Micah and the Tribe of Dan
1 There was no king in Israel at that time. In those days the tribe of Dan was looking for territory to claim and settle in because they had not yet received any land of their own among the tribes of Israel. 2 So the people of Dan chose five qualified men out of all the families in the tribe and sent them from the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol with instructions to explore the land and spy on it. When they arrived in the hill country of Ephraim, they stayed at Micah's house. 3 While they were there, they recognized the accent of the young Levite, so they went up to him and asked, “What are you doing here? Who brought you here?”
4 He answered, “I have an arrangement with Micah, who pays me to serve as his priest.”
5 They said to him, “Please ask God if we are going to be successful on our trip.”
6 The priest answered, “You have nothing to worry about. The Lord is taking care of you on this trip.”
7 So the five men left and went to the town of Laish. They saw how the people there lived in security like the Sidonians. They were a peaceful, quiet people, with no argument with anyone; they had all they needed. They lived far away from the Sidonians and had no dealings with any other people. 8 When the five men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, the people asked them what they had found out. 9 “Come on,” they replied. “Let's attack Laish. We saw the land, and it's very good. Don't stay here doing nothing; hurry! Go on in and take it over! 10 When you get there, you will find that the people don't suspect a thing. It is a big country; it has everything a person could want, and God has given it to you.”
11 So six hundred men from the tribe of Dan left Zorah and Eshtaol, ready for battle. 12 They went up and camped west of Kiriath Jearim in Judah. That is why the place is still called Camp of Dan. 13 They went on from there and came to Micah's house in the hill country of Ephraim.
14 Then the five men who had gone to spy on the country around Laish said to their companions, “Did you know that here in one of these houses there is a wooden idol covered with silver? There are also other idols and an ephod. What do you think we should do?” 15 So they went into Micah's house, where the young Levite lived, and asked the Levite how he was getting along. 16 Meanwhile the six hundred Danite soldiers, ready for battle, were standing at the gate. 17 The five spies went straight on into the house and took the wooden idol covered with silver, the other idols, and the ephod, while the priest stayed at the gate with the six hundred armed men.
18 When the men went into Micah's house and took the sacred objects, the priest asked them, “What are you doing?”
19 They told him, “Keep quiet. Don't say a word. Come with us and be our priest and adviser. Wouldn't you rather be a priest for a whole Israelite tribe than for the family of one man?” 20 This made the priest very happy, so he took the sacred objects and went along with them.
21 They turned around and started off, with their children, their livestock, and their belongings going ahead. 22 They had traveled a good distance from the house when Micah called his neighbors out for battle. They caught up with the Danites 23 and shouted at them. The Danites turned around and asked Micah, “What's the matter? Why all this mob?”
24 Micah answered, “What do you mean, ‘What's the matter?’ You take my priest and the gods that I made, and walk off? What have I got left?”
25 The Danites told him, “You had better not say anything else unless you want these men to get angry and attack you. You and your whole family would die.” 26 Then the Danites went on. Micah saw that they were too strong for him, so he turned and went back home.
27-28 After the Danites had taken the priest and the things that Micah had made, they went and attacked Laish, that town of peaceful, quiet people which was in the same valley as Bethrehob. They killed the inhabitants and burned the town. There was no one to save them, because Laish was a long way from Sidon, and they had no dealings with any other people. The Danites rebuilt the town and settled down there. 29 They changed its name from Laish to Dan, after their ancestor Dan, the son of Jacob. 30 The Danites set up the idol to be worshiped, and Jonathan, the son of Gershom and grandson of Moses, served as a priest for the Danites, and his descendants served as their priests until the people were taken away into exile. 31 Micah's idol remained there as long as the Tent where God was worshiped remained at Shiloh.
Mika nOvadan
1 Momafiku enya muIsrael kamwa li ohamba. Ndele momafiku enya epata lOvadan tali likongele oshitukulwafyuululwa, va kale mo, ndele fiyo okefiku tuu linya, lo inali mona oshitukulwafyuululwa sha wana mokati komapata aIsrael. 2 Novana vaDan ova tuma ovalumenhu vatano ovaladi vomoludi keshe lepata lavo, va dja kuSorea naEstaol, va ka lave edu nokweendaenda nokutalatala ndele tava ti kuvo: Indeni mu ka talaatale edu. Ndele venya va ya keemhunda daEfraim fiyo okongulu yaMika, noko va kala oufiku. 3 Vo eshi va li pongulu yaMika ndele va uda ondaka yomulumenhu omunyasha, Omulevi, ve uya kuye ndele tava ti kuye: “Olyelye e ku eta apa? Ove oto ningi shike apa? Oto kongo shike apa?” 4 Opo nee ye ta ti kuvo: “Mika okwa yukifila nge shonhumba noshongadi, nokwa tambula nge moshilonga, naame nda ninga omupristeli waye.” 5 Opo nee ve mu lombwela: “Tu pulila kuKalunga opo tu shiive ondjila ei hatu ende nayo, ngeenge oi nelao.” 6 Nomupristeli okwe va lombwela: “Indeni nombili. Ondjila yeni tamu ende nayo, oi li koshipala shOmwene!” 7 Opo nee ovalumenhu ava vatano va dja po ndele ve uya kuLais. Ndele va mona nokutya, ovanhu ava va kala ko, ova li vehe noshisho panghedi yOvasidoni, ve nombili vehe noisho. Ndele inapa kala nande umwe a pongeka sha moshilongo osho mokunyeka emona. Ndele venya va li kokule nOvasidoni ndele inava endafana novanhu vamwe. 8 Ndele vo eshi ve uya kovakwao muSorea nomuEstaol, ovakwao ve va lombwela, tava ti: “Tamu ti shike?” 9 Ndele va nyamukula: “Lipyakudukeni, natu va homoneni! Osheshi twa mona oshilongo shavo, ndele taleni, sho oshiwa unene. Nye otamu mwena ashike! Inamu ongaonga okufikama, mu ye ko oku shi nangala. 10 Nye ngeenge tamu fiki ko, tamu ka fika kovanhu vehe noshisho. Noshilongo shi neenhele keembinga adishe, osheshi Kalunga ote shi yandje momake eni, onhele inya inai pumbwa nande sha shi li kombada yedu.”
