18 At that time, Israel had no king to rule over them. The people of Dan's tribe were looking for some land where they could live. They had not yet taken the land that would be their home among Israel's tribes. [ a ] 2 So the men of Dan sent five soldiers from the clans of their tribe to explore the land. The leaders sent them out from Zorah and Eshtaol. They told them, ‘Go and find some land for us.’
The five men went into the hill country of Ephraim. They came to Micah's house and they stayed there for a night. 3 While they were at Micah's house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite. So they went in and they asked him, ‘Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?’
4 He told them what Micah had done for him. He said, ‘He pays me to work for him as his priest.’ 5 So they said to him, ‘Please ask God if our journey will have a good result.’ 6 Micah's priest answered, ‘Yes, do not worry. The Lord will be with you on your journey.’
7 So the five men continued on their journey. They arrived at Laish. They saw that it was a safe place to live. The people of Laish were not afraid of any trouble. They lived in peace, like the Sidonians do. Their land gave them everything that they needed, so they were rich. They lived a long way from the Sidonians, and there were no other people who would help them.
8 The five men of Dan's tribe returned to Zorah and Eshtaol. Their relatives asked them, ‘What did you find?’ 9 They answered, ‘We should go now and attack them! We saw their land, and it is very good. Do not sit there and wait! Go quickly and take the land for yourselves. 10 When you attack, you will see that the people there think that they are safe. Their land is very big and it has everything that we need. God will surely give it to you.’
11 So 600 men of Dan's tribe prepared for the fight. They marched out from Zorah and Eshtaol with their weapons. 12 On their way, they made their camp at Kiriath-Jearim in Judah. That place on the west side of Kiriath-Jearim is still called Mahaneh Dan. [ b ] 13 From there they travelled through the hill country of Ephraim. They arrived at Micah's house.
14 The five men who had explored the land of Laish said to their relatives, ‘Do you know that in one of these houses there is an ephod, some small idols, an image and a metal idol. Think carefully and decide what to do.’ 15 So they went into Micah's house, where the young Levite was living. They said ‘hello’ to him. 16 The 600 men of Dan stood at the gate with their weapons. 17 The five men who had explored the land went inside. They took all the idols, the image and the priest's ephod. While they did that, the Levite priest was standing at the gate with the 600 soldiers.
18 When the priest saw that the five men were taking the things from the house, he asked them, ‘What are you doing?’ 19 They said to him, ‘Be quiet! Do not say a word. Come with us. You will be our advisor and our priest. That will be much better for you. You will serve a whole Israelite tribe, instead of only one man's family.’ 20 So the priest was happy. He joined the group of men from Dan's tribe. He took the ephod, the idols and the image with him.
21 They left Micah's house to continue their journey. They followed after their children, their animals and all their other things. 22 After they had travelled some way, Micah realized what had happened. He brought together his neighbours and they chased after the men of Dan. When they reached them, 23 they shouted to them. The men of Dan turned around and they said to Micah, ‘What is the problem? Why have you brought all these men?’
24 Micah replied, ‘You have taken away the gods that I made. You have also taken my priest. Now I have nothing left. You should not ask me, “What is the problem?” ’ 25 The men of Dan said to Micah, ‘Do not argue with us! If you say any more, some of our men may become very angry. They might attack you. You and your family might all die!’
26 Then the men of Dan continued on their journey. Micah realized that they were too strong for him. So he turned around and he went home.
27 The men of Dan took the idols that Micah had made, as well as his priest. Then they arrived at Laish. The people who lived there were not expecting any trouble. The soldiers of Dan attacked the people with their weapons and they killed them. They destroyed the city with fire. 28 No one came to rescue the people of Laish. The city was a long way from Sidon. They had no other friends to help them.
Laish was in a valley near Beth Rehob. The Danites built the city again and they lived there. 29 They called the city Dan, because that was the name of their ancestor. He had been one of Israel's 12 sons. Before that, the city's name was Laish.
30 The people of Dan worshipped Micah's idol. Jonathan served as priest for the tribe of Dan. He was a descendant of Moses' son, Gershom. He and his descendants served there as priests until Israel's enemies took them away into exile. 31 They continued to worship Micah's idol in Dan all the time that God's special tent was in Shiloh. [ c ]
18 At that time the Israelites did not have a king. And the tribe of Dan was still looking for a place to live. They did not have their own land yet. The other tribes of Israel already had their land, but the tribe of Dan had not taken their land yet.
