1 In those days there was no king in Israel, and in those days the Danites were looking for a heritage for themselves, to be their living-place; for up to that time no distribution of land had been made to them among the tribes of Israel.

2 So the children of Dan sent five men from among their number, strong men, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to take a look at the land and make a search through it; and they said to them, Go and make a search through the land; and they came to the hill-country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, where they made a stop for the night.

3 When they were near the house of Micah, hearing a voice which was not strange to them, that of the young Levite, they went out of their road to his place, and said to him, How did you come here? and what are you doing in this place? and why are you here?

4 And he said to them, This is what Micah did for me, and he gave me payment and I became his priest.

5 Then they said, Do get directions from God for us, to see if the journey on which we are going will have a good outcome.

6 And the priest said to them, Go in peace: your way is guided by the Lord.

7 Then the five men went on their way and came to Laish and saw the people who were there, living without thought of danger, like the Zidonians, quiet and safe; for they had everything on earth for their needs, and they were far from the Zidonians and had no business with Aram.

8 So they came back to their brothers in Zorah and Eshtaol, and their brothers said to them, What news have you?

9 And they said, Up! and let us go against Laish; for we have seen the land, and it is very good: why are you doing nothing? Do not be slow to go in and take the land for your heritage.

10 When you come there you will come to a people living without thought of danger; and the land is wide, and God has given it into your hands: a place where there is everything on earth for man's needs.

11 So six hundred men of the Danites from Zorah and Eshtaol went out armed with instruments of war.

12 And they went up and put up their tents in Kiriath-jearim in Judah: so that place is named Mahaneh-dan to this day. It is to the west of Kiriath-jearim.

13 From there they went on to the hill-country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah.

14 Then the five men who had gone to make a search through the country of Laish, said to their brothers, Have you knowledge that in these houses there is an ephod and family gods and a pictured image and a metal image? So now you see what to do.

15 And turning from their road they came to the house of the young Levite, the house of Micah, and said to him, Is it well with you?

16 And the six hundred armed men of the Danites took their places by the doorway.

17 Then the five men who had gone to make a search through the land, went in and took the pictured image and the ephod and the family gods and the metal image; and the priest was by the doorway with the six hundred armed men.

18 And when they went into Micah's house and took out the pictured image and the ephod and the family gods and the metal image, the priest said to them, What are you doing?

19 And they said to him, Be quiet; say nothing, and come with us and be our father and priest; is it better for you to be priest to one man's house or to be priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?

20 Then the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod and the family gods and the pictured image and went with the people.

21 So they went on their way again, putting the little ones and the oxen and the goods in front of them.

22 When they had gone some way from the house of Micah, the men from the houses near Micah's house came together and overtook the children of Dan,

23 Crying out to them. And the Danites, turning round, said to Micah, What is your trouble, that you have taken up arms?

24 And he said, You have taken my gods which I made, and my priest, and have gone away; what is there for me now? Why then do you say to me, What is your trouble?

25 And the children of Dan said to him, Say no more, or men of bitter spirit may make an attack on you, causing loss of your life and the lives of your people.

26 Then the children of Dan went on their way; and when Micah saw that they were stronger than he, he went back to his house.

27 And they took that which Micah had made, and his priest, and came to Laish, to a people living quietly and without thought of danger, and they put them to the sword without mercy, burning down their town.

28 And they had no saviour, because it was far from Zidon, and they had no business with Aram; and it was in the valley which is the property of Beth-rehob. And building up the town again they took it for their living-place.

29 And they gave the town the name of Dan, after Dan their father, who was the son of Israel: though the town had been named Laish at first.

30 (And the children of Dan put up the pictured image for themselves; and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of the Danites till the day when the ark was taken prisoner.)

31 And they put up for themselves the image which Micah had made, and it was there all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

1 I aua ra kahore o Iharaira kingi: i aua ra hoki e rapu ana te iwi o nga Rani i tetahi kainga mo ratou hei nohoanga; kihai hoki tetahi kainga tupu i tau ki a ratou i roto i nga iwi o Iharaira a tae noa ki taua ra.

2 Na ka tono nga tamariki a Rana i etahi tangata tokorima o to ratou hapu, he hunga maia, i roto i o ratou rohe, i Toraha, i Ehetaoro, hei tutei i te whenua, hei titiro hoki: i mea hoki ki a ratou, Tikina, tirohia te whenua. Na ka tae ratou ki te w henua pukepuke o Eparaima, ki te whare o Mika, noho ana i reira.

3 I a ratou i te whare o Mika, ka mohiotia e ratou te reo o taua taitamariki, o te Riwaiti: na peka ana ki reira, a ka mea ki a ia, Na wai koe i kawe mai ki konei? e aha ana hoki koe i konei? a he aha tau i konei?

4 Na ka mea ia ki a ratou, Ko nga mea tenei i meatia e Mika ki ahau; nana hoki ahau i utu, na hei tohunga ano ahau ki a ia.

5 A ka mea ratou ki a ia, Tena, ui atu ki te Atua kia mohio ai matou ka tika ranei to matou ara e haere nei matou.

6 Na ka mea te tohunga ki a ratou, Haere marie, kei te aroaro o Ihowa to koutou ara e haere na koutou.

7 Na ka haere aua tangata tokorima, ka tae ki Raihi, a ka kite i nga tangata o reira, i te pai o ta ratou noho, rite tonu ki a nga Haironi, te ata noho, te mau; kahore hoki he tangata whai mana o te whenua hei mea kia whakama ratou ki tetahi mea, a e matara mai ana ratou i nga Haironi, kahore hoki a ratou aha ki tetahi tangata.

