1 These things happened before kings ruled Israel.
The Tribe of Dan Takes Micah's Priest and Idols
About this time, the tribe of Dan was looking for a place to live. The other tribes had land, but the people of Dan did not really have any to call their own. 2 The tribe chose five warriors to represent their clans and told them, “Go and find some land where we can live.”
The warriors left the area of Zorah and Eshtaol and went into the hill country of Ephraim. One night they stayed at Micah's house, 3 because they heard the young Levite talking, and they knew from his accent that he was from the south. They asked him, “What are you doing here? Who brought you here?”
4 The Levite replied, “Micah hired me as his priest.” Then he told them how well Micah had treated him.
5 “Please talk to God for us,” the men said. “Ask God if we will be successful in what we are trying to do.”
6 “Don't worry,” answered the priest. “The Lord is pleased with what you are doing.”
7 The five men left and went to the town of Laish, whose people were from Sidon, but Sidon was too far away to protect them. Even though their town had no walls, the people thought they were safe from attack. So they had not asked anyone else for protection, which meant that the tribe of Dan could easily take over Laish.
8 The five men went back to Zorah and Eshtaol, where their relatives asked, “Did you find any land?”
9-10 “Let's go!” the five men said. “We saw some very good land with enough room for all of us, and it has everything we will ever need. What are you waiting for? Let's attack and take it. You'll find that the people think they're safe, but God is giving the land to us.”
11 Six hundred men from the tribe of Dan strapped on their weapons and left Zorah and Eshtaol with their families. 12 One night they camped near Kiriath-Jearim in the territory of Judah, and that's why the place just west of Kiriath-Jearim is still known as Dan's Camp. 13 Then they went into the hill country of Ephraim.
When they came close to Micah's house, 14 the five men who had been spies asked the other warriors, “Did you know that someone in this village has several idols and a sacred priestly vest? What do you think we should do about it?”
15-18 The 600 warriors left the road and went to the house on Micah's property where the young Levite priest lived. They stood at the gate and greeted the priest. Meanwhile, the five men who had been there before went into Micah's house and took the sacred priestly vest and the idols.
“Hey!” the priest shouted. “What do you think you're doing?”
19 “Quiet!” the men said. “Keep your mouth shut and listen. Why don't you come with us and be our priest, so you can tell us what God wants us to do? You could stay here and be a priest for one man's family, but wouldn't you rather be the priest for a clan or even a whole tribe of Israel?”
20 The priest really liked that idea. So he took the vest and the idols and joined the others 21 from the tribe of Dan. Then they turned and left, after putting their children, their cattle, and the rest of their other possessions in front.
22 They had traveled for some time before Micah asked his neighbors to help him get his things back. He and his men caught up with the people of Dan 23 and shouted for them to stop.
They turned to face him and asked, “What's wrong? Why did you bring all these men?”
24 Micah answered, “You know what's wrong. You stole the gods I made, and you took my priest. I don't have anything left.”
25 “We don't want to hear any more about it,” the people of Dan said. “And if you make us angry, you'll only get yourself and your family killed.” 26 After saying this, they turned and left.
Micah realized there was no way he could win a fight with them, and so he went back home.
The Tribe of Dan Captures Laish
27-28 The tribe of Dan took Micah's priest and the things Micah had made, and headed for Laish, which was located in a valley controlled by the town of Beth-Rehob. Laish was defenseless, because it had no walls and was too far from Sidon for the Sidonians to help defend it. The leaders of Laish had not even asked nearby towns to help them in case of an attack.
The warriors from Dan made a surprise attack on Laish, killing everyone and burning it down. Then they rebuilt the town and settled there themselves. 29 But they named it Dan, after one of Israel's sons, who was the ancestor of their tribe.
30-31 Even though the place of worship was in Shiloh, the people of Dan set up the idol Micah had made. They worshiped the idol, and the Levite was their priest. His name was Jonathan, and he was a descendant of Gershom the son of Moses. His descendants served as priests for the tribe of Dan, until the people of Israel were taken away as prisoners by their enemies.
