18
The Danites Adopt Micah’s Idolatry
1In ⚓those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days ⚓the tribe of the Danites was seeking an inheritance for itself to dwell in; for until that day their inheritance among the tribes of Israel had not fallen to them.
2So the children of Dan sent five men of their family from their territory, men of valor from ⚓Zorah and Eshtaol, ⚓to spy out the land and search it. They said to them, “Go, search the land.” So they went to the mountains of Ephraim, to the ⚓house of Micah, and lodged there.
3While they were at the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young Levite. They turned aside and said to him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What do you have here?”
4He said to them, “Thus and so Micah did for me. He has ⚓hired me, and I have become his priest.”
5So they said to him, “Please ⚓inquire of ⚓God, that we may know whether the journey on which we go will be prosperous.”
6And the priest said to them, ⚓“Go in peace. The presence of the Lordbe with you on your way.”
7So the five men departed and went to ⚓Laish. They saw the people who were there, ⚓how they dwelt safely, in the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure. There were no rulers in the land who might put them to shame for anything. They were far from the ⚓Sidonians, and they had no ties with anyone.
8Then the spies came back to their brethren at ⚓Zorah and Eshtaol, and their brethren said to them, “What is your report?”
9So they said, ⚓“Arise, let us go up against them. For we have seen the land, and indeed it is very good. Would you ⚓do nothing? Do not hesitate to go, and enter to possess the land.
10When you go, you will come to a ⚓secure people and a large land. For God has given it into your hands, ⚓a place where there is no lack of anything that is on the earth.”
11And six hundred men of the family of the Danites went from there, from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war.
12Then they went up and encamped in ⚓Kirjath Jearim in Judah. (Therefore they call that place ⚓Mahaneh Dan to this day. There it is, west of Kirjath Jearim.)
13And they passed from there to the mountains of Ephraim, and came to ⚓the house of Micah.
14⚓Then the five men who had gone to spy out the country of Laish answered and said to their brethren, “Do you know that ⚓there are in these houses an ephod, household idols, a carved image, and a molded image? Now therefore, consider what you should do.”
15So they turned aside there, and came to the house of the young Levite man—to the house of Micah—and greeted him.
16The ⚓six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate.
17Then ⚓the five men who had gone to spy out the land went up. Entering there, they took ⚓the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molded image. The priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men who were armed with weapons of war.
18When these went into Micah’s house and took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molded image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”
19And they said to him, “Be quiet, ⚓put your hand over your mouth, and come with us; ⚓be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest to the household of one man, or that you be a priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?”
20So the priest’s heart was glad; and he took the ephod, the household idols, and the carved image, and took his place among the people.
21Then they turned and departed, and put the little ones, the livestock, and the goods in front of them.
22When 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.
23And they called out to the children of Dan. So they turned around and said to Micah, ⚓“What ails you, that you have gathered such a company?”
24So he said, “You have ⚓taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and you have gone away. Now what more do I have? How can you say to me, ‘What ails you?’ ”
25And the children of Dan said to him, “Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest angry men fall upon you, and you lose your life, with the lives of your household!”
26Then 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.
Danites Settle in Laish
27So they took the things Micah had made, and the priest who had belonged to him, and went to Laish, to a people quiet and secure; ⚓and they struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire.
28There was no deliverer, because it was⚓far from Sidon, and they had no ties with anyone. It was in the valley that belongs ⚓to Beth Rehob. So they rebuilt the city and dwelt there.
29And ⚓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 formerly was Laish.
30Then the children of Dan set up for themselves the carved image; and Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan ⚓until the day of the captivity of the land.
31So they set up for themselves Micah’s carved image which he made, ⚓all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.
18
Mikhas thiab Xeem Das
1Thaum lub sijhawm ntawd, cov Yixalayees tsis tau muaj vajntxwv. Thaum ntawd xeem Das tseem pheej mus nrhiav chaw rau lawv nyob, rau qhov lawv tsis tau muaj ib thaj av twg hauv haivneeg Yixalayees rau lawv nyob ua lawv tug li.
