1 In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel. 2 And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts, men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land: who when they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there. 3 When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite: and they turned in thither, and said unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what makest thou in this place ? and what hast thou here? 4 And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest. 5 And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous. 6 And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the LORD is your way wherein ye go.
7 ¶ Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and there was no magistrate in the land, that might put them to shame in any thing; and they were far from the Zidonians, and had no business with any man. 8 And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto them, What say ye? 9 And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess the land. 10 When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure, and to a large land: for God hath given it into your hands; a place where there is no want of any thing that is in the earth.
11 ¶ And there went from thence of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men appointed with weapons of war. 12 And they went up, and pitched in Kirjath-jearim, in Judah: wherefore they called that place Mahaneh-dan unto this day: behold, it is behind Kirjath-jearim. 13 And they passed thence unto mount Ephraim, and came unto the house of Micah.
14 ¶ Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have to do. 15 And they turned thitherward, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and saluted him. 16 And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, which were of the children of Dan, stood by the entering of the gate. 17 And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war. 18 And these went into Micah’s house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto them, What do ye? 19 And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine 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 unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel? 20 And 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. 21 So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the carriage before them.
22 ¶ And when they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that were in the houses near to Micah’s house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan. 23 And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company? 24 And 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 unto me, What aileth thee? 25 And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows run upon thee, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household. 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 unto his house.
27 And they took the things which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people that were at quiet and secure: and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire. 28 And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Zidon, and they had no business with any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by Beth-rehob. And they built a city, and dwelt therein. 29 And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel: howbeit the name of the city was Laish at the first.
30 ¶ And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land. 31 And they set them up Micah’s graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.
18–BOB
Mixo va Dan qabilasi
1 Bu voqealar sodir boʻlgan davrda Isroilda shoh yoʻq edi. Dan qabilasi Isroil qabilalari orasida oʻziga ulush boʻlib tushgan yerni hanuz qoʻlga kiritmagani sababli istiqomat qilish uchun joy qidirib yurgan edi. 2 Bir kuni ular oʻz qabilasining jamiki urugʻlari orasidan beshta jangchini tanlab: “Boringlar, yurtni sinchiklab tekshirib chiqinglar”, — deya ularni Zorox va Eshtoyoʻl shaharlaridan joʻnatib yubordilar. Bu odamlar yoʻl yurib, Efrayim qirlaridagi Mixoning uyiga kelib qolishdi va tunni oʻsha yerda oʻtkazishdi. 3 Ular Mixoning uyida boʻlganlarida yosh levini shevasidan tanib qolishdi–da, uning oldiga borib:
— Bu yerga qanday qilib kelib qolding? Bu yerda nima qilib yuribsan? — deb soʻrashdi.
4 U javob berib: “Mixo meni ishga oldi, ruhoniy qilib tayinladi”, — dedi. Mixo unga qilgan hamma yaxshiliklarini aytib berdi.
5 Shunda ular leviga:
— Xudoga iltijo qilib, ishimiz oʻngidan kelish–kelmasligini bilib ber, — dedilar.
6 — Hech narsadan xavotirlanmanglar. Egamizning Oʻzi sizlarga bu ishda madadkordir, — dedi ruhoniy.
7 Beshala odam yoʻlga ravona boʻldi. Ular Layish shahriga kelib, u yerda Sidon aholisi kabi muloyim, xotirjam va tinch–totuv yashayotgan odamlarni koʻrishdi. Bundan tashqari, atrofdagi xalqlardan birontasi oʻsha xalqqa xavf solmagan, yurtiga tajovuz qilmagandi. Ular Sidondan ancha uzoqda boʻlib, atrofdagi shaharlar bilan hech qanday aloqa oʻrnatmagan edilar. 8 Beshala odam Zorox bilan Eshtoyoʻlga — oʻz urugʻ–aymoqlarining oldiga qaytib borishdi.
— Bizga qanday xabar olib keldingizlar? — deb soʻradi ulardan qarindosh–urugʻlari.
9 Ular shunday javob berishdi:
— Kelinglar, Layishga hujum qilaylik! Biz koʻrgan yurt nihoyatda yaxshi ekan. Nimaga qaqqayib turibsizlar?! Boʻlinglar, oʻsha yerga borib yurtni qoʻlga kiritaylik. 10 U yerga borganlaringizda, xotirjam yashayotgan odamlarga duch kelasizlar. Barcha narsaga moʻl va keng bu yerni Xudo chindan ham qoʻlingizga beryapti.
