Fakamaau 18

1 ‌ʻI he ngaahi ʻaho ko ia naʻe ʻikai ha tuʻi ʻi ʻIsileli: pea ʻi he ngaahi ʻaho ko ia naʻe kumi ʻe he faʻahinga ʻo Tani hanau tofiʻa kenau nofo ai; koeʻuhi naʻe teʻeki ai ke tō honau tofiʻa kiate kinautolu ʻi he ngaahi faʻahinga ʻo ʻIsileli, ʻo aʻu ki he kuonga ko ia.

In those days there was no king in Israel, and the tribe of the Danites was looking for territory to occupy. For up to that time they had not come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.

2 Pea naʻe fekau ʻe he fānau ʻa Tani ʻae kau tangata ʻe toko nima ʻi honau faʻahinga mei honau fonua, ʻae kau tangata toʻa, mei Sola pea mei Esitaoli, kenau vakai ʻae fonua, pea ke malakiʻi ia; pea naʻa nau pehē kiate kinautolu, ʻAlu, pea matakiʻi ʻae fonua: pea ʻi heʻenau hoko ki he moʻunga ʻo ʻIfalemi, ki he fale ʻo Maika, naʻa nau mohe ʻi ai.

So the Danites sent out five men from their clans, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. “Go and explore the land,” they told them. The men entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night.

3 Pea ʻi heʻenau ofi ki he fale ʻo Maika, naʻa nau ʻilo ʻae leʻo ʻoe tangata talavou ko e Livai: pea naʻa nau afe ki ai, ʻonau pehē kiate ia, “Ko hai naʻa ne ʻomi koe ki heni? Pea ko e hā ʻoku ke fai ʻi heni?”

And while they were near Micah’s house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; so they went over and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?”

4 Pea naʻe pehē ʻe ia kiate kinautolu, “ʻOku pehē pē, mo pehē pe ʻe Maika kiate au, pea kuo ne nō au kiate ia ʻaki ʻae totongi, pea ko hono taulaʻeiki au.”

“Micah has done this and that for me,” he replied, “and he has hired me to be his priest.”

5 Pea naʻa nau pehē kiate ia, “Ko eni ʻoku mau kole kiate koe, ke ke kole ki he ʻOtua ʻae poto, koeʻuhi ke mau ʻilo pē ʻe monūʻia homau hala ʻaia ʻoku mau ʻalu ai.”

Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God to determine whether we will have a successful journey.”

6 Pea naʻe pehē ʻe he taulaʻeiki, “Mou ʻalu fiemālie pē: ʻoku ʻafio ʻe Sihova ʻa homou hala ʻaia ʻoku mou ʻalu ai.”

And the priest told them, “Go in peace. The LORD is watching over your journey.”

7 Pea naʻe toki ʻalu ai ʻae kau tangata ʻe toko nima ʻonau hoko ki Leisi, ʻo mamata ki he kakai naʻe ʻi ai, mo ʻenau nofo noa ai pe, ʻo hangē ko e kau Saitoni, ʻo fakafiemālie pe mo hamumunoa; pea naʻe ʻikai ha fakamaau ʻi he fonua ke fakamā ʻakinautolu ʻi ha meʻa ʻe taha; pea naʻa nau mamaʻo mei he kau Saitoni; pea naʻe ʻikai tenau feongoongoi mo ha kakai.

So the five men departed and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living securely, like the Sidonians, tranquil and unsuspecting. There was nothing lacking in the land and no oppressive ruler. And they were far away from the Sidonians and had no alliance with anyone.

8 Pea naʻa nau haʻu ki honau kāinga ki Sola mo Esitaoli: pea pehē ʻe honau kāinga kiate kinautolu, Ko e hā hoʻomou lea?

When the men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers asked them, “What did you find?”

9 Pea naʻa nau pehē, “Tuʻu hake koeʻuhi ke tau ʻalu hake kiate kinautolu: he kuo mau mamata ki he fonua, pea vakai, ʻoku lelei ʻaupito ia: pea ʻoku mou taʻengāue? ʻOua naʻa mou fakapikopiko ke ʻalu, pea ke hoko atu pea maʻu ʻae fonua.

They answered, “Come on, let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and it is very good. Why would you fail to act? Do not hesitate to go there and take possession of the land!

10 Ka mou ka ʻalu, te mou hoko ki he kakai ʻoku nofo noa pē, pea ki he fonua lahi: he kuo foaki ia ʻe he ʻOtua ki homou nima; ko e potu ʻoku ʻikai masiva ʻi ha meʻa ʻe taha ʻoku ʻi māmani.”

