< Vatongi 18 >

1 Mumazuva iwayo Israeri yakanga isina mambo. Uye mumazuva iwayo vorudzi rwavaDhani vakanga vachitsvaka nzvimbo yavo pachavo yavangagara, nokuti vakanga vasati vapiwa nhaka pakati pamarudzi eIsraeri.
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 Saka vaDhani vakatuma varwi vashanu vaibva kuZora neEshitaori kuti vandosora nyika uye vaitarisise. Varume ava vakanga vachimirira dzimba dzavo dzose. Vakavaudza kuti, “Endai munotarisisa nyika.” Varume vakapinda munyika yezvikomo yaEfuremu vakasvika paimba yaMika, vakavatapo.
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 Vakati vava pedyo nemba yaMika, vakaziva inzwi rejaya muRevhi; saka vakatsaukiramo vakamubvunza vachiti, “Ndianiko akakuuyisa kuno? Unobatei pano? Seiko uri pano?”
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 Akavataurira zvaakanga aitirwa naMika, akati, “Akandipa basa uye ndiri muprista wake.”
“Micah arranged things for me, and he hired me as his priest,” he told them.
5 Ipapo vakati kwaari, “Tapota, tibvunzire Mwari kuti tizive kana rwendo rwedu ruchabudirira.”
“Please ask the Lord for us so we can find out if our journey will be successful,” they asked him.
6 Muprista akavapindura akati, “Endai henyu norugare. Rwendo rwenyu rwatendwa naJehovha.”
“Go in peace,” the priest replied. “The journey you are taking is being observed by the Lord.”
7 Saka varume vashanyi vaya vakabvapo vakandosvika kuRaishi, uko kwavakandoona kuti vanhu vakanga vagere zvakanaka, sezvakaita vaSidhoni, vasina chavanofungidzira uye vagere zvakanaka. Uye sezvo nyika yavo yakanga isingashayiwi chinhu, vakanga vakabudirira. Uyezve, vakanga vagere kure nava Sidhoni uye vakanga vasina ushamwari naani zvake.
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 Vakati vadzokera kuZora neEshitaori, hama dzavo dzakavabvunza dzikati, “Makazviona sei zvinhu imi?”
The men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their relatives asked them, “What did you…?”
9 Vakapindura vakati, “Uyai, tivarwise! Takaona kuti nyika yacho yakanaka kwazvo. Hamungaiti chimwe chinhu here? Musanonoka kuendako kundoitora.
“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 Pamunosvikako muchawana mumaoko enyu naMwari, nyika isina kana chainoshayiwa.”
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 Ipapo mazana matanhatu avarume vaibva kumhuri yavaDhani vakapakata zvombo kuti vandorwa, vakasimuka vachibva kuZora neEshitaori.
So six hundred Danite armed men left Zorah and Eshtaol, ready to attack.
12 Vari munzira yavo vakadzika misasa pedyo neKiriati Jearimi muJudha. Ndokusaka nzvimbo iri kumavirira eKiriati Jearimi ichinzi Mahane Dhani kusvikira zuva ranhasi.
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 Kubva ipapo vakaenda kunyika yezvikomo yaEfuremu uye vakasvika kumba kwaMika.
Then they left from there and went into the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah's house.
14 Ipapo varume vashanu vakanga vandosora nyika yeRaishi vakati kuhama dzavo, “Munoziva here kuti imwe yedzimba idzi ine efodhi, vamwe vamwari, chifananidzo chakavezwa nechifananidzo chakaumbwa? Zvino imi munoziva zvokuita.”
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 Saka vakatsaukiramo vakaenda kumba kwejaya muRevhi kumba kwaMika vakandomukwazisa.
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 Mazana matanhatu avaDhani, vakapakata zvombo zvokurwa, vakamira pamukova wokupinda nawo pasuo.
The six hundred Danite armed men stood at the entrance by the gate.
17 Varume vashanu vakanga vandosora nyika vakapinda mukati vakatora chifananidzo chakavezwa, efodhi, vamwe vamwari nechifananidzo chakaumbwa asi muprista namazana matanhatu avarume vakanga vakapakata zvombo zvokurwa nazvo vakamira pamukova wesuo.
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 Varume ava vakati vapinda mumba maMika, vakatora mufananidzo wakavezwa, efodhi, vamwe vamwari nechifananidzo chakaumbwa, muprista akati kwavari, “Muri kuiteiko?”
When the priest saw them taking all the religious objects from Micah's home, he asked them, “What are you doing?”
19 Vakamupindura vakati, “Nyarara! Usambotaura shoko. Handei tose, ugova baba vedu nomuprista wedu. Handiti zviri nani kushumira rudzi neimba iri muIsraeri somuprista pachinzvimbo cheimba yomunhu mumwe here?”
“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 Ipapo muprista akafara. Akatora efodhi, vamwe vamwari nechifananidzo chakavezwa akaenda pamwe chete navanhu.
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 Vakaisa vana vavo vaduku, zvipfuwo zvavo nenhumbi dzavo pamberi pavo, vakasimuka vakaenda.
They continued their journey, putting their children, livestock, and possessions ahead of them.
22 Vakati vafamba chinhambwe kubva pamba yaMika varume vaigara pedyo naMika vakadanwa pamwe chete vakatevera vaDhani vakavabata.
The Danites were already quite a way from Micah's home when men from Micah's village caught up with them,
23 Pavakadaidzira mushure mavo, vaDhani vakatendeuka vakati kuna Mika, “Wakaita seiko iwe, zvawadana vanhu vako kuti vazorwa?”
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 Akapindura akati, “Makatora vamwari vandakaita, uye muprista wangu mukaenda naye. Chii zvino chandasarirwa nacho? Mungabvunza seiko muchiti, ‘Wakaita seiko iwe?’”
“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 VaDhani vakapindura vakati, “Usaita nharo nesu, kuti varume vane hasha varege kukurwisa, uye iwe nemhuri yako mukazorasikirwa noupenyu hwenyu.”
“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 Saka vaDhani vakaenda zvavo, uye Mika, achiona kuti vakanga vaine simba kukunda iye, akadzoka akaenda kumusha kwake.
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 Ipapo vakatora zvakanga zvagadzirwa naMika, uye muprista wake, vakaenda kuRaishi, vakandorwa navanhu vakanga vasina chavanofungidzira vano rugare. Vakavauraya nomunondo vakavapisira maguta avo nomoto.
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 Pakanga pasina munhu anovanunura nokuti vaigara kure neSidhoni uye vasina ushamwari naani zvake. Guta rakanga riri mumupata waiva pedyo neBheti Rehobhi. VaDhani vakavakazve guta vakagaramo.
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 Vakaritumidza kuti Dhani zita ratateguru wavo Dhani, akanga aberekerwa Israeri, kunyange raimbonzi Raishi.
They renamed the city Dan after their forefather, the son of Israel. Laish was its former name.
30 Ikoko vaDhani vakazvimisira chifananidzo, uye Jonatani mwanakomana waGerishomi, mwanakomana waMozisi, uye vanakomana vake vakava vaprista vorudzi rwaDhani kusvikira panguva youtapwa hwenyika.
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 Vakaramba vachishandisa zvifananidzo zvakaitwa naMika, nguva dzose imba yaMwari payakanga iri muShiro.
They worshiped the carved idol that Micah had made the whole time God's Temple was at Shiloh.

< Vatongi 18 >