Mixab tsî Danni di ǃhaos
1 ǁNā ǁaeb ǃnâ i ge gao-ao-e Israeli ǃnâ ge ǀkhai i. ǁNā ǁaeb ǃnâs ge Danni di ǃhaosa ǁan ain nî ǃhū-e gere ôa, Israeli ǃhaodi ǃnân ge noxopa ǁîn di ǂhunuma ǃhū-e ǃkhōǃoa tama hâ i xui-ao. 2 On ge Danni di khoena koro ǁkhoaǂgaoxa khoega, ǁîn ǃhaos di khoen hoana xu ǁhûiǂui, ǁîga ǃhūba gu sī nî ôaǃnâsa mîmā tsî Soras tsî Estaols tsîra ǁga ge sî. Tsî gu ge Efraimmi di ǃnâuxa ǃhūb ǃnâ gu ge sīo, Mixab oms tawa gere hâ. 3 ǁNāpa gu hâ hîa gu ge ǂkham Leviǁîb di domma ge ǁnâuǃā, o gu ge ǁîb tawa sī tsî dî bi: “Tare-ets nēpa ra dī? Tari-e nēpa ge hā-ū tsi?”
4 Ob ge ǁîba ge ǃeream: “Mixab ǀkha ta ge ge ǁnâugu, tsîb ge ǁîba pristerse ta nî ǃoaba biga ra matare te.”
5 O gu ge ǁîb ǃoa ge mî: “Sige ǃgûdaob nî ǃgâiǃgâxa ǃkhaisa toxopa Elob ai dîba ge re.”
6 Ob ge pristera ge ǃeream: “Tā îganǀgē, ǃgûs ǀguisa hî. ǃKhūb ge nē ǃgûdaob ai sago ǀkhā hâ.”
7 ǁNāti gu ge nē koro khoega Lajis ǁga ge ǃgû. Tsî gu ge mâtin khoena ǁnāpa ǃnorasase Sidonǁîn khami hâsa ge mû. ǁÎn ge ǂkhîse tsî sâsase ge hâ i, khoe-i xare-i ǀkha ǂkhawa-e ūhâ tamase; ǂhân hâ xūn hoanan ge ge ūhâ i. ǁÎn ge Sidonǁîna xu ǃnūse ge ǁan hâ i tsî nau khoen ǀkha dīxū-i tsîna ge ūhâ tama hâ i. 8 Nē koro khoegu ge Soras tsî Estaols tsîra tawa a oaǀkhī, on ge ǁîgu ǃhūb di khoena tare-e gu ge sī a ǂanǂui ǃkhaisa ǁîga ge dî. 9 O gu ge ǁîga ge ǃeream: “Hā, î da Laisa sī ǁnāǂam. Sige ge ǃhūba go mû, ǁîb ge kaise a ǃgâi. Tā noxopa nēpa ǀhabe; ǃhae, î ǃhūba sī ūbasen. 10 ǁNāpa du ga sī, o du ge nî mû ǁnā khoen xū-i tsîna ǁūse hâsa. Kai ǃhūb ge ǁnāba; ǁîb ge khoets nî ǂhâba xū-i hoa-e ūhâ tsî Elob ge ǁîba sado go mā.”
11 O gu ge ǃnanikaidisi aogu Danni ǃhaos diga, ǃkhammi ǃoa ǂhomisen hâse Soras tsî Estaols tsîra xu ge ǃgûǂoa. 12 ǁÎgu ge Kirjat-Jearims Judab ǃnâ ǂnôas di huriǂoasǀkhāb ai hâǃkhaiba sī ge ǂnaumâi. ǁNā-amagas ge ǁnā ǃkhaisa nēsis kōse Dannihâǃkhaib ti ra ǀonǂgaihe. 13 ǁÎgu ge ǁnāpa xu Efraimmi di ǃnâuxa ǃhūb kōse ǃkharu tsî Mixab oms tawa ge sī.
14 ǁNā koro khoegu Lajis ǂnamipe ǁgoe ǃhūba gu sī nî ôaǃnâse ge ǃgûga ǁîgu ǀkha hâ khoega ǃoa ge mî: “Nē omdi di ǀguis ǃnâb ǃgaoǂuisa īb, ǀhaiǀurib ǀkha ǃkhûǀkhāsaba hâ ǃkhaisa ǂan go a? ǁNāpa gu ge ǁkhāti ǀnî ǁgôa-elo-īgu tsî efodi tsîna hâ. Mâti ge nî dī ti go ra ǂâi?” 15 O gu ge Mixab di oms, ǁîs ǃnâb ge ǂkham Leviǁîba ǁan hâ is ǁga ǃgû tsî ǁîba mâtib hâsa sī ge dî. 16 ǃNanikaidisi toroǃkhamaogu Danni ǃhaos digu ge ǀnai ǃās di dao-ams tawa ge mâ i. 17 ǁNā koro ǃkhē-aogu ge oms ǃnâ ǂgâ tsî ǃgaoǂuisa īb, ǀhaiǀurib ǀkha ǃkhûǀkhāsab, nau īgu tsî efodi tsîna ge ū, pristeri ǃās di dao-ams tawa ǃnanikaidisi toroǃkhamaogu tawa mâ hîa.
