Judges 18

1 In those days there was no king in Israel, and the tribe of the Danites was looking for territory to occupy. For up to that time they had not come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.

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 Danites sent out five men from their clans, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. “Go and explore the land,” they told them. The men entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night.

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 And while they were near Micah’s house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; so they went over and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?”

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 “Micah has done this and that for me,” he replied, “and he has hired me to be his priest.”

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 to him, “Please inquire of God to determine whether we will have a successful journey.”

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 told them, “Go in peace. The LORD is watching over your journey.”

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

7 So the five men departed and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living securely, like the Sidonians, tranquil and unsuspecting. There was nothing lacking in the land and no oppressive ruler. And they were far away from the Sidonians and had no alliance with anyone.

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 When the men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers asked them, “What did you find?”

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

9 They answered, “Come on, let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and it is very good. Why would you fail to act? Do not hesitate to go there and take possession of the land!

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 enter, you will come to an unsuspecting people and a spacious land, for God has delivered it into your hand. It is a place where nothing on earth is lacking.”

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 Danites departed from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war.

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

12 They went up and camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. That is why the place west of Kiriath-jearim is called Mahaneh-dan to this day.

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 And from there they traveled to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah’s house.

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 spy out the land of Laish said to their brothers, “Did you know that one of these houses has an ephod, household gods, a graven image, and a molten idol? Now think about what you should do.”

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 So they turned aside there and went to the home of the young Levite, the house of Micah, and greeted him.

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 The six hundred Danites stood at the entrance of the gate, armed with their weapons of war.

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

17 And the five men who had gone to spy out the land went inside and took the graven image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molten idol, while the priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred armed men.

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 When they entered Micah’s house and took the graven image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molten idol, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”

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 “Be quiet,” they told him. “Put your hand over your mouth and come 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 person or a priest for a tribe and family in Israel?”

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 So the priest was glad and took the ephod, the household idols, and the graven image, and went with the people.

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 Putting their small children, their livestock, and their possessions in front of them, they turned and departed.

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

22 After they were some distance from Micah’s house, the men in the houses near Micah’s house mobilized and overtook the Danites.

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 When they called out after them, the Danites turned to face them and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you that you have called out such a company?”

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

24 He replied, “You took the gods I had made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you say to me, ‘What is the matter with you?’”

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 The Danites said to him, “Do not raise your voice against us, or angry men will attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives.”

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 So the Danites went on their way, and Micah turned to go back home, because he saw that they were too strong for him.

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 After they had taken Micah’s idols and his priest, they went to Laish, to a tranquil and unsuspecting people, and they struck them with their swords and burned down the city.

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 There was no one to deliver them, because the city was far from Sidon and had no alliance with anyone; it was in a valley near Beth-rehob. And the Danites rebuilt the city and lived there.

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 They named it Dan, after their forefather Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city was formerly named Laish.

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 The Danites set up idols for themselves, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.

(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 So they set up for themselves Micah’s graven image, and it was there the whole time the house of God was in Shiloh.

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.