Mpitsara 18
1 Tsy amam-panjaka t’Israele tañ’ andro rezay; le nipay lova himoneña’e ty fifokoa’ i Dane henane zay; amy te mboe tsy niazo’ iareo tañ’ andro izay ty anjara’ lova’ iareo añivo’ o fifokoa’ Israeleo.
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 Aa le nirahe’ i Dane boak’ am-pifokoa’e ao ty lahilahy lime amy valobohò’ iareoy, ondaty mahasibeke, boake Tsorà naho i Estaole hitinoñe amy taney, hitsoek’ aze; ami’ty hoe: Akia, hotsohotsò i taney; aa le nivotrak’ am-bohibohi’ i Efraime an-kiboho’ i Mikà iereo vaho nialeñe ao.
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 Ie nañarine i kiboho’ i Mikày, le nifohi’ iareo ty feo’ i ajalahy nte-Leviy, naho nitsile mb’eo, vaho nanao tama’e ty hoe: Ia ty ninday azo atoa? le ino ty anoe’o atoy?
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 Le hoe re am’ iereo, Hoe zao naho zao ty nanoa’ i Mikà ahy, naho karamae’e, vaho fa mpisoro’e iraho henaneo.
“Micah arranged things for me, and he hired me as his priest,” he told them.
5 Aa le hoe iereo tama’e, Ehe, ihalalio toro-lalañe aman’Añahare, hahafohina’ay he ho heneke o lia’ añaveloa’aio.
“Please ask the Lord for us so we can find out if our journey will be successful,” they asked him.
6 Le hoe i mpisoroñey am’ iereo: Mañaveloa am-panintsiñañe; fa añatrefa’ Iehovà o lalañe hombà’ areoo.
“Go in peace,” the priest replied. “The journey you are taking is being observed by the Lord.”
7 Nienga amy zao indaty lime rey, naho nivotrake e Laise, le nirendre’ iereo ondaty ama’eo te nierañerañe ty fimoneña’ iareo, manahake o nte Tsidoneo, nianjiñe naho nanintsiñe; amy te tsy amy taney ty aman-dily hañinje iareo aman-dra inoñ’inoñe, fa lavitse o nte-Tsidoneo, vaho tsy eo t’indaty iharoa’e balibalike.
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 Aa le nimpoly mb’ aman-droahalahi’ iareo e Tsorà naho Estaole ao, vaho hoe o rolongo’ iareoo ama’e, Atalilio arè!
The men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their relatives asked them, “What did you…?”
9 Le hoe iereo, Miongaha, antao hiavotse haname iareo; fa nioni’ay i taney naho nirendreke t’ie fanjaka; aa vaho hijihetse avao nahareo? ko mihenekeneke fa akia mb’amy taney, imoaho naho tavano.
“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 Ie mb’eo, le hivotrak’ am’ ondaty mierañerañe, tane milañelañe natolon’ Añahare am-pità’ areo; tane miaiñ’ añoleñañe; ama’e ao ze kolotoin’ Añahare.
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 Aa le nionjomb’eo, boak’ am-pifokoa’ i Dane, hirike Tsorà naho i Estaole ty lahilahy enen-jato nidiam-pialiañe hihotakotake.
So six hundred Danite armed men left Zorah and Eshtaol, ready to attack.
12 Niañambone mb’e Kiriate-Iearime e Iehoda ao iereo vaho nitobe; aa le nitokave’ iareo Tobe’ i Dane i toetsey pake henaneo; ambalike i Kiriate-iearime ao.
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 Boak’ ao iereo, niavotse mb’am-bohi’ i Efraime mb’eo nivotrak’ an-kiboho’i Mikà eo.
Then they left from there and went into the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah's house.
14 Le hoe i lahilahy lime niraheñe hitingañe an-tane’ i Laise añe rey amo longo’eo, Fohi’ areo hao te ao ty hareañe naho terafime, naho hatae-sinokitse vaho sare trinanake? Tsakoreo arè ty hanoe’ areo.
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 Aa le niveve mb’ eo iereo, nivotrak’ amy kiboho’ i ajalahy nte-Levio, an-kiboho’ i Mikà eo vaho nañontane aze.
