Abahluleli 18

1 Ngalezonsuku kwakungelankosi koIsrayeli; langalezonsuku isizwe sakoDani sazidingela ilifa lokuhlala, ngoba kuze kube ngalolosuku babengawelwanga yilifa phakathi kwezizwe zakoIsrayeli.

In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought for themselves an inheritance to dwell in; for to that day all their inheritance had not fallen to them among the tribes of Israel.

2 Abantwana bakoDani basebethuma amadoda amahlanu avela kusendo lwabo esuka emaphethelweni abo, amaqhawe, evela eZora leEshitawoli, ukuhlola ilizwe lokuliphenya. Basebesithi kuwo: Hambani liphenye ilizwe. Asefika entabeni yakoEfrayimi, endlini kaMika, alala khona.

And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their land, men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said to them, Go, search the land: who when they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there.

3 Esendlini kaMika wona alazi ilizwi lejaha umLevi; asephendukela khona athi kuye: Ngubani owakuletha lapha? Njalo wenzani lapha? Njalo ulani lapha?

When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite: and they turned in there, and said to him, Who brought thee here? and what makest thou in this place? and what hast thou here?

4 Wasesithi kiwo: UMika ungenzele kanje lakanje; ungiqhatshile, sengingumpristi wakhe.

And he said to them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest.

5 Asesithi kuye: Ake ubuze uNkulunkulu ukuze sazi ukuthi indlela yethu esihamba ngayo izaphumelela yini.

And they said to him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.

6 Umpristi wasesithi kibo: Hambani ngokuthula. Indlela yenu elihamba ngayo iphambi kweNkosi.

And the priest said to them, Go in peace: before the LORD is your way in which ye go.

7 Asehamba lawomadoda amahlanu, ayafika eLayishi, abona abantu abaphakathi kwayo, behlezi bonwabile, ngokwendlela yamaSidoni, belokuthula, bengethuki lutho, kwakungelamahluleli elizweni ukubathiba, babekhatshana lamaSidoni, bengasebenzelani lamuntu.

Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were in it, how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and there was no magistrate in the land, that might put them to shame in any thing; and they were far from the Zidonians, and had no business with any man.

8 Asefika kubafowabo eZora leEshitawoli, abafowabo basebesithi kuwo: Lithini?

And they came to their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said to them, What say ye?

9 Asesithi: Sukumani asenyuke simelane labo, ngoba sibonile ilizwe, khangelani-ke, lihle kakhulu; pho lina lithule? Lingavilaphi ukuyangena ukudla ilifa lelizwe.

And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess the land.

10 Ekufikeni kwenu khona lizafika ebantwini abonwabileyo lelizweni elibanzi inhlangothi zombili, ngoba uNkulunkulu ulinikele esandleni senu; indawo lapho okungasweleki lutho khona elizweni.

When ye go, ye shall come to a people secure, and to a large land: for God hath given it into your hands; a place where there is no want of any thing that is on the earth.

11 Asesuka lapho evela kusendo lwabakoDani eZora leEshitawoli amadoda angamakhulu ayisithupha ehlomile izikhali zempi,

And there went from there of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men appointed with weapons of war.

12 enyuka amisa inkamba eKiriyathi-Jeyarimi koJuda. Ngenxa yalokho ayibiza leyondawo ngokuthi yiMahane-Dani kuze kube lamuhla; khangela isemuva kweKiriyathi-Jeyarimi.

And they went up, and encamped in Kirjathjearim, in Judah: therefore they called that place Mahanehdan to this day: behold, it is behind Kirjathjearim.

13 Asesedlula esuka lapho, aya entabeni yakoEfrayimi, afika endlini kaMika.

And they passed from there to mount Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.

14 Khona amadoda amahlanu ayehambile ukuhlola ilizwe iLayishi aphendula athi kubafowabo: Liyazi yini ukuthi kulezizindlu kukhona i-efodi lamatherafi lesithombe esibaziweyo lesithombe esibunjwe ngokuncibilikisa? Ngakho-ke cabangani elizakwenza.

Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said to their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have to do.

15 Asephambukela khona, aya endlini yejaha umLevi endlini kaMika, ambuza impilo.

And they turned aside there, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even to the house of Micah, and greeted him.

