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 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 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 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 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 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 Le hoe re am’ iereo, Hoe zao naho zao ty nanoa’ i Mikà ahy, naho karamae’e, vaho fa mpisoro’e iraho henaneo.
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 Aa le hoe iereo tama’e, Ehe, ihalalio toro-lalañe aman’Añahare, hahafohina’ay he ho heneke o lia’ añaveloa’aio.
So they said to him, “Please ask God if we will succeed [in what we are trying to do] on this journey.”
6 Le hoe i mpisoroñey am’ iereo: Mañaveloa am-panintsiñañe; fa añatrefa’ Iehovà o lalañe hombà’ areoo.
The young man replied, “Things will go well for you. Yahweh will go with you on this journey.”
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 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 Aa le nimpoly mb’ aman-droahalahi’ iareo e Tsorà naho Estaole ao, vaho hoe o rolongo’ iareoo ama’e, Atalilio arè!
When those five men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their relatives asked them “What did you find out?”
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.
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 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 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 Aa le nionjomb’eo, boak’ am-pifokoa’ i Dane, hirike Tsorà naho i Estaole ty lahilahy enen-jato nidiam-pialiañe hihotakotake.
So 600 men from the tribe of Dan left Zorah and Eshtaol, carrying their weapons.
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.
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 Boak’ ao iereo, niavotse mb’am-bohi’ i Efraime mb’eo nivotrak’ an-kiboho’i Mikà eo.
From there, they went to the hilly area where the tribe of Ephraim lives. And they arrived at 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.
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 Aa le niveve mb’ eo iereo, nivotrak’ amy kiboho’ i ajalahy nte-Levio, an-kiboho’ i Mikà eo vaho nañontane aze.
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 Nijohañe an-dalambey eo indaty ana’ i Dane enen-jato nidian-karaom-pialiañe rey,
The 600 men of the tribe of Dan stood outside the gate of the house, carrying their weapons.
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 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 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 bringing out the idols and the sacred vest and the statue, he said to 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?
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 Nifale amy zao ty arofo’ i mpisoroñey, le rinambe’e i hareañey naho i terafimey naho i hatae sinokitsey vaho nañaivo’ ondatio ao.
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 Aa le nitolike iereo naho nienga mb’eo, naho nanoe’ iereo aolo ey o keleiañeo naho o añombeo, vaho o varao.
They all put their little children and their animals and everything else that they owned in front of them.
22 Ie lavitse i kiboho’ i Mikày añe, le nivovo amo ana’ i Daneo ondaty mpañohoke i kiboho’ i Mikaio nifandrimboñe
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 vaho nikoik’ amo ana’ i Daneo. Nitolik’ amy zao iereo nanao amy Mikà ty hoe: Ino o mañolañe azoo te mifañosoñe?
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 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?
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 Natao’ iereo Dane ty añara’ i rovay, ty amy Dane rae’ iareo nisamahe’ Israeley; fa Laise hey ty añara’ i rovay.
They gave to the city a [new] name, Dan, in honor of their ancestor Dan, who was one of the sons of Jacob.
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 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 Aa le natroa’ iareo i saren-katae pinatepatetse tsinene’ i Mikay; amo hene andro naha-te Silò ao i kivohon’ Añahareio.
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.
