< Judges 18 >

1 In those days there was no king in Israel, and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought for themselves an inheritance to dwell in; for to that day [their lot] had not fallen to them for inheritance among the tribes of Israel.
Pada waktu itu Israel tidak punya raja. Lagipula suku Dan masih mencari tanah warisanuntuk mereka tempati, karena sampai saat itu mereka belum mendapat tanah warisan di antara suku-suku Israel lainnya.
2 And the children of Dan sent of their family five men of their whole number, men of valour, from Zoreah and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to examine it; and they said to them, Go, examine the land. And they came to the hill-country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there.
Karena itu mereka membentuk satu regu yang terdiri dari lima orang laki-laki suku Dan. Semuanya kuat dan pemberani. Orang-orang pilihan itu berasal dari kota Zora dan Estaol. Kepada regu itu diperintahkan, “Pergi dan selidikilah di daerah mana kita bisa menetap.” Regu itu pun berangkat. Sesampainya di perbukitan Efraim, mereka bermalam di rumah Mika.
3 When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man, the Levite; and they turned in thither, and said to him, Who brought thee hither? and what doest thou in this [place]? and what hast thou here?
Ketika berada di situ, mereka mendengar seorang pemuda berbicara dengan logat dari daerah Israel sebelah selatan. Maka mereka menghampiri pemuda itu dan bertanya, “Mengapa kamu ada di sini? Siapa yang mengajakmu ke sini, dan apa yang kamu lakukan di sini?”
4 And he said to them, Thus and thus has Micah done to me; and he has hired me, and I am his priest.
Jawab pemuda itu, “Saya di sini karena Mika mempekerjakan saya sebagai imamnya.”
5 And they said to him, Inquire, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way on which we go shall be prosperous.
Lalu mereka meminta kepadanya, “Kalau begitu, tolong tanyakan kepada Allah, apakah perjalanan kami ini akan berhasil atau tidak.”
6 And the priest said to them, Go in peace: before Jehovah is your way on which ye go.
Jawab imam itu, “Pergilah dengan selamat. TUHAN menyertai perjalananmu.”
7 And the five men departed, and came to Laish; and they saw the people that were therein, dwelling securely, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and no one was in the land who possessed authority, that might put [them] to shame in anything; and they were far from the Zidonians, and had nothing to do with [any] man.
Kemudian regu itu melanjutkan perjalanan dan sampai di kota Lais. Di sana mereka melihat bahwa rakyat Lais hidup dengan tenteram sehingga tidak berjaga-jaga terhadap musuh, mirip cara hidup orang Sidon, tenang dan aman. Tidak ada yang menjajah mereka, dan kalau kota itu diserang, mereka terlalu jauh untuk mendapat pertolongan dari orang Sidon. Selain itu, Lais tidak menjalin hubungan dengan kota-kota lain.
8 — And they came to their brethren at Zoreah and Eshtaol. And their brethren said to them, What [say] ye?
Sesudah regu itu kembali ke Zora dan Estaol, saudara-saudara sesuku mereka bertanya, “Apa yang kalian lihat di sana?”
9 And they said, Arise, and let us go up against them; for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very good; and ye are still! Be not slothful to go, to enter to take possession of the land.
Jawab mereka, “Kami melihat tanah Lais yang sangat sejahtera. Ayo kita serang mereka! Jangan diam saja! Kita harus cepat-cepat masuk merebut wilayah itu!
10 When ye go in, ye shall come to a people secure, and the land is spacious in every direction; for God has given it into your hands; [it is] a place where there is no want of anything that is on the earth.
Waktu kita ke sana, kita akan mendapati mereka tidak berjaga-jaga. Allah sudah memberi kita tanah yang luas dan tidak kekurangan apa pun!”
11 And there went from thence of the family of the Danites, out of Zoreah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men girded with weapons of war.
Maka berangkatlah pasukan suku Dan yang terdiri dari 600 warga kota Zora dan Estaol. Mereka diperlengkapi dengan senjata perang.
12 And they went up and encamped in Kirjath-jearim, in Judah; therefore they call that place Mahaneh-Dan to this day: behold, it is behind Kirjath-jearim.
Mereka mendaki ke sebelah barat Kiryat Yearim di Yehuda dan berkemah di sana. Karena itu, sampai waktu kitab ini ditulis, tempat itu disebut Mahane Dan, yang artinya Perkemahan Dan.
13 And they passed thence to mount Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.
Dari sana, mereka terus naik ke perbukitan Efraim dan sampai di dekat rumah Mika.
14 Then the five men that had gone to spy out the country of Laish spoke and said to their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? And now ye know what to do.
Kelima orang yang mengintai Lais berkata kepada saudara-saudara mereka, “Di rumah-rumah itu ada efod, patung-patung berhala pelindung keluarga, dan sebuah patung dewa yang berlapis perak. Nah, kita tahu apa yang harus kita lakukan. Ayo!”