16 Amadoda angamakhulu ayisithupha ayehlomile ngezikhali zempi, ayengabantwana bakoDani, asesima ekungeneni kwesango.

And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate.

17 Lawomadoda amahlanu ayehambile ukuhlola ilizwe enyuka angena lapho athatha isithombe esibaziweyo, le-efodi, lamatherafi, lesithombe esibunjwe ngokuncibilikisa, umpristi esemi ekungeneni kwesango lamadoda angamakhulu ayisithupha ayebhince izikhali zempi.

And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in there, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war.

18 La-ke esengenile endlini kaMika athatha isithombe esibaziweyo, i-efodi, lamatherafi, lesithombe esibunjwe ngokuncibilikisa, umpristi wathi kiwo: Lenzani?

And these went into Micah’s house, and brought the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest to them, What do ye?

19 Asesithi kuye: Thula, bamba umlomo wakho, uhambe lathi, ube ngubaba kithi lompristi. Kungcono yini ukuthi ube ngumpristi wendlu yomuntu oyedwa kumbe ukuthi ube ngumpristi wesizwe losendo lwakoIsrayeli?

And they said to him, Hold thy peace, lay thy hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest to the house of one man, or that thou shouldest be a priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?

20 Lenhliziyo yompristi yathokoza, wasethatha i-efodi lamatherafi lesithombe esibaziweyo, wangena phakathi kwabantu.

And the priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.

21 Basebephenduka behamba, babeka abantwanyana lezifuyo lempahla phambi kwabo.

So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the possessions before them.

22 Sebekhatshana lomuzi kaMika, amadoda ayesezindlini ezaziseduze lendlu kaMika abizelwa ndawonye abafica abantwana bakoDani.

And when they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that were in the houses near to Micah’s house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan.

23 Amemeza abantwana bakoDani. Basebephendula ubuso babo bathi kuMika: Ulani ukuze libuthane?

And they cried to the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said to Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company?

24 Wasesithi: Lithethe onkulunkulu bami engabenzayo, lompristi, lahamba; pho ngiseselani? Kuyini lokho elikutsho kimi: Uhlutshwa yini?

And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and ye have gone away: and what have I more? and what is this that ye say to me, What aileth thee?

25 Abantwana bakoDani basebesithi kuye: Ilizwi lakho kalingezwakali phakathi kwethu, hlezi amadoda alolaka akuhlasele, ulahlekelwe yimpilo yakho lempilo yabendlu yakho.

And the children of Dan said to him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows rush upon thee, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household.

26 Basebezihambela ngendlela yabo abantwana bakoDani. Lapho uMika esebonile ukuthi balamandla kulaye, waphenduka wabuyela endlini yakhe.

And the children of Dan departed: and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house.

27 Bona basebethatha lokho uMika ayekwenzile lompristi owayelaye, bafika eLayishi ebantwini ababelokuthula bengethuki lutho, babatshaya ngobukhali benkemba, batshisa umuzi ngomlilo.

And they took the things which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and came to Laish, to a people that were at quiet and secure: and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire.

28 Njalo kwakungekho umkhululi, ngoba wawukhatshana leSidoni, bengasebenzelani lamuntu. Wawusesihotsheni esasingaseBeti-Rehobi. Basebesakha umuzi, bahlala kiwo.

And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Zidon, and they had no business with any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by Bethrehob. And they built a city, and dwelt in it.

29 Basebebiza ibizo lomuzi ngokuthi yiDani ngebizo likaDani uyise owazalelwa uIsrayeli. Kodwa ibizo lomuzi laliyiLayishi kuqala.

And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel: but the name of the city was Laish at the first.

30 Abantwana bakoDani basebezimisela isithombe esibaziweyo. Njalo uJonathani indodana kaGereshoma, indodana kaManase, yena lamadodana akhe babengabapristi besizwe sakoDani kwaze kwaba lusuku lokuthunjwa kwelizwe.

And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.

31 Basebezimisela isithombe esibaziweyo sikaMika ayesenzile, zonke izinsuku indlu kaNkulunkulu iseShilo.

And they set up for themselves Micah’s graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.