< 士师记 18 >

1 那时,以色列中没有王。但支派的人仍是寻地居住;因为到那日子,他们还没有在以色列支派中得地为业。
In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was looking for an inheritance to dwell in; for to that day, their inheritance had not fallen to them among the tribes of Israel.
2 但人从琐拉和以实陶打发本族中的五个勇士,去仔细窥探那地,吩咐他们说:“你们去窥探那地。”他们来到以法莲山地,进了米迦的住宅,就在那里住宿。
The people of Dan sent of their family five men from their whole number, men of valor, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said to them, "Go, explore the land." They came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and stayed there.
3 他们临近米迦的住宅,听出那少年利未人的口音来,就进去问他说:“谁领你到这里来?你在这里做什么?你在这里得什么?”
When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite; and they turned in that direction, and said to him, "Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? And what is your business here?"
4 他回答说:“米迦待我如此如此,请我作祭司。”
He said to them, "Thus and so has Micah dealt with me, and he has hired me, and I have become his cohen."
5 他们对他说:“请你求问 神,使我们知道所行的道路通达不通达。”
They said to him, "Please ask counsel of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous."
6 祭司对他们说:“你们可以平平安安地去,你们所行的道路是在耶和华面前的。”
The cohen said to them, "Go in peace. The LORD will watch over you on your journey."
7 五人就走了,来到拉亿,见那里的民安居无虑,如同西顿人安居一样。在那地没有人掌权扰乱他们;他们离西顿人也远,与别人没有来往。
Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people who were there, and how they lived in security, after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure; for there was no one in the land possessing authority that might trouble them in anyway, and they were far from the Sidonians, and had no dealings with Aram.
8 五人回到琐拉和以实陶,见他们的弟兄;弟兄问他们说:“你们有什么话?”
They came to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol, and their brothers said to them, "What do you say?"
9 他们回答说:“起来,我们上去攻击他们吧!我们已经窥探那地,见那地甚好。你们为何静坐不动呢?要急速前往得那地为业,不可迟延。
They said, "Arise, and let us go up against them, for we have entered and journeyed in the land as far as Laish, and we saw the people how they lived in security, after the manner of the Sidonians, and they were far from the Sidonians, and they had no dealings with Aram. But arise, and let us go up against them; for we have seen the land, and look, it is very good. Will you do nothing? Do not hesitate to go and to enter in to possess the land.
10 你们到了那里,必看见安居无虑的民,地也宽阔。 神已将那地交在你们手中;那地百物俱全,一无所缺。”
When you go, you shall come to a secure people, and the land is large; for God has given it into your hand, a place where there is no want of anything that is on the earth."
11 于是但族中的六百人,各带兵器,从琐拉和以实陶前往,
Then the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men armed with weapons of war, set forth from there.
12 上到犹大的基列·耶琳,在基列·耶琳后边安营。因此那地方名叫玛哈尼·但,直到今日。
They went up, and camped in Kiriath Jearim, in Judah. Therefore they called that place Mahaneh Dan to this day; look, it is behind Kiriath Jearim.
13 他们从那里往以法莲山地去,来到米迦的住宅。
They passed there to the hill country of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.
14 从前窥探拉亿地的五个人对他们的弟兄说:“这宅子里有以弗得和家中的神像,并雕刻的像与铸成的像,你们知道吗?现在你们要想一想当怎样行。”
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 an engraved image, and a molten image? Now therefore consider what you have to do."
15 五人就进入米迦的住宅,到了那少年利未人的房内问他好。
They turned aside there, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even to the house of Micah, and asked him of his welfare.
16 那六百但人各带兵器,站在门口。
The six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the people of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate.
17 窥探地的五个人走进去,将雕刻的像、以弗得、家中的神像,并铸成的像,都拿了去。祭司和带兵器的六百人,一同站在门口。
The five men who went to spy out the land went up, and came in there, and took the engraved image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the cohen stood by the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men armed with weapons of war.
18 那五个人进入米迦的住宅,拿出雕刻的像、以弗得、家中的神像,并铸成的像,祭司就问他们说:“你们做什么呢?”
And these went into Micah's house, and took the engraved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. And the cohen said to them, "What are you doing?"
19 他们回答说:“不要作声,用手捂口,跟我们去吧!我们必以你为父、为祭司。你作一家的祭司好呢?还是作以色列一族一支派的祭司好呢?”
They said to him, "Hold your peace, lay your hand on your mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a cohen. Is it better for you to be cohen to the house of one man, or to be cohen to a tribe and a family in Israel?"
20 祭司心里喜悦,便拿着以弗得和家中的神像,并雕刻的像,进入他们中间。
The cohen's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the engraved image, and the molten image, and went in the midst of the people.
21 他们就转身离开那里,妻子、儿女、牲畜、财物都在前头。
So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the livestock and the goods before them.
22 离米迦的住宅已远,米迦的近邻都聚集来,追赶但人,
They were some distance from the house of Micah, and look, Micah and the men who were in the houses near Micah's house gathered together and overtook the people of Dan.
23 呼叫但人。但人回头问米迦说:“你聚集这许多人来做什么呢?”
They cried to the people of Dan. They turned their faces, and said to Micah, "What's wrong with you, that you come with such a company?"
24 米迦说:“你们将我所做的神像和祭司都带了去,我还有所剩的吗?怎么还问我说‘做什么’呢?”
He said, "You have taken away my gods which I made for myself, and the cohen, and have gone away, and what more do I have? How then do you say to me, 'What's wrong with you?'"
25 但人对米迦说:“你不要使我们听见你的声音,恐怕有性暴的人攻击你,以致你和你的全家尽都丧命。”
The people of Dan said to him, "Do not let your voice be heard among us, or angry men will attack you, and you lose your life, with the lives of your household."
26 但人还是走他们的路。米迦见他们的势力比自己强盛,就转身回家去了。
The people 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 但人将米迦所做的神像和他的祭司都带到拉亿,见安居无虑的民,就用刀杀了那民,又放火烧了那城,
They took that which Micah had made, and the cohen whom he had, and came to Laish, to a people quiet and secure, and struck them with the edge of the sword; and they burnt the city with fire.
28 并无人搭救;因为离西顿远,他们又与别人没有来往。城在平原,那平原靠近伯·利合。但人又在那里修城居住,
There was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with anyone, and it was in the valley that lies by Beth Rehob. They built the city, and lived there.
29 照着他们始祖以色列之子但的名字,给那城起名叫但;原先那城名叫拉亿。
They called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their ancestor, who was born to Israel. However the name of the city was originally Laish.
30 但人就为自己设立那雕刻的像。摩西的孙子、革舜的儿子约拿单,和他的子孙作但支派的祭司,直到那地遭掳掠的日子。
The people of Dan set up for themselves the engraved image. And Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were cohanim to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the exile from the land.
31 神的殿在示罗多少日子,但人为自己设立米迦所雕刻的像也在 但多少日子。
So they set up for themselves Micah's engraved image which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

< 士师记 18 >