Judges 18

1 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.

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 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.

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 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?”

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 arranged things for me, and he hired me as his priest,” he told them.

And he said to them, This is what Micah did for me, and he gave me payment and I became his priest.

5 “Please ask the Lord for us so we can find out if our journey will be successful,” they asked him.

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 “Go in peace,” the priest replied. “The journey you are taking is being observed by the Lord.”

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

7 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.

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 The men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their relatives asked them, “What did you…?”

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

9 “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!

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 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!”

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 Danite armed men left Zorah and Eshtaol, ready to attack.

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

12 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.

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 Then they left from there and went into 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 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.”

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 The five men left the road and went to where the young Levite was living in Micah's home to ask how he was.

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 Danite armed men stood at the entrance by the gate.

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

17 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.

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 the priest saw them taking all the religious objects from Micah's home, he asked 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! 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?”

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 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.

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 They continued their journey, putting their children, livestock, and possessions ahead of them.

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

22 The Danites were already quite a way from Micah's home when men from Micah's village caught up with them,

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 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?”

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

24 “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?’”

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 “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!”

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 renamed the city Dan after their forefather, the son of Israel. Laish was its former name.

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 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.

(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 They worshiped the carved idol that Micah had made the whole time God's Temple was at 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.