1In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought an inheritance to dwell in; for to that day, their inheritance had not fallen to them among the tribes of Israel.
1但支派尋找可居之地在那些日子,以色列中沒有王。那時,但支派還在尋找可居住的地業,因為直到那一天,在以色列的眾支派中,但支派仍沒有得著地業。
2The children of Dan sent of their family five men from their whole number, men of valor, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said to them, “Go, explore the land!” They came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there.
2於是但人從瑣拉和以實陶,差派他們家族中的五個勇士,去窺探查察那地,對他們說:“你們去查察那地吧。”他們來到以法蓮山地,進了米迦的家,就在那裡住宿。
3When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite; and they turned aside there, and said to him, “Who brought you here? What do you do in this place? What do you have here?”
3他們在米迦的家附近,認出那青年利未人的口音來,就過去他那裡問他:“誰帶你到這裡來?你在這裡作甚麼?你在這裡有甚麼?”
4He said to them, “Thus and thus has Micah dealt with me, and he has hired me, and I am become his priest.”
4他回答他們:“米迦如此這般待我;他雇了我,我就作了他的祭司。”
5They said to him, “Please ask counsel of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.”
5他們對他說:“請你求問 神,使我們知道我們要走的道路是否順利。”
6The priest said to them, “Go in peace. Your way in which you go is before Yahweh.”
6祭司對他們說:“你們平安地去吧,你們要走的道路是蒙耶和華悅納的。”
7Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people who were therein, how they lived in security, in the way of the Sidonians, quiet and secure; for there was none in the land, possessing authority, that might put them to shame in anything, and they were far from the Sidonians, and had no dealings with any man.
7於是那五個人離開了,來到拉億,看見那裡的人民安然居住,好像西頓人一樣,生活平靜安穩;在那地又沒有人掌權,使他們受屈辱;他們離西頓人也很遠,也沒有與別人來往。
8They came to their brothers to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brothers said to them, “What do you say?”
8他們回到瑣拉和以實陶自己的族人那裡去;族人問他們:“你們有甚麼話說?”
9They said, “Arise, and let us go up against them; for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very good. Do you stand still? Don’t be slothful to go and to enter in to possess the land.
9他們回答:“起來,我們上去攻擊他們吧。因為我們已經看過那地,見那地十分美好,你們還靜坐不動嗎?不可再遲延,要趕快去取得那地。
10When you go, you shall come to a secure people, and the land is large; for God has given it into your hand, a place where there is no want of anything that is in the earth.”
10你們到了那裡的時候,你們必遇見安然居住的人民;那地的兩邊寬闊, 神已經把那地交在你們手裡;那地百物俱全,一無所缺。”
11There set forth from there of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men girt with weapons of war.
11於是但人的家族中有六百人,帶著兵器從那裡出發,就是從瑣拉和以實陶出發。
12They went up, and encamped in Kiriath Jearim, in Judah: therefore they called that place Mahaneh Dan, to this day; behold, it is behind Kiriath Jearim.
12他們上去,在猶大的基列.耶琳安營;因此人把那地方叫作瑪哈尼.但(“瑪哈尼.但”意即“但的軍營”),直到現在;這地方是在基列.耶琳的西邊。
13They passed there to the hill country of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.
13他們從那裡經過,往以法蓮山地去,來到米迦的家。
14Then the five men who went to spy out the country of Laish answered, and said to their brothers, “Do you know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and an engraved image, and a molten image? Now therefore consider what you have to do.”
14但支派取去神像和祭司從前去窺探拉億地的五個人,對他們的族人說:“這些屋子裡有以弗得、神像、雕像和鑄像,你們知道嗎?現在你們要考慮一下應該怎樣行。”
15They turned aside there, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even to the house of Micah, and asked him of his welfare.
15於是他們五人轉身,進入米迦的家,來到那青年利未人的屋裡,向他問安。
16The six hundred men girt with their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate.
16那六百但人,帶著兵器,都站在門口。
17The five men who went to spy out the land went up, and came in there, and took the engraved image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood by the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men girt with weapons of war.
17從前去窺探那地的五個人上前,進入裡面,把雕像、以弗得、神像和鑄像都拿去了;祭司和帶著兵器的六百人都站在門口。
18When these went into Micah’s house, and fetched the engraved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”
18當那五個人進了米迦的家,拿走雕像、以弗得、神像和鑄像的時候,祭司就問他們:“你們作甚麼呢?”
19They said to him, “Hold your peace, put your hand on your mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?”
19他們回答他:“不要出聲,用手掩著你的嘴,跟我們走吧,好作我們的師父和祭司。你作一家的祭司好呢?還是作以色列中一個支派一個家族的祭司好呢?”
20The priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the engraved image, and went in the midst of the people.
20祭司心裡高興,就拿著以弗得、神像和雕像,來到眾人中間。
21So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the livestock and the goods before them.
21他們就轉身離去,把婦孺和牲畜,以及財物,都放在前面。
22When they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men who were in the houses near to Micah’s house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan.
22他們離開米迦的家很遠的時候,在米迦的家附近各家的人,都被召集出來,去追趕但人。
23They cried to the children of Dan. They turned their faces, and said to Micah, “What ails you, that you come with such a company?”
23他們呼叫但人;但人轉過臉來,問米迦:“你召集了這麼多人出來作甚麼?”
24He said, “You have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and have gone away, and what more do I have? How then do you say to me, ‘What ails you?’”
24米迦回答:“你們把我所做的神像和我的祭司都帶走了,我還有甚麼呢?你們怎麼還問我:‘你作甚麼’呢?”
25The children of Dan said to him, “Don’t let your voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows fall on you, and you lose your life, with the lives of your household.”
25但人對米迦說:“不要再讓我們聽見你的聲音,恐怕有暴躁的人攻擊你們,以致你和你全家盡都喪失性命。”
26The 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.
26但人繼續走他們的路;米迦見他們比自己強,就轉身回自己的家去了。
27They took that which Micah had made, and the priest whom he had, and came to Laish, to a people quiet and secure, and struck them with the edge of the sword; and they burnt the city with fire.
27但支派攻取拉億改名為但但人把米迦所做的神像和他的祭司都帶走,他們來到拉億,去到平靜安居的人民那裡,就用刀劍擊殺了他們,又用火燒了那城。
28There was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with any man; and it was in the valley that lies by Beth Rehob. They built the city, and lived therein.
28沒有人搭救,因為離西頓很遠,他們又與別人沒有來往。這城位於靠近伯.利合的山谷中。但人重建那城,住在其中。
29They 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 was Laish at the first.
29按著他們的祖宗,以色列所生的兒子但的名字,給那城起名叫但;其實那城原先的名字叫拉億。
30The children of Dan set up for themselves the engraved image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land.
30但人就為自己把那雕像立起來;摩西的孫子、革順的兒子約拿單和他的子孫,都作了但支派的祭司,直到那地遭受擄掠的日子。
31So they set them up Micah’s engraved image which he made, all the time that God’s house was in Shiloh.
31 神的殿在示羅有多少日子,但人為自己設立米迦所做的雕像也有多少日子。