny ankohonanao ianao.
“Don't complain to us!” Danites replied. “Otherwise some hot-tempered people here might attack you and you and your family will lose your lives!”
26 Dia nandeha tamin’ ny nalehany ny taranak’ i Dana; ary rehefa hitan’ i Mika fa ireo dia nahery noho izy, dia niverina izy ka nody tany an-tranony.
The Danites carried on their way. Micah saw that they were too strong for him to fight so he turned around and went back home.
27 Ary izy ireo naka izay zavatra efa nataon’ i Mika sy ny mpisorona izay tao aminy, dia nankany Laisy ho any amin’ ny olona mandry fahizay ka tsy manana ahiahy, dia namely azy tamin’ ny lelan-tsabatra ireo; ary ny tanàna nodorany tamin’ ny afo.
So the Danites took with them the idols that Micah had made, as well as his priest. They attacked Laish with its peaceful and unsuspecting people, killed them with swords, and burned down the town.
28 Ary tsy nisy namonjy, satria lavitra an’ i Sidona izany, ary tsy nanan-draharaha tamin’ olona akory izy, sady teo amin’ ny lohasaha izay any Beti-rehoba izany. Dia nanorina ny tanàna izy ireo ka nonina tao.
No one could save them because they were a long way from Sidon and had no other allies to help them. The town was in the valley belonging to Beth-rehob. The Danites rebuilt the city and lived there.
29 Ary ny anaran’ ny tanàna nataony hoe Dana, araka ny anaran’ i Dana rainy, izay naterak’ Isiraely; kanefa Laisy no anaran’ ny tanàna taloha.
They renamed the city Dan after their forefather, the son of Israel. Laish was its former name.
30 Dia natsangan’ ny taranak’ i Dana ilay sarin-javatra voasokitra; ary Jonatana, zanak’ i Gersoma, zanak’ i Mosesy, sy ny zanany, no mpisorona ho an’ ny firenen’ i Dana hatramin’ ny andro namaboana ny tany.
The Danites erected the carved idol to worship, and Jonathan, son of Gershom, son of Moses, and his sons became priests for the tribe of Dan until the time when the people went into captivity from the land.
31 Ary nampitoeriny ho azy ilay sarin-javatra voasokitra nataon’ i Mika mandritra ny andro rehetra niorenan’ ny tranon’ Andriamanitra tao Silo.
They worshiped the carved idol that Micah had made the whole time God's Temple was at Shiloh.