2Yog li ntawd, cov Das thiaj xaiv tau tsib tug txivneej uas siab tawv heev sawv cev ntawm txhua tsevneeg hauv xeem Das thiab tso lawv tawm hauv lub nroog Xaulas thiab Eta-aus mus ncig thiab soj lub tebchaws. Thaum lawv tuaj txog rau ntawm lub laj roob Efalayees, lawv mus so hauv Mikhas tsev.
3Thaum lawv mus so tau ntev loo rau hauv lawm, lawv nco tau tus tub hluas Levis lub suab hais lus, ces lawv txawm mus cuag nws thiab nug hais tias, “Koj tuaj ua dabtsi ntawm no? Leejtwg coj koj tuaj?”
4Nws teb hais tias, “Mikhas txib kuv ua ntau yam, nws ntiav kuv ua nws ib tug povthawj.”
5Lawv hais rau nws hais tias, “Thov koj pab thov Vajtswv saib txojkev uas peb mus ntawd puas yuav muaj kev vammeej rau peb.”
6Tus povthawj teb hais tias, “Nej tsis txhob nyuaj siab txog ib yam dabtsi li. Tus TSWV yuav tsomkwm nej thaum nej tabtom taug kev mus.”
7Yog li ntawd, tsib tug txivneej ntawd thiaj sawv kev mus rau hauv lub nroog La-isas lawm. Lawv mus pom cov neeg hauv muaj zoo vaj zoo tsev nyob kaj siab lug ib yam li cov neeg Xidaunias. Lawv nyob thajyeeb lug, lawv cov neeg nyob ntsiag to, tsis muaj kev sib cav sib ceg nrog leej twg; lawv muaj txhua yam uas lawv xav tau. Lawv nyob deb heev ntawm lub nroog Xidaunias thiab lawv yeej tsis cog phoojywg nrog leejtwg li.
8Thaum tsib tug txivneej ntawd rov los txog rau hauv lub nroog Xaulas thiab Eta-aus, lawv cov kwvtij tuaj nug lawv zom zaws hais tias, “Nej puas pom dabtsi coj los piav qhia rau peb?”
9Lawv teb hais tias, “Nej cia li tuaj, peb yuav mus tua lub nroog La-isas. Peb mus pom tej av thiab lub nroog ntawd zoo kawg nkaus li. Tsis txhob ua ib yam dabtsi nyob ntawm no li lawm; maj ceev nrooj! Cia li mus thiab txeeb kom tau tagnrho lub nroog ntawd.
10Thaum nej mus txog ntawd lawm, nej yuav ntsib cov neeg uas nyob tsis ntshai dabtsi. Lub tebchaws ntawd loj heev; nyob hauv lub tebchaws ntawd muaj txhua yam uas neeg xav yuav xav tau. Vajtswv twb muab lub tebchaws ntawd cob rau nej lawm.”
11Yog li ntawd, xeem Das thiaj txhij tau rau puas leej tubrog thiab npaj cuabyeej ua rog tawm hauv lub nroog Xaulas thiab Eta-aus mus txeeb lub tebchaws ntawd.
12Lawv mus tsuam yeej rau ntawm lub nroog Kili-as Ye-alees sab hnubpoob hauv xeev Yudas. Twb yog vim li ntawd thiaj tseem muab qhov chaw ntawd hu ua Das lub Yeej los txog niaj hnub no.
13Lawv thiaj sawv kev qhov ntawd mus txog rau ntawm Mikhas lub tsev pem lub laj roob Efalayees.
14Ces tsib tug txivneej uas lawv twb xub mus soj lub tebchaws thiab ncig saib lub nroog La-isas lawm, thiaj hais rau lawv cov kwvtij hais tias, “Nej puas paub hauv lub tsev no muaj ob tug mlom nyiaj, ib tug yog txaug thiab ib tug yog nchuav? Nyob rau hauv tseem muaj lwm yam mlom thiab muaj ib tug mlom efaus. Nej sim xav saib peb yuav ua li cas?”
15Yog li ntawd, lawv thiaj mus rau hauv Mikhas tsev, yog lub tsev uas tus tub hluas Levis nyob, thiab nug tus tub hluas Levis saib nws puas noj qab nyob zoo.
