¹Zvino namazuva iwayo kwakanga kusina mambo pakati pavaIsiraeri; namazuva iwayo vaDhani vakazvitsvakira nhaka yokugaramo, nekuti kusvikira panguva iyo vakanga vachigere kupiwa nhaka pakati pamarudzi avaIsiraeri.

¹In those days there is no king in Israel, and in those days the tribe of the Danite is seeking for itself an inheritance to inhabit, for [that] hath not fallen to it unto that day in the midst of the tribes of Israel by inheritance.

²Zvino pakati pavo vose vana vaDhani vakatuma varume vashanu veimba yavo, varume voumhare, vakabva Zora neEshitaori, kuzoshora nyika, nokuitarisisa; vakati kwavari, Endai, mundotarisisa nyika; ivo vakasvika kunyika yamakomo yaEfuremu, kuimba yaMika, vakavatapo.

²And the sons of Dan send, out of their family, five men of them, men, sons of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to traverse the land, and to search it, and they say unto them, `Go, search the land;` and they come into the hill-country of Ephraim, unto the house of Micah, and lodge there.

³Zvino vakati vari paimba yaMika, vakaziva inzwi rejaya muRevhi; vakatsaukirako, vakati kwaari, Ndianiko wakakusvitsa pano? Unobatei pano? Unotsvakei pano?

³They [are] with the household of Micah, and they have discerned the voice of the young man, the Levite, and turn aside there, and say to him, `Who hath brought thee hither? and what art thou doing in this [place?] and what to thee here?`

⁴Iye akati kwavari, Mika wakandiitira zvokuti nezvokuti, akandiripira, ndikava mupristi wake.

⁴And he saith unto them, `Thus and thus hath Micah done to me; and he hireth me, and I am to him for a priest.`

⁵Vakati kwaari, Zvino chitibvunzira hako Mwari, tizive kana tichafamba zvakanaka panzira yedu yatinofamba nayo.

⁵And they say to him, `Ask, we pray thee, at God, and we know whether our way is prosperous on which we are going.`

⁶mupristi akati kwavari, Endai norugare, nzira yenyu yamunofamba nayo inofadza Jehovha.

⁶And the priest saith to them, `Go in peace; over-against Jehovah [is] your way in which ye go.`

⁷Zvino varume vashanu vakaenda, vakasvika Raishi, vakaona vanhu vakanga varimo, kuti vagere pasine njodzi nomutowo wavaZidhoni, vakagarika, vane rugare; kwakanga kusina munhu waiva nesimba rokuraira, waimanikidza vanhu pachinhu chipi nechipi; vakanga vagere kure navaZidhoni, vasingafambidzani navamwe vanhu.

⁷And the five men go, and come in to Laish, and see the people which [is] in its midst, dwelling confidently, according to the custom of Zidonians, quiet and confident; and there is none putting to shame in the land in [any] thing, possessing restraint, and they [are] far off from the Zidonians, and have no word with [any] man.

⁸Vakasvika kuhama dzavo paZora napaEshitaori; hama dzavo dzikati kwavari, Munoreveiko?

⁸And they come in unto their brethren, at Zorah and Eshtaol, and their brethren say to them, `What — ye?`

⁹Vakati, Simukai, tikwire, tindorwa navo; nekuti takatarira nyika, tikaona kuti yakanaka kwazvo; munogara seiko musingaiti chinhu? Musava nousimbe hwokupinda, kuti nyika ive yenyu.

⁹And they say, `Rise, and we go up against them, for we have seen the land, and lo, very good; and ye are keeping silent! be not slothful to go — to enter to possess the land.

¹⁰Kana muchienda muchandosvika kuvanhu vagere pasine njodzi, uye nyika ihuru; nekuti Mwari wakakupai iyo mumaoko enyu; apo hapashaikwi chinhu chiri panyika.

¹⁰When ye go, ye come in unto a people confident, and the land [is] large on both hands, for God hath given it into your hand, a place where there is no lack of anything which [is] in the land.`

¹¹Ipapo varume vana mazana matanhatu veimba yavaDhani vakanga vakashonga nhumbi dzokurwa, vakaendako, vachibva Zora neEshitaori.

¹¹And there journey thence, of the family of the Danite, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, six hundred men girded with weapons of war.

¹²Vakakwira, vakandodzika matende avo paKiriati-jearimi, paJudha; naizvozvo vakatumidza nzvimbo iyo Mahane-dhani kusvikira zuva ranhasi; tarirai, riri shure kweKiriati-jearimi.

¹²And they go up and encamp in Kirjath-Jearim, in Judah, therefore they have called that place, `Camp of Dan,` till this day; lo, behind Kirjath-Jearim.

¹³Vakabvapo, vakapfuura kusvikira panyika yamakomo yaEfuremu, vakasvika paimba yaMika.

¹³And they pass over thence [to] the hill-country of Ephraim, and come in unto the house of Micah.

¹⁴Zvino varume vashanu, vakanga vandoshora nyika yeRaishi, vakapindura, vakati kuhama dzavo, Munoziva here kuti mudzimba idzi mune efodhi, neterafimi, nomufananidzo wakavezwa nomufananidzo wakaumbwa? Saka zvino fungai zvakanaka zvamunofanira kuita.

¹⁴And the five men, those going to traverse the land of Laish, answer and say unto their brethren, `Have ye known that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and graven image, and molten image? and now, know what ye do.`

¹⁵Ipapo vakatsaukirako, vakasvika paimba yejaya muRevhi, iyo imba yaMika, vakabvunza mufaro.

