< Judges 18 >

1 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 among the tribes of Israel.
Te vaeng tue ah khaw Israel ah he manghai om pawh. Tedae Dan koca tah Israel koca lakli ah rho pang ham a tue a pha hlan dongah khosak thil ham rho a tlap uh pueng.
2 The children of Dan sent five men of their family from their whole number, men of valor, 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.
Te dongah amih cako khuiah Zorah neh Eshtaol lamkah tatthai ca hlang boeih tah hlang panga te Dan ca rhoek loh khohmuen aka hip tih aka khe ham a tueih uh. Te vaengah khohip rhoek te, “Cet uh lamtah khohmuen ke khe uh,” a ti nauh. Te dongah Ephraim tlang kah Maikah im la pawk uh tih pahoi pah uh.
3 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?”
Maikah im taengkah Levi cadong ol te amih loh a hmat uh dongah pahoi pah uh. Te phoeiah anih te, “Hela nang aka khuen te unim? He ah he balae na saii? He ah he nang ham balae aka om?,” a ti nauh.
4 He said to them, “Thus and thus has Micah dealt with me, and he has hired me, and I have become his priest.”
Te dongah amih taengah heben hebang la, “Maikah loh kai hamla a saii tih kai m'paang coeng dongah anih kah khosoih la ka om coeng,” a ti nah.
5 They said to him, “Please ask counsel of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.”
Te vaengah anih taengah, “Pathen kah hlang dawt lamtah ming lah sih. A soah mamih m'pongpa bangla mamih longpuei he thaihtak venim,” a ti uh.
6 The priest said to them, “Go in peace. Your way in which you go is before the LORD.”
Te dongah amih te khosoih loh, “Rhoepnah neh cet uh lamtah na longpuei te BOEIPA taengah pongpa uh,” a ti nah.
7 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.
Te dongah hlang panga cet uh tih Laish la pawk uh. Te vaengah a khui kah pilnam te a hmuh uh. Sidoni khosing bangla a khosak ngaikhuek la mong tih palyal. Khohmuen kah te khokung khomah la a pang tih olka loh vaitah pawh. Tedae amih te Sidoni lamloh hla tih amih te hlang neh ol a khueh moenih.
8 They came to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol; and their brothers asked them, “What do you say?”
Te dongah Zorah neh Eshtaol kah a pacaboeina te a paan uh hatah a paca boeina loh, “Nangmih tah metlamlae,” a ti nauh.
9 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.
Te vaengah, Khohmuen ke m'hmuh uh tih bahoeng a then tarha coeng dongah halo lamtah amih te cuk thil pawn sih. Nangmih aka ngam rhoek khaw caeh hamla uelh uh boel lamtah khohmuen pang ham paan uh sih.
10 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.”
Na paan uh vaengah pilnam palyal neh, Pathen loh na kut dongah hang khueh khohmuen dang aka ka mungkung te paan uh. Te hmuen tah hnopai pakhat khaw tloelnah aka om pawh khohmuen ni,” a ti uh.
11 The family of the Danites set out from Zorah and Eshtaol with six hundred men armed with weapons of war.
Te dongah Zorah lamkah neh Eshtaol lamkah Dan cako te pahoi puen uh tih caemtloek hnopai aka vah he hlang ya rhuk louh.
12 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.
Cet uh bal tih, Judah Kiriathjearim ah rhaeh uh. Te dongah tekah hmuen te Mahanehdan a sui uh tih tihnin duela Kiriathjearim ah om ke.
13 They passed from there to the hill country of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.
Te lamloh Ephraim tlang la kat uh tih Maikah im te a paan uh.
14 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.”
Te vaengah Laish khohmuen hip hamla ka cet hlang panga loh a doo tih pacaboeina te, “Im ah hnisui, sithui, mueithuk neh mueihlawn a om te na ming uh a? Te dongah na saii uh koi te ming uh laeh,” a ti nah.
15 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.
