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.
At that time Israel didn't have a king. The tribe of Dan was looking for territory where they could live, because up until then they hadn't gained possession of the land granted 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 Danites chose from among them five leading men from Zorah and Eshtaol to scout out the land and explore it. “Go and explore the land,” they told them. When the men came to the hill country of Ephraim, they arrived at Micah's house where they spent 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?”
While they were there, they recognized the young Levite's accent, so they went to him and asked him, “So who brought you here, and what are you doing in this place? Why are you here?”
4 “Micah has done this and that for me,” he replied, “and he has hired me to be his priest.”
“Micah arranged things for me, and he hired me as his priest,” he told them.
5 Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God to determine whether we will have a successful journey.”
“Please ask the Lord for us so we can find out if our journey will be successful,” they asked him.
6 And the priest told them, “Go in peace. The LORD is watching over your journey.”
“Go in peace,” the priest replied. “The journey you are taking is being observed 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.
The five men left and went to the town of Laish. They observed that the people there lived in safety, and followed the customs of the Sidonians. The people were unsuspecting and confident of their security, at home in a productive land. They didn't have a strong ruler, they lived a long way from the Sidonians, and had no other allies to help them.
8 When the men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers asked them, “What did you find?”
The men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their relatives asked them, “What did 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!
“Come on, let's go and attack them!” the men interrupted. “We've surveyed the land, and it's excellent! Aren't you going to do something? Don't put off going there and occupying the land!
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 get there you'll find the people are unsuspecting and the land is extensive. God has given you a place where there's no shortage of anything!”
11 So six hundred Danites departed from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war.
So six hundred Danite armed men left Zorah and Eshtaol, ready to attack.
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.
En route they camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. That's why the place west of Kiriath-jearim is called the Camp of Dan to this very day.
13 And from there they traveled to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah’s house.
Then they left from there and went into the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah's house.
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 scout out the land of Laish told the other tribesmen, “Do you realize that here in these houses there's an ephod, household gods, and a carved idol, an image made with molten silver? So you know what you should do.”
15 So they turned aside there and went to the home of the young Levite, the house of Micah, and greeted him.
The five men left the road and went to where the young Levite was living in Micah's home to ask how he was.
16 The six hundred Danites stood at the entrance of the gate, armed with their weapons of war.
The six hundred Danite armed men stood at the entrance by the gate.
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.
The five men went inside and took the carved idol, the ephod, the household idols, and the image made with molten silver. The priest was standing by the gate 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?”
When the priest saw them taking all the religious objects from Micah's home, he asked 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?”
“Be quiet! Don't say anything! Come with us, and you can be our ‘father’ and priest. Wouldn't it be better for you if instead of being a priest for just one man's household that you were the priest of an Israelite tribe and family?”
20 So the priest was glad and took the ephod, the household idols, and the graven image, and went with the people.
This seemed like a good idea to the priest and he left with them. Carrying the ephod, the household idols, and the image made with molten silver, he marched with the people all around him.
21 Putting their small children, their livestock, and their possessions in front of them, they turned and departed.
They continued their journey, putting their children, livestock, and possessions ahead 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.
The Danites were already quite a way from Micah's home when men from Micah's village caught up with them,
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?”
shouting at them. The Danites turned around to face them and asked Micah, “What's the matter with you? Why call out these men to come after us?”
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?’”
“You stole the gods I made, and my priest too, and then left. What have you left me with? How can you ask me, ‘What's the matter with you?’”
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.”
“Don't complain to us!” Danites replied. “Otherwise some hot-tempered people here might attack you and you and your family will lose your lives!”
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.
The Danites carried on their way. Micah saw that they were too strong for him to fight so he turned around and went back home.
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.
So the Danites took with them the idols that Micah had made, as well as his priest. They attacked Laish with its peaceful and unsuspecting people, killed them with swords, and burned down the 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.
No one could save them because they were a long way from Sidon and had no other allies to help them. The town was in the valley belonging to Beth-rehob. The Danites rebuilt the city and lived there.
29 They named it Dan, after their forefather Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city was formerly named Laish.
They renamed the city Dan after their forefather, the son of Israel. Laish was its former name.
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.
The Danites erected the carved idol to worship, and Jonathan, son of Gershom, son of Moses, and his sons became priests for the tribe of Dan until the time when the people went into captivity from the land.
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.
They worshiped the carved idol that Micah had made the whole time God's Temple was at Shiloh.
