< 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.
In those days there was no king in Israel. In those days the tribe of the Danites sought an inheritance to dwell in; for to that day, their inheritance had not fallen 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.
The children of Dan sent five men of their family from their whole number, men of valor, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to search it. They said to them, “Go, explore the land!” They came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there.
3 Vakati vava pedyo nemba yaMika, vakaziva inzwi rejaya muRevhi; saka vakatsaukiramo vakamubvunza vachiti, “Ndianiko akakuuyisa kuno? Unobatei pano? Seiko uri pano?”
When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite; so they went over there and said to him, “Who brought you here? What do you do in this place? What do you have here?”
4 Akavataurira zvaakanga aitirwa naMika, akati, “Akandipa basa uye ndiri muprista wake.”
He said to them, “Thus and thus has Micah dealt with me, and he has hired me, and I have become his priest.”
5 Ipapo vakati kwaari, “Tapota, tibvunzire Mwari kuti tizive kana rwendo rwedu ruchabudirira.”
They said to him, “Please ask counsel of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.”
6 Muprista akavapindura akati, “Endai henyu norugare. Rwendo rwenyu rwatendwa naJehovha.”
The priest said to them, “Go in peace. Your way in which you go is before 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.
Then the five men departed and came to Laish and saw the people who were there, how they lived in safety, in the way of the Sidonians, quiet and secure; for there was no one in the land possessing authority, that might put them to shame in anything, and they were far from the Sidonians, and had no dealings with anyone else.
8 Vakati vadzokera kuZora neEshitaori, hama dzavo dzakavabvunza dzikati, “Makazviona sei zvinhu imi?”
They came to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol; and their brothers asked them, “What do you say?”
9 Vakapindura vakati, “Uyai, tivarwise! Takaona kuti nyika yacho yakanaka kwazvo. Hamungaiti chimwe chinhu here? Musanonoka kuendako kundoitora.
They said, “Arise, and let’s go up against them; for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very good. Do you stand still? Don’t be slothful to go and to enter in to possess the land.
10 Pamunosvikako muchawana mumaoko enyu naMwari, nyika isina kana chainoshayiwa.”
When you go, you will come to an unsuspecting people, and the land is large; for God has given it into your hand, a place where there is no lack of anything that is in the earth.”
11 Ipapo mazana matanhatu avarume vaibva kumhuri yavaDhani vakapakata zvombo kuti vandorwa, vakasimuka vachibva kuZora neEshitaori.
The family of the Danites set out from Zorah and Eshtaol with six hundred men armed with weapons of war.
12 Vari munzira yavo vakadzika misasa pedyo neKiriati Jearimi muJudha. Ndokusaka nzvimbo iri kumavirira eKiriati Jearimi ichinzi Mahane Dhani kusvikira zuva ranhasi.
They went up and encamped in Kiriath Jearim in Judah. Therefore they call that place Mahaneh Dan to this day. Behold, it is behind Kiriath Jearim.
13 Kubva ipapo vakaenda kunyika yezvikomo yaEfuremu uye vakasvika kumba kwaMika.
They passed from there to the hill country of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.
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 went to spy out the country of Laish answered and said to their brothers, “Do you know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a carved image, and a molten image? Now therefore consider what you have to do.”
15 Saka vakatsaukiramo vakaenda kumba kwejaya muRevhi kumba kwaMika vakandomukwazisa.
They went over there and came to the house of the young Levite man, even to the house of Micah, and asked him how he was doing.
16 Mazana matanhatu avaDhani, vakapakata zvombo zvokurwa, vakamira pamukova wokupinda nawo pasuo.
The six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of 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 who went to spy out the land went up, and came in there, and took the engraved image, the ephod, the teraphim, and the molten image; and the priest stood by the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men armed with weapons of war.
18 Varume ava vakati vapinda mumba maMika, vakatora mufananidzo wakavezwa, efodhi, vamwe vamwari nechifananidzo chakaumbwa, muprista akati kwavari, “Muri kuiteiko?”
When these went into Micah’s house, and took the engraved image, the ephod, the teraphim, and the molten image, the priest said to 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?”
They said to him, “Hold your peace, put your hand on your mouth, and go with us. Be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?”
20 Ipapo muprista akafara. Akatora efodhi, vamwe vamwari nechifananidzo chakavezwa akaenda pamwe chete navanhu.
The priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod, the teraphim, and the engraved image, and went with the people.
21 Vakaisa vana vavo vaduku, zvipfuwo zvavo nenhumbi dzavo pamberi pavo, vakasimuka vakaenda.
So they turned and departed, and put the little ones, the livestock, and the goods before them.
22 Vakati vafamba chinhambwe kubva pamba yaMika varume vaigara pedyo naMika vakadanwa pamwe chete vakatevera vaDhani vakavabata.
When they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house gathered together and overtook the children of Dan.
23 Pavakadaidzira mushure mavo, vaDhani vakatendeuka vakati kuna Mika, “Wakaita seiko iwe, zvawadana vanhu vako kuti vazorwa?”
As they called to the children of Dan, they turned their faces, and said to Micah, “What ails you, that you come with such a company?”
24 Akapindura akati, “Makatora vamwari vandakaita, uye muprista wangu mukaenda naye. Chii zvino chandasarirwa nacho? Mungabvunza seiko muchiti, ‘Wakaita seiko iwe?’”
He said, “You have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and have gone away! What more do I have? How can you ask me, ‘What ails you?’”
25 VaDhani vakapindura vakati, “Usaita nharo nesu, kuti varume vane hasha varege kukurwisa, uye iwe nemhuri yako mukazorasikirwa noupenyu hwenyu.”
The children of Dan said to him, “Don’t let your voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows fall on you, and you lose your life, with the lives of your household.”
26 Saka vaDhani vakaenda zvavo, uye Mika, achiona kuti vakanga vaine simba kukunda iye, akadzoka akaenda kumusha kwake.
The children of Dan went their way; and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house.
27 Ipapo vakatora zvakanga zvagadzirwa naMika, uye muprista wake, vakaenda kuRaishi, vakandorwa navanhu vakanga vasina chavanofungidzira vano rugare. Vakavauraya nomunondo vakavapisira maguta avo nomoto.
They took that which Micah had made, and the priest whom he had, and came to Laish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, and struck them with the edge of the sword; then they burned the city with fire.
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.
There was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with anyone else; and it was in the valley that lies by Beth Rehob. They built the city and lived in it.
29 Vakaritumidza kuti Dhani zita ratateguru wavo Dhani, akanga aberekerwa Israeri, kunyange raimbonzi Raishi.
They called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel; however the name of the city used to be Laish.
30 Ikoko vaDhani vakazvimisira chifananidzo, uye Jonatani mwanakomana waGerishomi, mwanakomana waMozisi, uye vanakomana vake vakava vaprista vorudzi rwaDhani kusvikira panguva youtapwa hwenyika.
The children of Dan set up for themselves the engraved image; and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land.
31 Vakaramba vachishandisa zvifananidzo zvakaitwa naMika, nguva dzose imba yaMwari payakanga iri muShiro.
So they set up for themselves Micah’s engraved image which he made, and it remained all the time that God’s house was in Shiloh.

< Vatongi 18 >