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 all their inheritance had not fallen to them among the tribes of Israel.

那時在以色列沒有君王，同時丹支派仍在尋找居住的基地，因為直到那一天在以色列支派中，丹支派尚未得到基地。

2 And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their land, men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said to them, Go, search the land: who when they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there.

於是丹子孫從祚辣和厄市陶耳，由全家族中，派了五個勇敢的人去窺探偵察那地方，對他們說：「你們去偵察那地方! 」他們到了厄弗辣因山地，來到米加的住宅，就在那裏過夜。

3 When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite: and they turned in there, and said to him, Who brought thee here? and what makest thou in this place? and what hast thou here?

他們在米加家附近，認出那少年肋末的聲音，就過去向他說：「誰領你來這裏﹖你在這裏作甚麼﹖你在這裏有甚麼職務﹖」

4 And he said to them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest.

他回答說：「米加待我如此如此! 他聘了我作他的司祭。」

5 And they said to him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.

他們對他說：「你求問天主，使我們知道，我們將走的路順利嗎﹖」

6 And the priest said to them, Go in peace: before the LORD is your way in which ye go.

司祭回答他們說：「你們平安去罷! 上主必使你們所走的路順遂。」

7 Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were in it, how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and there was no magistrate in the land, that might put them to shame in any thing; and they were far from the Zidonians, and had no business with any man.

於是那五個人就去了，來到拉依士，在那裏看見城中的人民安居樂業，一如漆冬人一樣，平安無慮，地產豐富，一無所缺；並且他們離漆冬又遠，與阿蘭也沒有往來。

8 And they came to their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said to them, What say ye?

當他們回到祚辣和厄市陶耳自己弟兄那裏時，弟兄們問他們說：「你們帶來什麼消息﹖」

9 And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess the land.

他們回答說：「起來，讓我們上到拉依士去，因為我們已察看過，那地真肥美，你們還等什麼﹖不要再遲延，趕快去佔領!

10 When ye go, ye shall come to a people secure, and to a large land: for God hath given it into your hands; a place where there is no want of any thing that is on the earth.

到那裏去，是到一個不設防的人民那裏去，地面寬廣遼闊；天主已把那地交在你們手中；那地方物產豐富，一無所缺。」

11 And there went from there of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men appointed with weapons of war.

於是有六百丹支派的人，帶著武器，從酢辣和厄市陶耳出發，

12 And they went up, and encamped in Kirjathjearim, in Judah: therefore they called that place Mahanehdan to this day: behold, it is behind Kirjathjearim.

經過山路，在猶大克黎雅特耶阿陵安營；因此，那地方直到今日叫作「丹營；」這地是在克黎雅特耶阿陵西面。

13 And they passed from there to mount Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.

他們又從那裏經過厄弗辣因山地，來到米加的住處。丹人搶去米加的神像

14 Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, 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? now therefore consider what ye have to do.

當時先去窺探那地的五個人，告訴弟兄們說：「你們知不知道，在此家內有「厄弗得、」「忒辣芬」和一尊神像﹖現在你們要決定當作什麼。」

15 And they turned aside there, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even to the house of Micah, and greeted him.

於是他們轉入米加的住宅，來到少年肋末人的屋裏，向他請安問好。

16 And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate.

同時那六百丹人帶著兵器站在門口，

17 And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in there, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war.

先去探地的那五個人就上去，進到裏面，要拿那尊神像並「厄弗得」和「忑辣芬，」此時司祭和那六百個帶武器的人站在門口。

18 And these went into Micah’s house, and brought the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest to them, What do ye?

當那些人進入米加家裏，拿那尊神像、「厄弗得」和「忑辣芬」時，司祭問他們說：「你們做什麼﹖」

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 to the house of one man, or that thou shouldest be a priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?

他們回答說：「不要作聲，用手掩住你的口，跟我們去，作我們的師傅和司祭；你作一個人家的司祭好呢﹖還是在以色列中間作一個支派，一個家族的司祭好呢﹖」

20 And 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.

司祭滿懷高興，遂帶了「厄弗得、」「忑辣芬」和神像，到了那些人中間。

21 So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the possessions before them.

他們遂轉身回去，把婦孺、牲口以及輜重放在前方。

22 And when they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that were in the houses near to Micah’s house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan.

當他們離開米加的住宅相當遠的時候，米加和米加家附近的人，都聚集起來，去追趕丹的子孫。

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?

他們向丹的子孫呼喊，丹的子孫回過臉來對米加說：「你叫喊什麼﹖」

24 And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and ye have gone away: and what have I more? and what is this that ye say to me, What aileth thee?

米加回答說：「你們把我所製的神像和司祭都帶走，我還有什麼呢﹖」怎麼你們還向我說：你作什麼﹖」

25 And the children of Dan said to him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows rush upon thee, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household.

丹的子孫對他說：「不要再讓我們聽見你的聲音，免得我們中間有暴燥的人打擊你們，使你和你全家都喪失性命! 」

26 And the children of Dan departed: and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house.

此後，丹的子孫繼續前行，米加見他們比自己強大，就轉身回了家。丹族佔據拉依士

27 And they took the things which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and came to Laish, to a people that were at quiet and secure: and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire.

丹的子孫帶著米加所做的神像和他私有的司祭，來到拉依士，到了一個平安無慮的人民那裏，用刀劍殺戮了他們，放火燒了那城，

28 And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Zidon, and they had no business with any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by Bethrehob. And they built a city, and dwelt in it.

沒有人來援救，因為拉依士離漆冬很遠，與阿蘭又沒有往來。這城位於貝特勒曷布山谷中；丹的子孫重建這城，住在那裏，

29 And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel: but the name of the city was Laish at the first.

按他們的祖宗，以色列所生的兒子丹的名字，給這城起名叫丹；其實這城原先名叫拉依士。

30 And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.

丹的子孫把那尊神像立起來，梅瑟的後裔，革爾雄的子孫約納堂和他的子孫作丹支派的司祭，直到該地被擄掠的時日。

31 And they set up for themselves Micah’s graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

天主的殿在史羅多少時日，米加所作的神像在丹支派中也立了多少時日。