15 And they turned thither, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, the house of Micah, and inquired after his welfare.
Maka kelima orang itu menyimpang ke rumah Mika dan menyapa pemuda Lewi itu.
16 And the six hundred men of the children of Dan, girded with their weapons of war, stood at the entrance of the gate.
Sementara itu, 600 orang pasukan Dan yang bersenjata berdiri di pintu gerbang.
17 And the five men that had gone to spy out the land went up, entered in thither, [and] took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image; and the priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men that were girded with weapons of war.
Ketika imam itu keluar menemui 600 tentara suku Dan di pintu gerbang, kelima orang itu masuk ke dalam rumah dan mengambil patung yang berlapis perak, efod, serta patung-patung berhala pelindung keluarga.
18 And these came into Micah's house, and took the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. And the priest said to them, What do ye?
Ketika imam itu melihat bahwa mereka mengambil efod dan patung-patung itu, dia berseru kepada mereka, “Apa-apaan ini!”
19 And they said to him, Hold thy peace, lay thy hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for thee to be a priest for the house of one man, or to be priest for a tribe and a family in Israel?
Jawab mereka, “Diam! Tutup mulutmu! Ikutlah kami menjadi penasihat dan imam bagi kami. Mana yang lebih baik? Menjadi imam bagi satu orang atau menjadi imam bagi satu suku?”
20 Then the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.
Imam itu senang mendengarnya. Dia pun ikut bersama mereka dengan membawa efod, patung yang berlapis perak, dan patung-patung berhala pelindung keluarga.
21 And they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the baggage before them.
Pasukan Dan melanjutkan perjalanan. Mereka menempatkan anak-anak, ternak, serta barang-barang berharga di rombongan terdepan.
22 They were already far from the house of Micah, when the men that were in the houses near to Micah's house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan.
Ketika pasukan Dan sudah jauh dari rumah Mika, Mika memanggil tetangga-tetangganya dan mereka mengejar rombongan itu.
23 And they cried to the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said to Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company?
Sewaktu mereka sudah dekat, mereka berteriak memanggil pasukan itu. Pasukan Dan menoleh dan bertanya kepada Mika, “Mau apa kamu? Buat apa ramai-ramai mengejar kami?”
24 And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and ye are gone away; and what have I more? and what is this that ye say to me, What aileth thee?
Jawab Mika, “Enak saja kalian bertanya, ‘Mau apa kamu!’ Kalian sudah merebut semua milik saya! Kalian pergi membawa patung-patung dewa buatan saya. Imam saya juga kalian ambil!”
25 And the children of Dan said to him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest men of exasperated spirit run upon you, and thou lose thy life and the lives of thy household.
Orang-orang Dan mengancamnya, “Tidak usah banyak mulut! Awas, orang-orang kami bisa marah mendengarnya. Kamu sekeluarga belum mau mati, bukan?”
26 And the children of Dan went their way; and Micah saw that they were too strong for him, and he turned and went back to his house.
Ketika Mika menyadari bahwa pasukan Dan jauh lebih kuat daripadanya, dia pun kembali ke rumah, sementara pasukan itu melanjutkan perjalanan.
27 And they took that which Micah had made, and the priest that he had had, and came upon Laish, upon a people quiet and secure; and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burned the city with fire.
Pasukan Dan membawa patung-patung buatan Mika beserta imamnya ke kota Lais, yang penduduknya hidup aman dan tenteram. Mereka membunuh semua penduduknya dan membakar kota itu.
28 And there was no deliverer, for it was far from Zidon, and they had nothing to do with [any] man; and it [lay] in the valley that is by Beth-rehob. And they built the city and dwelt therein.
Tidak ada yang datang menolong penduduk Lais, karena kota itu jauh dari kota Sidon, lagipula mereka tidak menjalin hubungan dengan kota-kota lain. Lais berada di lembah dekat kota Bet Rehob. Kemudian suku Dan membangun kembali kota itu dan tinggal di sana.
29 And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel; howbeit Laish was the name of the city at the first.
Mereka mengganti nama kota Lais menjadi kota Dan, menurut nama nenek moyang mereka, yaitu Dan anak Yakub.
30 And the children of Dan set up the graven image; and Jehonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses; he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.
Mereka mendirikan patung buatan Mika itu dan menahbiskan imam Mika tadi menjadi imam mereka. Namanya Yonatan anak Gersom, cucu Musa. Anak-cucu Yonatan turun-temurun menjadi imam bagi suku Dan sampai masa orang Israel ditawan ke negeri lain.
31 And they set up for themselves Micah's graven image, which he had made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.
Patung yang dibuat Mika itu tetap di sana selama kemah Tuhan berada di Silo.

< Judges 18 >