18 Khoegu ge Mixab oms ǃnâ ǂgâ tsî ǃgaoǂuisa īb, ǁgôa-elo-īgu tsî efodi tsîna a ū, ob ge pristera “Tare-e go ra dī?” ti ǁîga ge dî.
19 O gu ge ǁîga ge mî: “ǃNō. Tā xū-i tsîna khom. Sige ǀkha ǃgû, îts sida di prister tsî ǀapemā-ao kai. ǀGui khoeb omaris ǀguis di pristerse hâs xas kha hoaraga ǃhaos Israelǁîn dis di pristerse hâsa ǃgâiba tsi tama hâ?” 20 Nēs ge pristera kaise ge ǃgâiba, tsîb ge efodi, ǁgôa-elo-īgu tsî ǃgaoǂuisa īb tsîna ū tsî ǁîgu ǀkha ge ǃgû.
21 ǁÎgu ge dabasen tsî ge ǃgû, ǁîgu ôan, ǂgarib tsî xūn tsîn xa aimabahe hâse. 22 Mixab omsa xu gu ǀnai ǃnūse ǃgû hâ, hîab ge ǁîba ǁîb di ǁanǁare-aoga ǃkhammi ǃoa ge ǂgaiǀhao. ǁÎgu ge Danni khoega saoǁae 23 tsî ǁîga ge ǃhao, o gu ge Danni khoega dabasen tsî Mixaba ge dî: “Tare-ets ra ǂhâba? Tare-i ǃaromats nē ǂguib hoab ǀkha ǀkhī?”
24 Ob ge Mixaba ge ǃeream: “Mâti go ra ǂâibasen ‘Tare-ets ra ǂhâba?’ ti tita dîs ǀkha. Sago ge ti pristeri tsî tita ge kurubasen elogu tsîna ū tsî go ǃgû. Tare-e nēsi ǃgauba te hâ?”
25 O gu ge Danni khoega ge mî: “Tā nēpa ǀgui xū-i tsîna khom, î gu tā nē khoega ǁaixa tsî sado ǁnāǂam tsî sats tsî sa omaris din hoana ǃgam.” 26 Danni di khoega aiǃâb ǁga ge ǃgû, tsî Mixab ge ǁîgu xa gu a ǀgaisa ǃkhaisa ge mûo, dabasen tsî ge oa. 27-28 Danni di khoegu ge Mixab ge dī hâ i īgu tsî pristeri tsîna gu ge ūs khaoǃgâ Lajis, ǂkhîsa tsî ǁūse hâ khoen di ǃās, Bet-Rehobs ǂnôaǃnâ ǃgoaǃnāb ǁkhāb ǃnâ ge ǂnôa isa sī ge ǁnāǂam. ǁÎgu ge khoena ǃgam tsî ǃāsa ge khauǃkhū. ǁÎna nî huiǂui khoe-i xare-i ge ge ǀkhai i, Lajis ge Sidonsa xu kaise ǃnū i, tsî ǁîn ge ǀnî khoe-i ǀkha ǁaeǁaesen tama hâ i xui-ao. Danni di khoen ge ǃāsa ǁkhawa ǂnubikhâi tsî ǁîs ǃnâ ge ǁan. 29 Tsîn ge Lajis di ǀonsa Dan ti ge ǀkharaǀkhara, ǁîn di aboxab Danni, Jakob ôab di ǀons ǃoa. 30 Danni khoen ge ība ǁnāpa ǀgoreǀîheb nîse ge mâi. ǁÎn ge Gersommi ôa tsî Moseb di ǁnurib Jonatanna Danni ǃhaos di pristerse ge mâi, tsî gu ge ǁîb ôaga khoen ge ǃkhōsabese ǃgû-ūhes kōse ǁîna pristerse gere ǃoaba. 31 Mixab ge dī hâ i īb ge Elob di Tentommi Silos ǃnâ hâs kōse ǁnāpa ge mâhâhâ.