16Thaum lub sijhawm ntawd, cov Das rau puas leej tubrog uas npaj rawv cuabyeej sib tua twb sawv nres nroos ntawm roojvag tos lawm.
17Ces tsib tug uas mus soj lub tebchaws ntawd, cia li ncaj nraim mus rau hauv tsev thiab muab kiag tus mlom ntoo uas vuam nyiaj, tej mlom hauv tsev thiab tus mlom efaus nqa tawm los, thaum uas tus povthawj tseem nrog rau puas leej txivneej uas nqa rawv cuabyeej ua rog sawv ntawm roojvag.
18Thaum cov txivneej ntawd mus hauv Mikhas tsev, lawv muab tus mlom ntoo, tus mlom efaus, thiab muab Mikhas tsevneeg tej mlom thiab tus mlom tooj nqa los. Ces tus povthawj nug lawv hais tias, “Nej ua dabtsi li ko?”
19Lawv hais rau nws hais tias, “Ua twjywm, tsis txhob hais lus! Koj cia li nrog peb mus ua peb tus povthawj thiab ua peb txiv. Koj ua povthawj rau ib tsev nyuag neeg tseem zoo dua li koj ua rau cov Yixalayees ib xeem thiab los?”
20Qhov no ua rau tus povthawj ntawd zoo siab heev, yog li ntawd, nws thiaj nqa tagnrho cov mlom nrog lawv mus lawm.
21Lawv tso lawv tej menyuam, tej tsiaj txhu thiab txhua yam mus ua lawv ntej.
22Lawv taug kev ntawm Mikhas tsev mus tau ntev loo, Mikhas mam li hu nws tej kwvtij zejzog mus caum lawv qab. Lawv mus caum cuag cov Das,
23thiab lawv qw ntsoog qees rau cov Das. Cov Das tig hlo los nug Mikhas hais tias, “Peb ua txhaum koj dabtsi? Koj yuav coj neeg coob ua luaj tuaj caum peb?”
24Mikhas teb hais tias, “Nej twb coj kuv tus povthawj thiab nyiag tej mlom uas kuv ua tas lawm los sav! Tshuav dabtsi thiaj tseem yog kuv li? Ua li cas nej tseem muaj cai nug kuv hais tias, peb ua txhaum koj dabtsi, koj yuav coj neeg coob ua luaj tuaj caum peb?”
25Cov Das hais rau Mikhas hais tias, “Zoo dua li koj tsis txhob hais ib lo lus ua rau peb chim, nyob tsam cov neeg no tig los tua koj. Ces koj thiab koj tsevneeg yuav tuag tas.”
26Ces cov Das txawm mus lawm. Mikhas pom lawv yeej muaj zog tshaj nws, nws thiaj ua ib siab rov los tsev lawm.
27Lawv coj txhua yam uas Mikhas ua, thiab nws tus povthawj nrog lawv mus tua cov neeg uas nyob thajyeeb lug thiab tsis ntshai dabtsi hauv lub nroog La-isas. Lawv muab ntaj tua cov neeg tuag tas thiab muab tej vajtse hlawv huv tibsi povtseg.
28Tsis muaj leejtwg tuaj pab lawv, vim lawv nyob nrug deb ntawm lub nroog Xidoos, thiab lawv tsis nrog leejtwg cog phoojywg li. Lub nroog La-isas nyob hauv lub hav uas ze lub nroog Npelehaus.
29Lawv thiaj muab lub nroog La-isas hloov dua npe hu ua Das, raws li lawv yawgkoob Das uas yog Yakhauj tus tub lub npe.
30Cov Das muab cov mlom ntawd mus teeb rau lawv pe, lawv tsa Nkesoos tus tub Yaunathas uas yog Mauxes tus xeebntxwv ua lawv tus povthawj, thiab Yaunathas cov xeebntxwv puavleej tau ua lawv cov povthawj mus txog thaum uas lawv raug luag ntes coj mus lawm.
31Cov Das pe cov mlom uas Mikhas ua ntawd, txij thaum lub Tsevntaub uas yog qhov chaw pehawm Vajtswv tseem nyob hauv lub nroog Silaus.