8 Na ka tae ratou ki o ratou tuakana, ki Toraha, ki Ehetaoro; a ka mea o ratou tuakana ki a ratou, He aha ta koutou korero?

9 Katahi ratou ka mea atu, Whakatika, kia whakaekea ratou e tatou; kua kite hoki matou i te whenua, na he pai rawa; a me ata noho ano ranei koutou? kaua ra e mangere, ki te haere ki te tango i tera whenua:

10 Ka haere koutou, ka tae atu koutou ki tetahi iwi e noho tatu ana, a he nui hoki te whenua; kua homai nei hoki e te Atua ki o koutou ringa; he wahi, kahore nei i hapa i tetahi mea o te whenua.

11 Na turia atu ana i reira e te hapu o nga Rani, i roto i Toraha, i Ehetaoro, e ono rau tangata, whitiki rawa ki nga rakau o te whawhai.

12 Na ka haere ratou, a ka pupahi ki Kiriata Tearimi, ki Hura; koia i huaina ai te ingoa o tera wahi, ko Mahanerana a mohoa noa nei: koia tena i tua atu o Kiriata Tearimi.

13 Na, i haere atu ratou i reira ki te whenua pukepuke o Eparaima, a ka tae ki te whare o Mika.

14 Na ko te ohonga o nga tangata tokorima i haere nei ki te tutei i te whenua o Raihi, ka mea ki o ratou tuakana, E mohio ana ranei koutou kei enei whare he epora, he terapimi, he whakapakoko whaowhao, me tetahi mea whakarewa? na ma koutou te whaka aro ki ta koutou e mea ai.

15 Na ka peka ratou ki reira, a ka tae ki te whare o taua taitamariki, o te Riwaiti, ara ki te whare o Mika, a oha atu ana ki a ia.

16 A, ko nga tangata e ono rau o nga tama a Rana me a ratou rakau whawhai, tu tonu i te tomokanga o te kuwaha.

17 Na haere atu ana nga tangata tokorima i haere ra ki te tutei i te whenua, a ka tae ki reira; kei te tango i te whakapakoko whakairo, i te epora, i nga terapimi, i te whakapakoko hoki i whakarewaina: na ko te tohunga i te tomokanga ki te kuwaha e tu ana, ratou ko nga tangata e ono rau, me a ratou rakau whawhai, whitiki tonu.

18 A, no te haerenga o era ki te whare o Mika, no te tangohanga i te whakapakoko whakairo, i te epora, i nga terapimi, i te mea hoki i whakarewaina, ka mea te tohunga ki a ratou, E aha ana koutou?

19 Ano ra ko ratou ki a ia, Whakarongoa, kopania atu tou ringa ki tou mangai, a haere mai tatou, hei matua hoki koe mo matou, hei tohunga. Ko tehea te mea pai? kia waiho koe hei tohunga mo te whare o te tangata kotahi, kia waiho ranei hei tohunga m o tetahi iwi, mo tetahi hapu hoki o Iharaira?

20 Na ka koa te ngakau o te tohunga, a ka mau ia ki te epora, ki nga terapimi, ki te whakapakoko whakairo, a haere ana i roto i taua hunga.

21 Katahi ratou ka tahuri, ka haere; a maka ana e ratou nga tamariki, nga kararehe, me nga taonga ki mua i a ratou.

22 Ka matara atu ratou i te whare o Mika, na ka huihuia nga tangata o nga whare i tata ki te whare o Mika, a ka mau atu i a ratou nga tama a Rana.

23 Na ka karanga ratou ki nga tama a Rana. A ka tahuri mai nga aroaro o era, ka mea ki a Mika, He aha tau i huihui tangata mai ai koe?

24 Na ka mea ia, Kua tangohia atu ra e koutou aku atua i hanga ai, me te tohunga, a kua haere atu; a he aha atu ano taku? he aha hoki kia ki mai koutou ki ahau, He aha tau?

25 A ka mea nga tama a Rana ki a ia, Kei rangona tou reo e matou, kei torere atu ki a koe te hunga ngakau aritarita, a ka mate koe me tou whare katoa.

26 Na haere ana nga tama a Rana i to ratou ara, i te kitenga hoki o Mika he kaha rawa ratou i a ia, ka tahuri ia, a hoki ana ki tona whare.

27 A maua atu ana e ratou nga mea i hanga e Mika, me te tohunga i noho ki a ia, a haere ana ki Raihi, ki tetahi iwi e ata noho ana, kahore ona whakaohooho; na patua iho e ratou ki te mata o te hoari, tahuna ake hoki e ratou te pa ki te ahi.

28 Kahore hoki he tangata hei whakaora; no te mea he matara a reira i Harona, kahore ano a ratou aha ki tetahi tangata: i te raorao hoki a reira, i Peterehopo. Na hanga ana e ratou te pa, a noho ana i reira.

29 A huaina ana e ratou te ingoa o te pa ko Rana, ko te ingoa o to ratou matua, o Rana, i whanau nei ma Iharaira: ko Raihi ia te ingoa o te pa i mua.

30 Na whakaturia ana e nga tama a Rana mo ratou te whakapakoko whaowhao, a ko Honatana hoki tama a Kerehoma, tama a Mohi, ratou ko ana tama nga tohunga o te iwi o nga Rana tae noa ki te ra i whakaraua ai te whenua.

31 A tu tonu ta ratou whakapakoko whakairo, ta Mika i hanga ra, i nga ra katoa o te whare o te Atua i Hiro.