Judg. 18
:1
18:1
In those days there was
ano king in Israel; and in those days the tribe of the
bDanites sought for themselves an inheritance to dwell in, for unto that day the lot had not fallen for them on an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.
Judg. 18
:2
18:2
So the children of Dan sent from their family five men from among all of them, men of valor, from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and search it out. And they said to them, Go and search out the land. And they came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah; and they lodged there.
Judg. 18
:3
18:3
When they were near the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young Levite man, so they turned aside there and said to him, Who brought you here? And what are you doing in this place? And what do you have here?
Judg. 18
:4
18:4
And he said to them, Such and such has Micah done for me; and he has
ahired me to be his priest.
Judg. 18
:5
18:5
And they said to him, Inquire now of God that we may know if our way on which we are going will be prosperous.
Judg. 18
:6
18:6
And the priest said to them, Go in peace; your way on which you are going is before Jehovah.
Judg. 18
:7
18:7
Then the five men left and came to Laish. And they saw the people who were in it, dwelling securely after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure; for there was no one in the land who possessed authority and might humble
them in anything; and they were far from the Sidonians and had nothing to do with anyone.
Judg. 18
:8
18:8
And they came to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol; and their brothers said to them, What
can you
say?
Judg. 18
:9
18:9
And they said, Arise; and let us go up against them. For we have seen the land, and it is very good. So do you sit still? Do not be slow about going
and entering the land to possess
it.
Judg. 18
:10
18:10
When you go, you will come to a secure people; and the land is very spacious. God has indeed delivered it into your hand, a place where nothing on earth is lacking there.
Judg. 18
:11
18:11
So six hundred men girded with weapons of war set out from there, from the family of Dan, from
aZorah and Eshtaol.
Judg. 18
:12
18:12
And they went up and encamped in Kiriath-jearim in Judah. Because of this, that place is called
1Mahaneh-dan to this day; it is there behind Kiriath-jearim.
Judg. 18
:13
18:13
And they passed from there into the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah.
Judg. 18
:14
18:14
Then the five men who had gone to spy the land of Laish answered and said to their brothers, Do you know that in these houses there are an
aephod and teraphim and a sculptured idol and a molten image? Now therefore consider what you should do.
Judg. 18
:15
18:15
And they turned aside there and came to the house of the young Levite man, the house of Micah; and they asked him concerning
his welfare.
Judg. 18
:16
18:16
And the six hundred men of the children of Dan, girded with their weapons of war, stood at the entrance of the gate.
Judg. 18
:17
18:17
And the five men who had gone to spy the land went up
and entered there to seize the sculptured idol and the ephod and the teraphim and the molten image. And the priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men girded with weapons of war.
Judg. 18
:18
18:18
And when these men entered the house of Micah and seized the sculptured idol
and the ephod and the teraphim and the molten image, the priest said to them, What are you doing?
Judg. 18
:19
18:19
And they said to him, Quiet down; put your hand over your mouth, and go 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 man or for you to be a priest for a tribe and family in Israel?
Judg. 18
:20
18:20
And the priest’s heart was glad; and he took the ephod and teraphim and the sculptured idol, and went into the midst of the people.
Judg. 18
:21
18:21
And they turned and departed; and they put the little ones and the livestock and the goods before them.
Judg. 18
:22
18:22
When they were some distance from the house of Micah, the men who were in the houses that were near the house of Micah were gathered together; and they overtook the children of Dan.
Judg. 18
:23
18:23
And they called out to the children of Dan. And they turned and faced them and said to Micah, What
is bothering you, that you have been gathered together?
Judg. 18
:24
18:24
And he said, You have taken away my gods that I have made, along with the priest, and have gone off. And what do I still have? How then can you say to me, What
is bothering you?
Judg. 18
:25
18:25
And the children of Dan said, Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest men of fierce temper fall on you and you lose your life and the lives of your household.
Judg. 18
:26
18:26
And the children of Dan went their way; and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house.
Judg. 18
:27
18:27
So they took that which Micah had made and the priest that had been his, and came to Laish, to a people quiet and secure; and they struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire.
Judg. 18
:28
18:28
And there was no one to deliver
it; for it was far from Sidon, and they had nothing to do with anyone. Now it was in the valley that is by Beth-rehob. And they rebuilt the city and dwelt in it.
Judg. 18
:29
18:29
And they called the name of the city
aDan, according to the name of Dan their father who had been born to Israel. However the name of the city was Laish formerly.
Judg. 18
:30
18:30
And the children of Dan erected the sculptured idol; and Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of
1Moses, he and his sons, became priests to the tribe of
aDan until the day of the
bcaptivity of the land.
Judg. 18
:31
18:31
Thus they
1set up the sculptured idol that Micah had made the whole time that the house of God was in
aShiloh.
