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 was no king in Israel, and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought for themselves an inheritance to dwell in; for to that day [their lot] had not fallen to them for inheritance among the tribes of Israel.

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 children of Dan sent of their family five men of their whole number, men of valour, from Zoreah and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to examine it; and they said to them, Go, examine the land. And they came to the hill-country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there.

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

³When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man, the Levite; and they turned in thither, and said to him, Who brought thee hither? and what doest thou in this [place]? and what hast thou here?

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

⁴And he said to them, Thus and thus has Micah done to me; and he has hired me, and I am his priest.

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

⁵And they said to him, Inquire, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way on which we go shall be prosperous.

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

⁶And the priest said to them, Go in peace: before Jehovah is your way on 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 departed, and came to Laish; and they saw the people that were therein, dwelling securely, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and no one was in the land who possessed authority, that might put [them] to shame in anything; and they were far from the Zidonians, and had nothing to do with [any] man.

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

⁸-- And they came to their brethren at Zoreah and Eshtaol. And their brethren said to them, What [say] 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 said, Arise, and let us go up against them; for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very good; and ye are still! Be not slothful to go, to enter to take possession of 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 in, ye shall come to a people secure, and the land is spacious in every direction; for God has given it into your hands; [it is] a place where there is no want of anything that is on the earth.

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

¹¹And there went from thence of the family of the Danites, out of Zoreah and out of 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 went up and encamped in Kirjath-jearim, in Judah; therefore they call that place Mahaneh-Dan to this day: behold, it is behind Kirjath-jearim.

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

¹³And they passed thence to mount Ephraim, and came to 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.

¹⁴Then the five men that had gone to spy out the country of Laish spoke and said to their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? And now ye know what to do.

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

¹⁵And they turned thither, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, the house of Micah, and inquired after his welfare.

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

¹⁶And the six hundred men of the children of Dan, girded with their weapons of war, stood at the entrance 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.

¹⁷And the five men that had gone to spy out the land went up, entered in thither, [and] took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image; and the priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men that were girded with weapons of war.

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

¹⁸And these came into Micah's house, and took the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. And the priest said to them, What do ye?

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 said to him, Hold thy peace, lay thy hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for thee to be a priest for the house of one man, or to be priest for a tribe and a family in Israel?

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

²⁰Then the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.

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

²¹And they turned and departed, and put the little ones 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 were already far from the house of Micah, when the men that were in the houses near to Micah's house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan.

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

²³And they cried to the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said to Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company?

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

²⁴And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and ye are gone away; and what have I more? and what is this that ye say to me, What aileth 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 children of Dan said to him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest men of exasperated spirit run upon you, and thou lose thy life and the lives of thy household.

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

²⁶And the children of Dan went their way; and Micah saw that they were too strong for him, and he turned and went back to 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 took that which Micah had made, and the priest that he had had, and came upon Laish, upon a people quiet and secure; and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burned the city 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 was no deliverer, for it was far from Zidon, and they had nothing to do with [any] man; and it [lay] in the valley that is by Beth-rehob. And they built the city and dwelt therein.

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

²⁹And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel; howbeit Laish was 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 children of Dan set up the graven image; and Jehonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses; he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.

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

³¹And they set up for themselves Micah's graven image, which he had made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.