Judges 18

18 ¹For those days, Israel no get king. Di tribe of Dan dey find land wey dem go settle, because reach dat time, dem never receive any inheritance among di tribes of Israel. ²Di people of Dan send five brave men from dem family, from Zorah and Eshtaol, make dem go spy and check di land. Dem tell dem, “Go, check di land well.” Dem reach di hill country of Ephraim, come Micah house, come sleep for there dat night.

³As dem dey near Micah house, dem know di voice of di young Levite man, so dem turn go there come tell am, “Who bring you come here? Wetin you dey do for dis place? Wetin you get here?”

⁴E tell dem, “Micah do such-and-such thing for me; e pay me money, and I become im priest.”

⁵Dem tell am, “Abeg ask our Papa, so we go sabi whether di journey wey we dey go go work.”

⁶Di priest tell dem, “Go in peace. Our Papa dey watch di journey wey una dey take.”

⁷So di five men waka go Laish come see di people wey dey live for there dey safe, like di Sidonians—quiet and secure—dem no lack anything for di land and dem get plenty wealth. Dem dey far from di Sidonians and dem no get anything to do with anybody. ⁸As dem return come meet dem people for Zorah and Eshtaol, dem ask dem, “Wetin una see?”

⁹Dem talk say, “Make una stand up, make we go attack dem! We don see di land—e good well well. Una wan do nothing? No delay to go take di land. ¹⁰As una reach there, una go meet people wey no dey suspect anything for wide-wide land. Our Papa don hand am give una—place wey no lack anything for di whole earth.”

¹¹600 men of di Dan family, wey carry weapon of war, comot from Zorah and Eshtaol. ¹²Dem go up come camp for Kiriath-jearim for Judah. Na why dem dey call di place Mahaneh-dan reach today; e dey west of Kiriath-jearim. ¹³From there dem cross go di hill country of Ephraim come reach Micah house.

¹⁴Then di five men wey bin go spy di land of Laish tell dem people, “Una sabi say dis houses get ephod, household idols, carved image, and cast idol inside? Now make una decide wetin una go do.” ¹⁵So dem turn enter come reach di young Levite house, wey be Micah house, come greet am. ¹⁶Di 600 armed men of Dan stand for di entrance of di gate. ¹⁷Di five men wey bin go spy di land enter come take di carved image, di ephod, di household idols, and di cast idol, while di priest stand for di gate entrance with di 600 armed men.

¹⁸As dis men enter Micah house come take di carved image, ephod, household idols, and cast idol, di priest ask dem, “Wetin una dey do?”

¹⁹Dem tell am, “Keep quiet! Put your hand for your mouth, come with us. Be our papa and priest. E better make you be priest to one man house, or to a whole tribe and family for Israel?”

²⁰Di priest heart glad. E take di ephod, household idols, and carved image, come join di people waka. ²¹Then dem turn come start dem journey, dem put di children, di animals, and dem property for front. ²²As dem don comot far from Micah house, di men wey dey near am gather come chase di people of Dan reach dem. ²³Dem shout give di people of Dan, wey turn come tell Micah, “Wetin do you, wey you gather your men come?”

²⁴E talk say, “Una take di gods wey I make and di priest, come go. Wetin remain for me again? How una fit ask me, ‘Wetin do you?’”

²⁵Di people of Dan tell am, “No make we hear your voice among us, if not, angry men go attack you, and you go lose your life and di life of your household.”

²⁶Di people of Dan continue dem journey; and as Micah see say dem too strong pass am, e turn go back house. ²⁷Dem take wetin Micah make, and im priest, come reach Laish—people wey dey quiet and no dey suspect anything—dem kill dem with sword, come burn di city with fire. ²⁸Nobody fit rescue dem, because di city dey far from Sidon and dem no get tie with anybody. E dey for di valley wey belong to Beth-rehob. Di people of Dan build di city again come settle for there. ²⁹Dem name di city Dan, after dem ancestor Dan, wey be Israel pikin; but before before dem bin dey call di city Laish. ³⁰Di people of Dan set up di carved image for demself. Jonathan, di pikin of Gershom, di pikin of Moses, and im sons be priests to di tribe of Dan reach di day wey dem carry di land go captivity. ³¹Dem set up for demself di carved image wey Micah make, di whole time wey di house of our Papa dey for Shiloh.