When you enter, you will come to an unsuspecting people and a spacious land, for God has delivered it into your hand. It is a place where nothing on earth is lacking.”

11 Pea naʻe ʻalu mei ai ʻi he fānau ʻoe faʻahinga ʻo Tani, mei Sola pea mei Esitaoli, ʻae kau tangata ʻe toko onongeau naʻe toʻo mahafutau.

So six hundred Danites departed from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war.

12 Pea naʻa nau ʻalu hake, ʻo ʻapitanga ʻi Keasa-Sialimi, ʻi Siuta: ko ia naʻa nau ui ai ʻae potu ko ia ko Mahaneani ʻo aʻu ki he ʻaho ni: vakai, ʻoku tuʻu ia ʻituʻa Keasa-Sialimi.

They went up and camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. That is why the place west of Kiriath-jearim is called Mahaneh-dan to this day.

13 Pea naʻa nau ʻalu mei ai ki he moʻunga ko ʻIfalemi, ʻo hoko atu ki he fale ʻo Maika.

And from there they traveled to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah’s house.

14 Pea naʻe lea ʻae kau tangata ʻe toko nima naʻe ʻalu ke matakiʻi ʻae fonua ko Leisi, ʻonau pehē ki honau kāinga, “ʻOku mou ʻilo ʻoku ʻi he ngaahi fale ni ʻae ʻefoti, mo e tamapua, mo e meʻa fakatātā kuo tā mo e fakatātā kuo haka? Pea ko eni mou fakakaukau pe ko e hā te mou fai.”

Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish said to their brothers, “Did you know that one of these houses has an ephod, household gods, a graven image, and a molten idol? Now think about what you should do.”

15 Pea naʻa nau afe ki ai, pea hoko ki fale ʻoe talavou ko e Livai, ʻio, ki he fale ʻo Maika ʻonau fetapa kiate ia.

So they turned aside there and went to the home of the young Levite, the house of Micah, and greeted him.

16 Pea ko e kau tangata ʻe toko onongeau naʻe toʻo mahafutau ʻaia naʻe ʻi he fānau ʻa Tani, naʻa nau tuʻu ʻi he hūʻanga ʻoe matapā.

The six hundred Danites stood at the entrance of the gate, armed with their weapons of war.

17 Pea naʻe ʻalu hake ʻo hū ki ai, ʻae kau tangata ʻe toko nima, naʻe ʻalu ke matakiʻi ʻae fonua, ʻo [nau ]toʻo ʻae meʻa fakatātā kuo tā mo e ʻefoti, mo e tamapua, mo e fakatātā kuo haka; pea naʻe tuʻu ʻae taulaʻeiki ʻi he hūʻanga ʻoe matapā fakataha mo e kau tangata ʻe toko onongeau ʻaia naʻe toʻo mahafutau.

And the five men who had gone to spy out the land went inside and took the graven image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molten idol, while the priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred armed men.

18 Pea naʻe ʻalu ʻakinautolu ki he fale ʻo Maika, pea ʻomi mei ai ʻae meʻa fakatātā kuo tā, mo e ʻefoti, mo e tamapua, mo e fakatātā kuo haka. Pea pehē ʻe he taulaʻeiki kiate kinautolu, “Ko e hā ʻoku mou fai?”

When they entered Micah’s house and took the graven image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molten idol, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”

19 Pea naʻa nau pehē kiate ia, “Ke ke longo pē koe; ʻai ho nima ki ho ngutu, pea ke haʻu ke tau ō, pea ke hoko kiate kimautolu ko e tamai mo e taulaʻeiki: he ʻoku lelei kiate koe ke nofo ko e taulaʻeiki ki he fale ʻoe tangata pē taha, pe ko hoʻo hoko ko e taulaʻeiki ki he faʻahinga mo e fale ʻo ʻIsileli?”

“Be quiet,” they told him. “Put your hand over your mouth and come with us and be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest for the house of one person or a priest for a tribe and family in Israel?”

20 Pea naʻe fiefia ʻae loto ʻoe taulaʻeiki, pea naʻe toʻo ʻe ia ʻae ʻefoti, mo e tamapua, mo e meʻa fakatātā kuo tā, pea ʻalu ia ʻi he lotolotonga ʻoe kakai.

So the priest was glad and took the ephod, the household idols, and the graven image, and went with the people.

21 Ko ia naʻa nau tafoki ʻo ʻalu ai, pea naʻe fakaheka ʻae fānau siʻi ki he ngaahi saliote mo e fanga manu ke muʻomuʻa ʻiate kinautolu.

