Judges 18

¹ King no dey for Israel at that time. In those days the tribe of Dan dey look for territory to claim and occupy because dem never receive any land of their own for among the tribes of Israel yet.

² Naso the people of Dan choose five men wey qualify out of the families for the tribe and dem send them from the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol with instruction say make dem search the land. When dem reach the hill country of Ephraim, dem stay for Micah house.

³ When dem dey for there, dem notice as the young Levite dey talk, so dem go meet him and ask him say, “Wetin you dey do for here? Who bring you here?”

⁴ He answer say, “I get arrangement with Micah, wey dey pay me to serve as him priest.”

⁵ Dem tell him say, “Abeg make you ask God if we go succeed on our journey.”

⁶ The priest answer say, “Una no get anything to worry about. God dey take care of una on this journey.”

⁷ Naso the five men commot and dem go to the town of Laish. Dem see how safe the people there dey live, like the Sidonians. Dem be peaceful and quiet people, wey no get argument with anyone; dem get everything wey dem need. Dem dey live far away from Sidonians and dem no get deal with any other people.

⁸ When the five men con go back to Zorah and Eshtaol, their countrymen ask them wetin dem don find out.

⁹ Dem reply say, “Come on. Make we attack Laish. We see the land, and e dey good. Make una no stay here dey do nothing: Hurry! Make una enter am and take over am!

¹⁰ When una get there, una go see say the people no dey suspect anything. Na big country e be; e get everything wey person fit need, and God don give them to una.”

¹¹ Naso 600 men from the tribe of Dan commot from Zorah and Eshtaol, ready for battle.

¹² Dem go up and make camp for west of Kiriath Jearim for Judah. Na why dem dey call the place Camp of Dan be that.

¹³ Dem continue from there and dem reach Micah house for hill country of Ephraim.

¹⁴ Then the five men wey don go check the country round Laish tell themselves say, “Shey una know say for one of these houses here wooden idol dey wey dem use silver cover? Other idols still dey and ephod. Wetin una think say make we do?”

¹⁵ Naso dem go to Micah house, where the young Levite dey live, and dem ask the Levite how he dey cope.

¹⁶ The 600 soldiers from Dan, wey dey ready for battle, dey stand for gate.

¹⁷ The five spies con go straight inside the house and dem take the wooden idol wey dem use silver cover, other idol, and ephod, and the priest stay for the gate with the 600 men.

¹⁸ When the men go Micah house and take the idols, the priest ask them say, “Wetin una dey do?”

¹⁹ Dem say, “Keep quiet. No talk anything. Come with us and be our priest and adviser. Shey e no go better make you be priest for all Israelite tribe pass make you be priest for one man family?”

²⁰ This con make the priest very happy, naso he take the idol and follow them.

²¹ Dem turn around and start to dey go, with their children, their livestock, and the things wey belong to them.

²² Dem don travel far from the house when Micah call out him neighbor for battle. Dem catch up with the men from Dan

²³ And dem shout at them. The men from Dan con turn around and ask Micah say, “Wetin be the matter? Why all these crowd?”

²⁴ Micah answer say, “Wetin una mean say, ‘Wetin be the matter? Una don take my priest and the gods wey I make, and waka commot! Wetin con remain for me?”

²⁵ The men from Dan talk say, “E better make you no talk anything unless you wan make these men vex and attack you. Then you and all your family go die.”

²⁶ Then dem commot. Micah see say dem strong pass him. Naso he turn and dey go home.

²⁷ After the men from Dan don take the priest and the things wey Micah don make, dem go back and attack Laish, that town of peaceful and quiet people wey dey for the same valley with Bethrehob. Dem kill the people wey dey live for there and dem burn the town.

²⁸ Nobody dey to save them, because Laish dey far from Sidon, and dem no get deal with any other people. The men from Dan con rebuild the town and dem settle down for there.

²⁹ Dem change hin name from Laish to Dan, after their ancestor Dan, son of Jacob.

³⁰ Men of Dan con set up idol to dey worship, and Jonathan, son of Gershom and grandson of Moses, dey serve as priest for the tribe of Dan and him descendants dey serve as their priests until dem take the people away go foreign land.

³¹ Micah idol remain for there all the time wey the Tent where dem dey worship God remain for Shiloh.