Te dongah te lam te khoe uh tih Maikah im taengkah Levi cadong im la a caeh uh vaengah Levi te ngaimong lam ni a dawt uh.
16 The six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate.
Tedae Dan ca rhoek khui lamkah caemtloek pumcum aka vah hlang ya rhuk tah vongka kah thohka ah pai uh.
17 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.
Khohmuen hip ham aka cet hlang panga rhoek te tah a khuila kun uh tih mueithuk, hnisui, sithui neh mueihlawn te a loh uh. Te vaengah khosoih khaw, caemtloek pumcum aka vah hlang ya rhuk vongka kah thohka kaengah pai.
18 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?”
Maikah im kah aka kun rhoek loh mueithuk, hnisui, sithui, neh mueihlawn te a loh uh dongah amih te khosoih loh, “Balae na saii uh?,” a ti nah.
19 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?”
Tedae khosoih te, “Na kut te na ka dongah duem khueh. Kaimih taengla halo lamtah kaimih napa lam khaw khosoih lam khaw om mai. Hlang imkhui pakhat kah khosoih la na om te then aya? Israel koca neh a cako kah khosoih ham man nih na om,” a ti nauh.
20 The priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod, the teraphim, and the engraved image, and went with the people.
Khosoih kah a lungbuei tah a voelphoeng pah dongah hnisui, sithui, mueithuk te a khuen tih pilnam lakli la cet.
21 So they turned and departed, and put the little ones, the livestock, and the goods before them.
Hooi uh tih a caeh uh vaengah camoe, boiva neh khuehtawn amamih hmai la a khueh uh.
22 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.
Amih te Maikah im lamloh a lakhla vaengah im kah hlang rhoek loh Maikah im taengkah te a hueh uh tih Dan ca rhoek te a cuuk uh.
23 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?”
Dan ca rhoek te a doek uh hatah a maelhmai a hoi tih Maikah te, “Nang khue te nang taengah balae kan loh eh,” a ti nauh.
24 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?’”
Te dongah, “Ka pathen, ka saii te na loh uh tih khosoih khaw na caeh puei uh phoeiah kai ham balae aka om bal? Te dongah, 'Nang neh kai balae benbo benpang?' na ti uh he balae aka om voel eh?,” a ti nah.
25 The children of Dan said to him, “Don’t let your voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows fall on you, and you lose your life, with the lives of your household.”
Tedae Maikah te Dan ca rhoek, “Na ol te kaimih n'yaak sak boeh, Hluthlut hinglu kah hlang rhoek loh nang te n'cuuk thil vetih namah kah hinglu, na imkhui kah a hinglu te na khum sak ve,” a ti nauh.
26 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.
Dan ca rhoek amah longpui ah a caeh uh daengah Maikah loh amih tah anih lakah tlungluen uh tila a hmuh. Te dongah hooi uh tih amah im la mael.
27 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 burned the city with fire.
Dan ca rhoek loh Maikah kah hno a saii khaw, anih taengah aka om khosoih te khaw a khuen uh. Aka mong tih aka palyal Laish pilnam te a paan uh tih cunghang ha neh a tloek uh phoeiah khopuei te hmai neh a hoeh uh.
28 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.
Sidon lamloh a hla dongah Laish te huul voel pawh. Olka dongah hlang nen khaw amih te benbo benpang pawh. Laish tah Bethrekhob taengkah tuikol ah om. Te dongah kho a thoong uh tih a om thil uh.
29 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.
Te dongah khopuei ming he Israel loh a sak a napa Dan ming voel la Dan koep a sui uh. Tedae hlamat lamkah loh khopuei ming Laish lam ni ana om.
30 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.
Dan ca rhoek kah a ling mueithuk te Manasseh koca Gershom capa Jonathan neh anih koca rhoek loh Dan koca ham khosoih uh tih khohmuen a poel a yoe tue duela om pueng.
31 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.
Pathen im te Shiloh ah a om tue khuiah Maikah kah mueithuk a saii te amamih ham a khueh uh.

< Judges 18 >