11 Dan qabilasining olti yuzta odami jang aslahalari bilan qurollanib, Zorox bilan Eshtoyoʻldan safarga otlanishdi. 12 Ular yoʻl yurib, oʻz qarorgohini Yahudodagi Xirat–Yoʻrim shahrining gʻarb tomonida qurishdi. Shuning uchun oʻsha joy bugunga qadar Dan qarorgohi deb ataladi.
13 U yerdan ular Efrayim qirlari tomon yoʻl olib, Mixoning uyiga yaqinlashib qolishdi.
14 Shunda yurtni, aniqrogʻi, Layish shahrining atroflarini koʻrib chiqqan beshta odam birodarlariga deyishdi: “Bu xonadonlarning birida ruhoniylar libosi , xonaki sanamlar va but borligidan xabarlaringiz bormi? Nima qilishimiz kerakligini yaxshi oʻylab koʻringlar.” 15 Ular yosh levi turadigan Mixoning uyiga borib, levidan hol–ahvol soʻradilar. 16 Olti yuzta qurollangan Dan qoʻshini darvozaning yonida turgan edi. 17 Aygʻoqchilik qilgan beshta odam toʻppa–toʻgʻri ichkariga bostirib kirib, ruhoniylar libosi, xonaki sanamlar va kumush bilan qoplangan butni olmoqchi boʻldilar. Levi esa qurollangan olti yuzta odam bilan darvoza yonida qolgan edi. 18 Aygʻoqchilar Mixoning uyiga kirib, ruhoniylar libosi, xonaki sanamlar va butni olganlarini koʻrgan levi ularga:
— Bu nima qilganlaringiz? — dedi.
19 — Jim boʻl! — deb doʻq qildi ular. — Ovozingni oʻchirib biz bilan yur. Bizga maslahatchi va ruhoniy boʻl. Oʻzing oʻylab koʻr, sen bittagina xonadonga ruhoniy boʻlganing yaxshimi yoki Isroilning butun bir qabilasigami?
20 Ruhoniyga bu taklif maʼqul keldi. U ruhoniylar libosi, xonaki sanamlar va kumush bilan qoplangan butni olib, Dan odamlari bilan ketdi.
21 Dan odamlari bola–chaqalarini, chorvayu mol–mulkini oldinga oʻtkazib, safarlarini davom ettirishdi. 22 Ular Mixoning uyidan ancha uzoqlashib qolganlarida, Mixo qoʻni–qoʻshnilarini toʻpladi–da, Dan odamlarining ketidan quvib ketdi. 23 Soʻng ovozi boricha baqirib, Dan odamlarini chaqirdi. Ular esa orqaga oʻgirilib Mixoga:
— Tinchlikmi?! Shuncha odamni yetaklab kelibsan?! — dedilar.
24 — Sizlar men yasattirgan xudolar bilan ruhoniyimni olib ketib, meni ship–shiydam qildingiz–ku. Yana: “Tinchlikmi?” deganingiz nimasi?! — deya javob berdi Mixo.
25 — Ovozingni oʻchir, — dedi unga Dan odamlari. — Boʻlmasa, qoni qaynagan birodarlarimiz jagʻingni ezib, oʻzingni ham, uyingdagilarni ham yoʻq qilib yuborishadi.
26 Dan odamlari yoʻldan qolmadilar. Mixo esa ularga bas kelolmasligini koʻrib, uyiga qaytib ketdi.
27 Dan qabilasi Mixo yasattirgan narsalarni va uning xizmatida boʻlgan ruhoniyni Layishga olib bordilar. Ular Layishda tinch va xotirjam yashayotgan odamlarni qilichdan oʻtkazib, shaharga oʻt qoʻydilar. 28 Layish aholisiga najot beradigan hech kim yoʻq edi, chunki Layish Sidondan juda uzoqda boʻlib, yaqin atrofidagi shaharlar bilan esa hech qanday aloqa oʻrnatmagan edi. Layish Bayt–Rexob shahri bilan bir vodiyda joylashgan edi. Dan qabilasi shaharni tiklab, u yerda oʻrnashib oldi. 29 Shaharni esa ota–bobosi Yoqub oʻgʻli Danning nomi bilan atadi. Dan shahrining eski nomi Layish edi. 30 Dan qabilasi oʻzi uchun Mixodan tortib olgan, kumush bilan qoplangan butni oʻrnatdi. Gershom oʻgʻli Yoʻnatan esa ularga ruhoniy boʻldi. Yoʻnatan Musoning nabirasi edi. Isroil xalqi surgun boʻlguniga qadar , Yoʻnatanning butun nasli ham Dan qabilasiga ruhoniylik qildi. 31 Oʻsha davrda Xudoning uyi Shiloʻ shahrida joylashgan edi, ammo Dan qabilasi u yerga bormay, Mixo yasattirgan butga sajda qilib keldi.
