18:1 In 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 unto that day the lot had not fallen for them on an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.
18:2 So the children of Dan sent from their family five men from among all of them, men of valor, from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and search it out. And they said to them, Go and search out the land. And they came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah; and they lodged there.
18:3 When they were near the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young Levite man, so they turned aside there and said to him, Who brought you here? And what are you doing in this place? And what do you have here?
18:4 And he said to them, Such and such has Micah done for me; and he has hired me to be his priest.
他回答说,米迦待我如此如此,他雇了我作他的祭司。
18:5 And they said to him, Inquire now of God that we may know if our way on which we are going will be prosperous.
他们对他说,请你求问神,使我们知道所行的道路通达不通达。
18:6 And the priest said to them, Go in peace; your way on which you are going is before Jehovah.
祭司对他们说,你们可以平平安安的去,你们所行的道路是在耶和华面前的。
18:7 Then the five men left and came to Laish. And they saw the people who were in it, dwelling securely after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure; for there was no one in the land who possessed authority and might humble them in anything; and they were far from the Sidonians and had nothing to do with anyone.
18:8 And they came to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol; and their brothers said to them, What can you say?
五个人来到琐拉和以实陶,见他们的弟兄;弟兄对他们说,你们有什么话?
18:9 And they said, Arise; and let us go up against them. For we have seen the land, and it is very good. So do you sit still? Do not be slow about going and entering the land to possess it.
18:10 When you go, you will come to a secure people; and the land is very spacious. God has indeed delivered it into your hand, a place where nothing on earth is lacking there.
18:11 So six hundred men girded with weapons of war set out from there, from the family of Dan, from Zorah and Eshtaol.
于是但族中的六百人,都束着兵器,从琐拉和以实陶起行,
18:12 And they went up and encamped in Kiriath-jearim in Judah. Because of this, that place is called Mahaneh-dan to this day; it is there behind Kiriath-jearim.
上到犹大的基列耶琳,在那里安营。因此那地方名叫玛哈尼但,直到今日;那地方就在基列耶琳的西边。
18:13 And they passed from there into the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah.
他们从那里往以法莲山地去,来到米迦的住宅。
18:14 Then the five men who had gone to spy the land of Laish answered and said to their brothers, Do you know that in these houses there are an ephod and teraphim and a sculptured idol and a molten image? Now therefore consider what you should do.
18:15 And they turned aside there and came to the house of the young Levite man, the house of Micah; and they asked him concerning his welfare.
五个人就转入米迦的住宅,到了那少年利未人的房内问他安。
18:16 And the six hundred men of the children of Dan, girded with their weapons of war, stood at the entrance of the gate.
那六百但人都束着兵器,站在门口。
18:17 And the five men who had gone to spy the land went up and entered there to seize the sculptured idol 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 girded with weapons of war.
18:18 And when these men entered the house of Micah and seized the sculptured idol and the ephod and the teraphim and the molten image, the priest said to them, What are you doing?
那五个人进入米迦的住宅,拿出雕像、以弗得、家中的神像并铸像,祭司就对他们说,你们作什么呢?
18:19 And they said to him, Quiet down; put your hand over your mouth, and go with us and be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest for the house of one man or for you to be a priest for a tribe and family in Israel?
18:20 And the priest's heart was glad; and he took the ephod and teraphim and the sculptured idol, and went into the midst of the people.
祭司心里喜悦,便拿着以弗得、家中的神像并雕像,进入那些人中间。
18:21 And they turned and departed; and they put the little ones and the livestock and the goods before them.
他们转身离开,把妇人孩子、牲畜、财物都安置在前头。
18:22 When they were some distance from the house of Micah, the men who were in the houses that were near the house of Micah were gathered together; and they overtook the children of Dan.
他们离米迦的住宅已远,米迦住宅附近的人都被召集来,把但人追上了。
18:23 And they called out to the children of Dan. And they turned and faced them and said to Micah, What is bothering you, that you have been gathered together?
他们呼叫但人。但人转过脸来,对米迦说,你召集这许多人来作什么?
18:24 And he said, You have taken away my gods that I have made, along with the priest, and have gone off. And what do I still have? How then can you say to me, What is bothering you?
米迦说,你们将我所制作的神像和祭司都带了去,我还有什么呢?怎么还对我说,你作什么呢?
18:25 And the children of Dan said, Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest men of fierce temper fall on you and you lose your life and the lives of your household.
但人说,你不要使我们听见你的声音,恐怕有性情凶暴的人攻击你,以致你和你的全家尽都丧命。
18:26 And the 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.
但人还是走他们的路。米迦见他们比自己强,就转身回家去了。
18:27 So they took that which Micah had made and the priest that had been his, and came to Laish, to a people quiet and secure; and they struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire.
18:28 And there was no one to deliver it; for it was far from Sidon, and they had nothing to do with anyone. Now it was in the valley that is by Beth-rehob. And they rebuilt the city and dwelt in it.
并无人搭救;因为离西顿远,他们又与别人没有来往。城在靠近伯利合的山谷中。但人就重修那城,住在其中。
18:29 And they called the name of the city Dan, according to the name of Dan their father who had been born to Israel. However the name of the city was Laish formerly.
他们照着他们的始祖,以色列所生之子但的名字,给那城起名叫但;其实那城原先名叫拉亿。
18:30 And the children of Dan erected the sculptured idol; and Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, he and his sons, became priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.