Judges 18

1 In those days, there was no king in Israel. And the tribe of Dan sought a possession for themselves, so that they might live in it. For even to that day, they had not received their lot among the other tribes.

In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was looking for an inheritance to dwell in; for to that day, their inheritance had not fallen to them among the tribes of Israel.

2 Therefore, the sons of Dan sent five very strong men, of their stock and family, from Zorah and Eshtaol, so that they might explore the land and diligently inspect it. And they said to them, “Go, and consider the land.” And after traveling, they arrived at mount Ephraim, and they entered into the house of Micah. There they rested.

The people of Dan sent of their family five men from their whole number, men of valor, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said to them, "Go, explore the land." They came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and stayed there.

3 And they recognized the speech of the youth who was a Levite. And while making use of an inn with him, they said to him: “Who brought you here? What are you doing here? For what reason did you want to come here?”

When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite; and they turned in that direction, and said to him, "Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? And what is your business here?"

4 And he answered them, “Micah has offered me one thing and another, and he has paid me wages, so that I may be his priest.”

He said to them, "Thus and so has Micah dealt with me, and he has hired me, and I have become his priest."

5 Then they begged him to consult the Lord, so that they might be able to know whether the journey they undertook would be prosperous, and whether the matter would have success.

They said to him, "Please ask counsel of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous."

6 And he responded to them, “Go in peace. The Lord looks with favor on your path, and on the journey that you have undertaken.”

The priest said to them, "Go in peace. The LORD will watch over you on your journey."

7 And so the five men, going on, arrived at Laish. And they saw the people, living in it without any fear, according to the custom of the Sidonians, secure and peaceful, having hardly anyone to oppose them, and with great wealth, and living separately, far from Sidon and from all men.

Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people who were there, and how they lived in security, after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure; for there was no one in the land possessing authority that might trouble them in anyway, and they were far from the Sidonians, and had no dealings with Aram.

8 And they returned to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol, who questioned them as to what they had done. And they responded:

They came to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol, and their brothers said to them, "What do you say?"

9 “Rise up. Let us ascend to them. For we have seen that the land is very wealthy and fruitful. Do not delay; do not refrain. Let us go out and possess it. There will be no difficulty.

They said, "Arise, and let us go up against them, for we have entered and journeyed in the land as far as Laish, and we saw the people how they lived in security, after the manner of the Sidonians, and they were far from the Sidonians, and they had no dealings with Aram. But arise, and let us go up against them; for we have seen the land, and look, it is very good. Will you do nothing? Do not hesitate to go and to enter in to possess the land.

10 We shall enter to those who dwell securely, in a very wide region, and the Lord will deliver the place to us, a place in which there is no lack of anything that grows upon the earth.”

When you go, you shall come to a secure people, and the land is large; for God has given it into your hand, a place where there is no want of anything that is on the earth."

11 And so, those of the kindred of Dan set out, that is, six hundred men from Zorah and Eshtaol, girded with the weapons of warfare.

Then the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men armed with weapons of war, set forth from there.

12 And going up, they stayed at Kiriath-jearim of Judah. And so the place, from that time, received the name the Camp of Dan, and it is behind the back of Kiriath-jearim.

They went up, and camped in Kiriath Jearim, in Judah. Therefore they called that place Mahaneh Dan to this day; look, it is behind Kiriath Jearim.

13 From there, they crossed over to mount Ephraim. And when they had arrived at the house of Micah,

They passed there to the hill country of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.

14 the five men, who before had been sent to consider the land of Laish, said to the rest of their brothers: “You know that in these houses there is an ephod and theraphim, and a molten idol and a graven image. Consider what it may please you to do.”

Then the five men who went to spy out the country of Laish answered, and said to their brothers, "Do you know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and an engraved image, and a molten image? Now therefore consider what you have to do."

15 And when they had turned aside a little, they entered the house of the Levite youth, who was in the house of Micah. And they greeted him with peaceful words.

They turned aside there, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even to the house of Micah, and asked him of his welfare.

16 Now the six hundred men, who were all armed, were standing before the door.

The six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the people of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate.

17 But those who had entered the house of the youth strove to take away the graven image, and the ephod, and the theraphim, and the molten idol. But the priest was standing in front of the door, with the six hundred very strong men waiting not far away.

The five men who went to spy out the land went up, and came in there, and took the engraved image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood by the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men armed with weapons of war.

18 And so, those who had entered took away the graven image, the ephod, and the theraphim, and the molten idol. And the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”

And these went into Micah's house, and took the engraved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. And the priest said to them, "What are you doing?"

19 And they responded to him: “Be silent and place your finger over your mouth. And come with us, so that we may have you as a father as well as a priest. For which is better for you: to be a priest in the house of one man, or in one tribe and family in Israel?”

They said to him, "Hold your peace, lay your hand on your mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?"

20 And when he had heard this, he agreed to their words. And he took the ephod, and the idols, and the graven image, and he set out with them.

The priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the engraved image, and the molten image, and went in the midst of the people.

21 And while traveling, they had also sent the children, and the cattle, and all that was valuable to go ahead of them.

So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the livestock and the goods before them.

22 And when they were far from the house of Micah, the men who were living in the houses of Micah, crying out together, followed them.

They were some distance from the house of Micah, and look, Micah and the men who were in the houses near Micah's house gathered together and overtook the people of Dan.

23 And they began to shout behind their backs. And when they had looked back, they said to Micah: “What do you want? Why are you crying out?”

They cried to the people of Dan. They turned their faces, and said to Micah, "What's wrong with you, that you come with such a company?"

24 And he responded: “You have taken away my gods, which I made for myself, and the priest, and all that I have. And do you say, ‘What is it that you want?’”

He said, "You have taken away my gods which I made for myself, and the priest, and have gone away, and what more do I have? How then do you say to me, 'What's wrong with you?'"

25 And the sons of Dan said to him, “Take care that you no longer speak to us, otherwise men with a mind for violence may overwhelm you, and you yourself would perish with all your house.”

The people of Dan said to him, "Do not let your voice be heard among us, or angry men will attack you, and you lose your life, with the lives of your household."

26 And so, they continued on the journey that they had begun. But Micah, seeing that they were stronger than he was, returned to his house.

The people of Dan went their way; and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house.

27 Now the six hundred men took the priest, and the things we stated above, and they went to Laish, to a people quiet and secure, and they struck them down with the edge of the sword. And they burned the city with fire.

They took that which Micah had made, and the priest whom he had, and came to Laish, to a people quiet and secure, and struck them with the edge of the sword; and they burnt the city with fire.

28 For no one at all sent reinforcements, because they lived far away from Sidon, and they had no association or business with any man. Now the city was situated in the region of Rehob. And building it up again, they lived in it,

There was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with anyone, and it was in the valley that lies by Beth Rehob. They built the city, and lived there.

29 calling the name of the city Dan, according to the name of their father, who had been born of Israel, though before it was called Laish.

They called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their ancestor, who was born to Israel. However the name of the city was originally Laish.

30 And they established for themselves the graven image. And Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, with his sons, were priests in the tribe of Dan, even until the day of their captivity.

The people of Dan set up for themselves the engraved image. And Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the exile from the land.

31 And the idol of Micah remained with them during the entire time that the house of God was in Shiloh. In those days, there was no king in Israel.

So they set up for themselves Micah's engraved image which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.