< 士師記 18 >

1 當時イスラエルには王なかりしがダン人の支派其頃住むべき地を求めたり是は彼らイスラエルの支派の中にありて其日まで未だ産業の地を得ざりしが故なり
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 amongst the tribes of Israel.
2 ダンの子孫すなはちゾラとエシタオルよりして自己の族の勇者五人を遣はしその境を出て土地を窺ひ探らしむ即ち彼等に言ふ往て土地を探れと彼等エフライムの山にいたりミカの家につきて其處に宿れり
The children of Dan sent five men of their family from their whole number, men of valour, 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 かれらミカの家の傍にある時レビ人なる少者の聲を聞認たれば身をめぐらして其處にいりて之に言ふ誰が汝を此に携きたりしや汝此處にて何をなすや此に何の用あるや
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 其人かれらに言けるはミカ斯々我を待ひ我を雇ひて我その祭司となれりと
He said to them, “Thus and thus has Micah dealt with me, and he has hired me, and I have become his priest.”
5 彼等これに言ふ請ふ神に問ひ我等が往くところの途に利逹あるや否を我等にしらしめよ
They said to him, “Please ask counsel of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.”
6 その祭司かれらに言けるは安んじて往よ汝らが往ところの途はヱホバの前にあるなりと
The priest said to them, “Go in peace. Your way in which you go is before the LORD.”
7 是に於て五人の者往てライシに至り其處に住る人民を視るに顧慮なく住ひをり其安穩にして安固なることシドン人のごとし此國には政權を握りて人を煩はす者絶てあらず其シドン人と隔たること遠くまた他の人民と交ることなし
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 斯て彼等ゾラとエシタオルに返りてその兄弟等にいたるに兄弟等如何なりしやと彼等に問ければ
They came to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol; and their brothers asked them, “What do you say?”
9 答て言ふ起よ彼等の所に攻のぼらん我等その地を見るに甚だ善し汝等は安んじをるなり進みいたりてその地を取ることを怠るなかれ
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 汝等往ば安固なる人民の所に至らんその地は堅横ともに廣し神これを汝らの手に與へたまふなり此處には世にある物一箇も缺ることあらず
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 是に於てダン人の族の者六百人武器を帶てゾラとエシタオルより出ゆき
The family of the Danites set out from Zorah and Eshtaol with six hundred men armed with weapons of war.
12 上りてユダのキリヤテヤリムに陣を張り是をもてその處をマハネダンと名けしがその名今日に存る是はキリヤテヤリムの後にあり
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 彼等其處よりエフライム山に進みミカの家に至りけるに
They passed from there to the hill country of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.
14 夫のライシの國を窺ひに往たりし五人の者その兄弟等に告て言けるは是等の家にはエポデ、テラピムおよび雕める像と鑄たる像あるを汝等知や然ば汝ら今その爲べきことを考へよと
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 乃ち其方に身をめぐらして夫のレビ人の少者の家なるミカの家に至りてその安否を問けるが
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 武器を帶たる六百人のダンの子孫は門の入口に立り
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 夫の土地を窺ひに往たりし五人の者上りて其處にいりその雕める像とエポデとテラピムおよび鑄たる像を取けるが祭司は武器を帶たる六百人の者とともに門の入口に立ゐたり
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 此人々ミカの家にいりて其雕める像とエポデとテラピムと鑄たる像とを取しかば祭司かれらに汝ら何をなすやと言ふに
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 彼等これに言けるは汝默せよ汝手を口にあてて我らとともに來り我らの父とも祭司ともなれよかし一人の家の祭司たるとイスラエルの一の支派一の族の祭司たるとは何か好や
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 祭司すなはち心に悦びてエポデとテラピムと雕める像とを取て民の中に入る
The priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod, the teraphim, and the engraved image, and went with the people.
21 斯てかれら身をめぐらしその子女と家畜と財寳を前にたてて進みしが
So they turned and departed, and put the little ones, the livestock, and the goods before them.
22 ミカの家を遙かに離れし時ミカの家に近きところの家の人々呼はり集てダンの子孫に追ひつき
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 ダンの子孫を呼たれば彼等回顧てミカに言ふ汝何事ありて集りしや
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 かれら言けるは汝らはわが造れる神々および祭司を奪ひさりたれば我尚何かあらん然るに汝等何ぞ我にむかひて何事ぞやと言や
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 ダンの子孫かれに言けるは汝の聲を我らの中に聞えしむるなかれ恐くは心の荒き人々汝に撃かかるありて汝おのれの生命と家族の生命とを失ふにいたらんと
The children of Dan said to him, “Don’t let your voice be heard amongst us, lest angry fellows fall on you, and you lose your life, with the lives of your household.”
26 而してダンの子孫進みゆきけるがミカは彼らが己よりも強きを見て身をめぐらして家に返れり
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 彼等ミカが造りし者とその有し祭司をとりてライシにおもむき平穩にして安樂なる民の所にいたり刃をもて之を撃ち火をもてその邑を燬たりしが
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 burnt the city with fire.
28 其シドンと隔たること遠きが上に他の人民と交際ざりしによりて之を救ふ者なかりきその邑はベテレホブの邊の谷にあり彼ら邑を建なほして其處に住み
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 イスラエルの生たるその先祖ダンの名にしたがひて其邑の名をダンと名けたりその邑の名は本はライシなりき
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 斯てダンの子孫その雕める像を安置りモーセの子なるゲルシヨムの子ヨナタンとその子孫ダンの支派の祭司となりて國の奪はるる時にまでおよべり
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 神の家のシロにありし間恒に彼等はミカが造りしかの雕める像を安置おきぬ
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.

< 士師記 18 >