Putting their small children, their livestock, and their possessions in front of them, they turned and departed.

22 Pea ʻi heʻenau mamaʻo atu mei he fale ʻo Maika, naʻe kātoa ʻae kau tangata naʻe ʻi he ngaahi fale ofi ki he fale ʻo Maika, ʻonau tuli ʻo hoko atu ki he fānau ʻa Tani.

After they were some distance from Micah’s house, the men in the houses near Micah’s house mobilized and overtook the Danites.

23 Pea naʻa nau tangi ki he fānau ʻa Tani. Pea naʻa nau tangaki kimui, ʻo pehē kia Maika, “Ko e hā ʻaʻau, ʻoku ke haʻu ai mo e kakai pehē?”

When they called out after them, the Danites turned to face them and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you that you have called out such a company?”

24 Pea naʻe pehē ʻe ia, “Kuo mou toʻo ʻo ʻave hoku ngaahi ʻotua naʻaku ngaohi, pea mo e taulaʻeiki, pea kuo mou ʻalu: pea ko e hā ʻoku toe ʻiate au? Pea ko e hā ia ʻoku mou lea ai kiate au, ‘Ko e hā ʻa au?’”

He replied, “You took the gods I had made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you say to me, ‘What is the matter with you?’”

25 Pea naʻe pehē ʻe he fānau ʻa Tani kiate ia, “ʻOua naʻa ongona ho leʻo ʻiate kimautolu telia naʻa ʻoho atu kiate koe ʻae kau siana loto ʻita, pea ʻe mole ʻiate koe hoʻo moʻui, fakataha mo e moʻui ʻa ho kau nofoʻanga.”

The Danites said to him, “Do not raise your voice against us, or angry men will attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives.”

26 Pea naʻe ʻalu ʻae fānau ʻa Tani ʻi honau hala: pea ʻi he mamata ʻa Maika ki heʻenau fai mālohi lahi kiate ia, naʻe tafoki ia ʻo ʻalu ki hono fale.

So the Danites went on their way, and Micah turned to go back home, because he saw that they were too strong for him.

27 Pea naʻa nau ʻave ʻae ngaahi meʻa naʻe ngaohi ʻe Maika, mo e taulaʻeiki naʻa ne maʻu, ʻonau hoko ki Leisi, ki he kakai naʻe nofo fiemālie pe mo hamumunoa: pea naʻa nau teʻia ʻakinautolu ʻaki ʻae mata ʻoe heletā, pea naʻe tutu ʻenau kolo ʻaki ʻae afi.

After they had taken Micah’s idols and his priest, they went to Laish, to a tranquil and unsuspecting people, and they struck them with their swords and burned down the city.

28 Pea naʻe ʻikai ha fakamoʻui, he naʻe mamaʻo ia mei Saitoni, pea naʻe ʻikai tenau kau mo ha kakai; pea naʻe tuʻu ia ʻi he teleʻa ʻaia ʻoku ofi ki Pete-Lehopi. Pea naʻa nau langa ʻae kolo ʻo nofo ʻi ai.

There was no one to deliver them, because the city was far from Sidon and had no alliance with anyone; it was in a valley near Beth-rehob. And the Danites rebuilt the city and lived there.

29 Pea naʻa nau ui ʻae hingoa ʻoe kolo ko Tani, ʻo hangē ko e hingoa ʻo Tani ko ʻenau tamai, ʻaia naʻe fānau kia ʻIsileli: ka ko e moʻoni naʻe fuofua ui ʻae kolo ko ia ko Leisi.

They named it Dan, after their forefather Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city was formerly named Laish.

30 Pea naʻe fokotuʻu hake ʻe he fānau ʻa Tani ʻae tamapua fakatātā: pea ko Sioatani, ko e foha ʻo Kesomi, ko e foha ʻo Manase, ko ia mo hono ngaahi foha naʻe hoko ko e kau taulaʻeiki ki he faʻahinga ʻo Tani ʻo aʻu ki he ʻaho ʻoe fakapōpulaʻi ʻae fonua.

The Danites set up idols for themselves, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.

31 Pea naʻa nau fokotuʻu hake ʻae tamapua naʻe tā ʻe Maika, ʻaia naʻa ne ngaohi, ʻi he kuonga kotoa pē naʻe nofo ai ʻae fale ʻoe ʻOtua ʻi Sailo.

So they set up for themselves Micah’s graven image, and it was there the whole time the house of God was in Shiloh.