Laitloekkung 17
1 Te vaengah Ephraim tlang lamkah hlang pakhat, a ming ah Mikhaiah te om.
A man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim
2 Te vaengah a manu taengah, “Nang taengkah cak thawngkhat yakhat a loh dongah nang n'tap coeng. Ka hna ah khaw, 'Cak te kamah taengla ka loh ne,’ a ti,” a ti nah. Te dongah a manu loh, “BOEIPA rhangneh ka ca a yoethen,” a ti.
told his mother, “Those eleven hundred shekels of silver that were stolen from you and that I heard you curse—I've got the silver. I was the one who took it.” Then his mother said, “My son, the Lord bless you!”
3 Te dongah cak thawngkhat yakhat te a manu taengla a bal hatah a manu loh, “Ka kut lamkah cak te ka ca kah mueithuk neh mueihlawn saii nah ham BOEIPA taengah ka hoep rhoela ka hoep coeng. Te dongah namah taengla kam mael pawn ni,” a ti nah.
He gave back to his mother the eleven hundred shekels of silver. His mother announced, “I'm completely dedicating this money to the Lord. I'm handing it over to my son to have an idol carved, an image made with molten silver. So now I return it to you.”
4 Te dongah a manu taengla a mael tangtae cak te a manu loh a loh. Cak yakhat te, mueithuk aka saii tih mueihlawn aka hlawn, Mikhaiah im kah aka om taengah a paek.
After he'd returned the silver to his mother she gave two hundred shekels to a silversmith who made it into a carved idol, an image made with molten silver. They were kept in Micah's house.
5 Tekah hlang Maikah amah taengah pathen im pakhat om. Te dongah hnisui neh sithui te a saii tih a ca rhoek khui lamkah pakhat kut dongah a poem sak phoeiah amah kah khosoih la a khueh.
Micah had built a shrine for the idol. He also made an ephod and some household gods, and ordained one of his sons as his priest.
6 Te vaeng tue ah Israel he manghai a khueh pawt dongah hlang boeih loh a mik dongkah a thuem sak bangla a saii.
At that time Israel didn't have a king— everyone did what they themselves thought was the right thing to do.
7 Te vaengah Judah kho Bethlehem lamkah Judah koca cadong pakhat om tih anih khaw Levi la a om dongah te ah te pah van.
One young man, a Levite from the tribe of Judah had been living in Bethlehem in Judah,
8 Judah Bethlehem khopuei lamkah hlang te cet tih a pah nah te a toem tih a longpuei a thuep hatah Ephraim tlang kah Maikah im la pawk.
left Bethlehem to look for a different place to live. As he traveled through the hill country of Ephraim, he came to Micah's house.
9 Te vaengah anih te Maikah loh, “Me lamkah lae na thoeng,” a ti nah hatah, “Kai he Judah Bethlehem lamkah Levi ni, te dongah pah nah te toem ham ka caeh dae he,” a ti nah.
“Where are you from?” Micah asked him. “I'm a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah,” the man replied. “I'm looking for a place to live.”
10 Te dongah anih te Maikah loh, “Kai taengah khosa mai lamtah kai hamla a pa banghui neh khosoih lam khaw om mai. Nang te kamah loh kum khat ah cak a laang, himbai phu, na thahuelnah khaw kam paek bitni,” a ti nah. Te dongah Levi te khaw pahoi kun.
“Come and stay here with me. You can be my ‘father’ and priest, and I'll give you ten shekels of silver a year, plus your clothes and food.” So the Levite went inside
11 Levi khaw hlang neh khosak ham a mulmet coeng dongah a capa pakhat bangla anih taengah cadong la a om pah.
and agreed to stay with him. The young man became like a son to him.
12 Levi kut te khaw Maikah loh a khueh pah coeng dongah cadong khaw anih kah khosoih la a om pah tih Maikah im ah kho a sak.
Micah ordained the Levite as his own priest and he lived in Micah's house.
13 Te daengah Maikah loh, “Levi he ka khosoih la om coeng tih kai hamla BOEIPA then tila ka ming coeng,” a ti.
“I'm sure the Lord will bless me now, because I have a Levite as my priest,” Micah concluded.