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 Nijohañe an-dalambey eo indaty ana’ i Dane enen-jato nidian-karaom-pialiañe rey,
The six hundred Danite armed men stood at the entrance by the gate.
17 le nimoak’ ao i lahilahy lime niary mb’eo hitingañe amy taney rey naho rinambe’ iareo i hatae sinokitsey naho i hareañey naho i terafimey vaho i sare trinanakey; ie nijohañe an-dalam-bey eo am’ indaty enen-jato nidian-karaom-pialiañe rey i mpisoroñey.
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 Aa ie nizilik’ an-kiboho’ i Mikà ao hangalake i hatae sinokitsey naho i hareañey naho i terafimey vaho i sare trinanakey, le hoe i mpisoroñey am’ iereo, Ino o anoe’ areoo?
When the priest saw them taking all the religious objects from Micah's home, he asked them, “What are you doing?”
19 Le hoe iereo ama’e: Mianjiña koahe, vihino fitàñe ty falie’o vaho mindreza ama’ay, ho rae’ay naho ho mpisoro’ay; mahasoa azo hao ty ho mpisoroñe añ’anjomba’ ondaty raike, ta te ho mpisoroñe ami’ty fifokoa naho hasavereña’ Israele?
“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 Nifale amy zao ty arofo’ i mpisoroñey, le rinambe’e i hareañey naho i terafimey naho i hatae sinokitsey vaho nañaivo’ ondatio ao.
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 Aa le nitolike iereo naho nienga mb’eo, naho nanoe’ iereo aolo ey o keleiañeo naho o añombeo, vaho o varao.
They continued their journey, putting their children, livestock, and possessions ahead of them.
22 Ie lavitse i kiboho’ i Mikày añe, le nivovo amo ana’ i Daneo ondaty mpañohoke i kiboho’ i Mikaio nifandrimboñe
The Danites were already quite a way from Micah's home when men from Micah's village caught up with them,
23 vaho nikoik’ amo ana’ i Daneo. Nitolik’ amy zao iereo nanao amy Mikà ty hoe: Ino o mañolañe azoo te mifañosoñe?
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 Le hoe re: Tinava’ areo i ‘ndrahare tsinenekoy naho i mpisoroñey vaho nienga, le ino ty sisa amako? Aa ino arè ty anoa’ areo amako ty hoe? Inoñ’ o mañolañe azoo?
“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 Le hoe o ana’ i Daneo ama’e: Ehe tsy ho janjiñeñe añivo’ay atoa ty fiarañanaña’o, hera hiambotraha’ t’indaty boseke vaho hikenkan-drehe rekets’ o añ’ anjomba’oo.
“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 Aa le nionjomb’eo o ana’ i Daneo naho napota’ i Mikà t’ie maozatse te ama’e vaho nitolike nimpoly mb’ an-kiboho’e añe.
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 Rinambe’ iareo o nitsene’ i Mikao, naho i mpisoro’ey, naho nivotrake e Laise, am’ondaty mianjiñe naho mierañerañeo, naho linafa’ iareo an-dela-pibara, vaho finorototo’ iereo añ’ afo i rovay.
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 Tsy nanam-pandrombake iereo, fa lavitse ty Tsidone, le tsy ama’ ondaty mpifañaoñe; ie am-bavatane marine i Bete-rekhobe. Aa le namboare’ iareo i Rovay vaho nimoneñe ao.
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 Natao’ iereo Dane ty añara’ i rovay, ty amy Dane rae’ iareo nisamahe’ Israeley; fa Laise hey ty añara’ i rovay.
They renamed the city Dan after their forefather, the son of Israel. Laish was its former name.
30 Aa le natroa’ o ana’ i Daneo ho a iareo i hazomangay; vaho nimpisoro’ i fifokoa’ i Daney t’Ionatane, ana’ i Gersome, ana’ i Menasè, ie naho o ana’eo, ampara’ ty andro nandrohizañe i taney.
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 Aa le natroa’ iareo i saren-katae pinatepatetse tsinene’ i Mikay; amo hene andro naha-te Silò ao i kivohon’ Añahareio.
They worshiped the carved idol that Micah had made the whole time God's Temple was at Shiloh.