11 Opo nee ovalumenhu omafele ahamano va dililwa oiti vomoludi lOvadan va fikama va dja muSorea nomuEstaol. 12 Ndele vo va ya ndele tava ongo onhanda pouninginino waKiriat-Jearim muJuda. Onghee hano hava ifana onhele inya fiyo onena Onhanda yOvadan. Yo i li kombada yaKiriat-Jearim. 13 Ndele va dja ko ndele tave uya keemhunda daEfraim ndele va fika fiyo okongulu yaMika. 14 Opo nee ovalumenhu venya vatano ava va ile okulava oshilongo shaLais, va hovela okulombwela vakwao: “Mu shii tuu kutya meumbo eli omu noshikutu shokomapepe noikalunga yomeumbo noshihongwafano noshitelekwafano? Shiiveni hano paife osho mu nokuninga!” 15 Vo ova tengunuka ndele ve uya keumbo lomulumenhu omunyasha, Omulevi, kongulu yaMika, ndele tave mu kundu. 16 Fimbo ovalumenhu omafele ahamano vomovana vaDan va dililwa oiti va kala ofika ponhu, 17 ovalumenhu venya vatano ava va ile okulava oshilongo, va ya mo, ndele tava kufa mo oshihongwafano noshikutu shokomapepe noikalunga yomeumbo noshitelekwafano, fimbo omupristeli a kala ofika ponhu pamwe novalumenhu omafele ahamano va dililwa oiti. 18 Vo eshi va ya mongulu yaMika ndele va kufa mo oshihongwafano, oshikutu shokomapepe noikalunga yomeumbo noshitelekwafano, omupristeli okwe va pula: “Otamu ningi shike?” 19 Ndele ve mu lombwela: “Mwena, likwata komilungu ndele ila, tu yeni pamwe, u ninge tate nomupristeli wetu. Oshe ku wapalela okuninga omupristeli womeumbo lomulumenhu umwe ile okuninga omupristeli wepata limwe noludi limwe lomuIsrael?” 20 Opo nee omutima womupristeli wa hafa, nokwa kufa oshikutu shokomapepe noikalunga yomeumbo noshihongwafano ndele ta i mokati kovalumenhu. 21 Ndele vo ova dja po nokweehena komesho, ounona noimuna noinima iwa ya li mongudu yokomesho. 22 Vo eshi va ehena komesho kanini kongulu yaMika, ovalumenhu vomomaumbo omoushiinda weumbo laMika va shivwa, ndele tava shikula ovana vaDan, 23 ndele tava ingida kovana vaDan. Opo nee va piluka ndele tava pula kuMika, tava ti: “Ou na shike, eshi wa ongela ovanhu voye?” 24 Ndele ye ta ti: “Nye mwa kufa po oikalunga yange nde i ninga nomupristeli, ndele tamu i: ‘Ondi na shike vali?’ Nye otamu dulu ngahelipi okulombwela nge: U na shike?” 25 Ndelenee ovana vaDan tava ti kuye: “Ino tu weelela vali, ovalumenhu vaha handuke noku mu totela, nye otamu kanifa eemwenyo deni vene nodovakweni.” 26 Opo nee ovana vaDan va enda nondjila yavo, fimbo Mika, eshi a mona vo ve mu dule, okwa piluka nokwa shuna keumbo laye.
27 Ndelenee vo ova ya noinima ei Mika e i ninga nomupristeli waye. Ndele va totela Lais, ovanhu venya va kala va tulumukwa ndele vehe noshisho, ndele ve va dipaa neongamukonda ndele tava xwike po oshilando. 28 Ndele kapa li nande omuxupifi, osheshi sho sha li kokule naSidon ndele vo inava endafana novanhu vamwe. Sho sha li mefilu laBet-Rehob. Ovadan va tungulula vali oshilando, ndele ve shi nangala, 29 ndele ve shi luka Dan padina laxe Dan, ou a dalelwa kuIsrael. Ndelenee edina loshilando la li shito Lais. 30 Novana vaDan ve lidikila oshihongwafano. Ndele Jonatan yaGersom yaMoses novana vaye ovalumenhu va li ovapristeli vomepata laDan fiyo okefiku linya ovanhu voshilongo va kufwa mo. 31 Ndele vo ve lidikila oshihongwafano shaMika, osho sha ningwa kuye, momafiku aeshe etwali laKalunga la li muSilo.