¹⁵And they turn aside thither, and come in unto the house of the young man the Levite, the house of Micah, and ask of him of welfare, —

¹⁶Zvino varume vana mazana matanhatu vakanga vakashonga nhumbi dzavo dzokurwa nadzo, vaiva vavana vaDhani, vakamira panopindwa napo pasuwo,

¹⁶(and the six hundred men girded with their weapons of war, who [are] of the sons of Dan, are standing at the opening of the gate), —

¹⁷varume vashanu vakanga vandoshora nyika vakakwira, vakapindamo, vakatora mufananidzo wakavezwa, neefodhi, neterafimi, nomufananidzo wakaumbwa; mupristi akamira panopindwa napo pasuwo kuvarume vana mazana matanhatu vakanga vakashonga nhumbi dzokurwa nadzo.

¹⁷yea, the five men, those going to traverse the land, go up — they have come in thither — they have taken the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image — and the priest is standing at the opening of the gate, and the six hundred men who are girded with weapons of war —

¹⁸Zvino ivo vakati vapinda mumba maMika, vakatora mufananidzo wakavezwa, neefodhi, neterafimi, nomufananidzo wakaumbwa, mupristi akati kwavari, Munoiteiko?

¹⁸yea, these have entered the house of Micah, and take the graven image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image; and the priest saith unto them, `What are ye doing?`

¹⁹Vakati kwaari, Nyarara, bata muromo wako, uende nesu, uve baba vedu nomupristi wedu; zviri nani kwauri ndezvipi, kuti uve mupristi paimba yomunhu mumwe chete, kana kuva mupristi worudzi rwose neimba yose yavaIsiraeri here?

¹⁹and they say to him, `Keep silent, lay thy hand on thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us for a father and for a priest: is it better thy being a priest to the house of one man, or thy being priest to a tribe and to a family in Israel?`

²⁰Zvino moyo womupristi ukafara, akatora efodhi, neterafimi nomufananidzo wakavezwa, akapinda napakati pavanhu.

²⁰And the heart of the priest is glad, and he taketh the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and goeth into the midst of the people,

²¹Vakatsauka, ndokuenda, vakatungamidza vana vaduku, nezvipfuwo nenhumbi.

²¹and they turn and go, and put the infants, and the cattle, and the baggage, before them.

²²Zvino vakati vafamba runhambo kubva paimba yaMika, varume vakanga vagere padzimba dzaiva pedo neimba yaMika vakaunganidzwa, vakatevera vaDhani, vakavabata.

²²They have been far off from the house of Micah — and the men who [are] in the houses which [are] near the house of Micah have been called together, and overtake the sons of Dan,

²³Vakadanidzira kuvana vaDhani. Ivo vakacheuka, vakati kuna Mika, Unotsvakeiko, zvawauya neboka rakadai?

²³and call unto the sons of Dan, and they turn round their faces, and say to Micah, `What — to thee that thou hast been called together?`

²⁴Iye akati, Manditorera vamwari vangu vandakanga ndaita, nomupristi wangu, mukaenda navo, zvino ini ndasarirwa neiko? Mungataura sei kwandiri, muchiti, Unotsvakeiko?

²⁴And he saith, `My gods which I made ye have taken, and the priest, and ye go; and what to me more? and what [is] this ye say unto me, What — to thee!`

²⁵Vana vaDhani vakati kwaari, inzwi rako ngarirege kunzwika pakati pedu, kuti varume vane shungu varege kukuwira, ukarashikirwa noupenyu hwako pamwechete noupenyu hwevamwe veimba yako.

²⁵And the sons of Dan say unto him, `Let not thy voice be heard with us, lest men bitter in soul fall upon you, and thou hast gathered thy life, and the life of thy household;`

²⁶Ipapo vana vaDhani vakaenda havo; zvino Mika wakati achiona kuti simba ravo rinokunda rake, akadzokera kumba kwake.

²⁶and the sons of Dan go on their way, and Micah seeth that they are stronger than he, and turneth, and goeth back unto his house.

²⁷Ivo vakatora zvakanga zvakaitwa naMika, nomupristi waakanga anaye, vakasvika Raishi, kuvanhu vakanga vakagarika, vagere pasine njodzi, vakavauraya neminondo inopinza, vakapisa guta ravo nomoto.

²⁷And they have taken that which Micah had made, and the priest whom he had, and come in against Laish, against a people quiet and confident, and smite them by the mouth of the sword, and the city have burnt with fire,

²⁸Vakashaiwa unovarwira, nekuti vakanga vari kure neZidhoni; vakanga vasingafambidzani navamwe vanhu; guta rakanga riri mumupata uri paBheti-rehobhi. Vakavaka guta, vakagaramo.

²⁸and there is no deliverer, for it [is] far off from Zidon, and they have no word with [any] man, and it [is] in the valley which [is] by Beth-Rehob; and they build the city, and dwell in it,

²⁹Vakatumidza guta zita rinonzi Dhani, nezita rababa vavo Dhani, wakange akaberekerwa Isiraeri; asi zita reguta raiva Raishi pakutanga.

²⁹and call the name of the city Dan, by the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel; and yet Laish [is] the name of the city at the first.

³⁰Vana vaDhani vakazvimisira mufananidzo uyo wakavezwa; Jonatani, mwanakomana waGerishomi, mwanakomana waMozisi, iye navana vake vakava vapristi vorudzi rwavaDhani, kusvikira pazuva rokutapwa kwavanhu venyika iyo.

³⁰And the sons of Dan raise up for themselves the graven image, and Jonathan son of Gershom, son of Manasseh, he and his sons have been priests to the tribe of the Danite, till the day of the removal of [the people] of the land.

³¹Vakazvimisira mufananidzo wakavezwa naMika, waakanga aita, ukavapo nguva yose yokugara kweimba yaMwari paShiro.

³¹And they appoint for them the graven image of Micah, which he had made, all the days of the house of God being in Shiloh.