Judges 18

1 In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them 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 And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts, men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land: who when they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there.

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 When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite: and they turned in thither, and said unto him, Who brought you here? and what make you in this place? and what have 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 And he said unto them, Thus and thus deals Micah with me, and has hired me, and I am his priest.

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

5 And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray you, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.

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

6 And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the LORD is your way wherein all of you go.

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

7 Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and there was no magistrate in the land, that might put them to shame in any thing; and they were far from the Zidonians, and had no business with any man.

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 And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto them, What say all of you?

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

9 And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are all of you still? be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess 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 all of you go, all of you shall come unto a people secure, and to a large land: for God has given it into your hands; a place where there is no lack of any thing that is in the earth.

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 And there went from thence of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men appointed with weapons of war.

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

12 And they went up, and pitched in Kirjathjearim, in Judah: wherefore they called that place Mahanehdan unto this day: behold, it is behind Kirjathjearim.

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 they passed thence unto mount Ephraim, and came unto the house of Micah.

Then they left from there and went into the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah's house.

14 Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do all of you know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what all of you have to 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 And they turned in that direction, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and saluted 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 And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, which were of the children of Dan, stood by the entering of the gate.

The six hundred Danite armed men stood at the entrance by the gate.

17 And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war.

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 And these went into Micah's house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto them, What do all of you?

When the priest saw them taking all the religious objects from Micah's home, he asked them, “What are you doing?”

19 And they said unto him, Hold your peace, lay your hand upon your mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for you to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that you be a priest unto a tribe and a 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 And the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of 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 So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the carriage before them.

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

22 And when they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that were in the houses near to Micah's house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan.

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

23 And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, What disturbs you, that you come with 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 And he said, All of you have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and all of you are gone away: and what have I more? and what is this that all of you say unto me, What disturbs 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 And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not your voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows run upon you, and you lose your life, with the lives of your household.

“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 And the children of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house.

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 And they took the things which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people that were resting and secure: and they stroke them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire.

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 And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Zidon, and they had no business with any man; and it was in the valley that lies by Bethrehob. And they built a city, and dwelt therein.

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 And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel: nevertheless the name of the city was Laish at the first.

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

30 And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to 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 And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he made, all the time that 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.