2 So the tribe of Dan sent five soldiers to look for some land. They went to search for a good place to live. These five men were from the cities of Zorah and Eshtaol. They were chosen because they were from all the families of Dan. They were told, “Go, look for some land.”
The five men came to the hill country of Ephraim. They came to Micah’s house and spent the night there. 3 When the five men came close to Micah’s house, they heard the voice of the young Levite. They recognized his voice, so they stopped at Micah’s house. They asked the young man, “Who brought you to this place? What are you doing? Why are you here?”
4 The young man told them what Micah had done for him. “Micah hired me,” he said. “I am his priest.”
5 So they said to him, “Please ask God if our search for a place to live will be successful.”
6 The priest said to the five men, “Yes. Go in peace. The Lord will lead you on your way.”
7 So the five men left. They came to the city of Laish and saw that the people of that city lived in safety. They were ruled by the people of Sidon. Everything was peaceful and quiet. The people had plenty of everything, and they didn’t have any enemies nearby to hurt them. Also they lived a long way from the city of Sidon, and they did not have any agreements with the people of Aram. [ a ]
8 The five men went back to the cities of Zorah and Eshtaol. Their relatives asked them, “What did you learn?”
9 The five men answered, “We have found some land, and it is very good. We should attack them. Don’t wait! Let’s go and take that land! 10 When you come to that place, you will see that there is plenty of land. There is plenty of everything there. You will also see that the people are not expecting an attack. Surely God has given that land to us.”
11 So 600 men from the tribe of Dan left the cities of Zorah and Eshtaol. They were ready for war. 12 On their way to the city of Laish, they stopped near the city of Kiriath Jearim in the land of Judah. They set up a camp there. That is why the place west of Kiriath Jearim is named Mahaneh Dan [ b ] to this very day. 13 From there the 600 men traveled on to the hill country of Ephraim. Then they came to Micah’s house.
14 So the five men who had explored the land around Laish spoke. They said to their relatives, “There is an ephod in one of these houses. And there are also household gods, a carved statue, and a silver idol. You know what to do.” 15 So they stopped at Micah’s house, where the young Levite lived. They asked the young man how he was. 16 The 600 men from the tribe of Dan stood at the entrance of the gate. They all had their weapons and were ready for war. 17-18 The five spies went into the house. The priest stood just outside by the gate with the 600 men who were ready for war. The men took the carved idol, the ephod, the household idols, and the silver idol. The young Levite priest said, “What are you doing?”
19 The five men answered, “Be quiet! Don’t say a word. Come with us. Be our father and our priest. You must choose. Is it better for you to be a priest for just one man or for a whole tribe of Israelites with many family groups?”
20 This made the Levite happy. So he took the ephod, the household idols, and the idol. He went with the men from the tribe of Dan.
21 Then the 600 men from the tribe of Dan and the Levite priest turned and left Micah’s house. They put their little children, their animals, and all their things in front of them.
22 The men from the tribe of Dan went a long way from that place. But the people living near Micah met together. Then they began chasing the men of Dan and caught up with them. 23 The men with Micah were shouting at the men of Dan. The men of Dan turned around and said to Micah, “What’s the problem? Why are you shouting?”
24 Micah answered, “You men from Dan took my idols. I made them for myself. You have also taken my priest. What do I have left now? How can you ask me, ‘What’s the problem?’”
25 The men from the tribe of Dan answered, “You had better not argue with us. Some of our men become angry easily. If you shout at us, they will attack you. You and your families will be killed.”
26 Then the men of Dan turned around and went on their way. Micah knew that these men were too strong for him, so he went back home.
27 So the men of Dan took the idols that Micah made. They also took the priest who had been with Micah. Then they came to Laish. They attacked the people living in Laish. Those people were at peace. They were not expecting an attack. The men of Dan killed them with their swords and then burned the city. 28 The people living in Laish did not have anyone to rescue them. They lived too far from the city of Sidon for the people there to help. And the people of Laish did not have any agreements with the people of Aram—so they did not help them. The city of Laish was in a valley, which belonged to the town of Beth Rehob. The people from Dan built a new city in that place, and it became their home. 29 The people of Dan gave the city a new name. That city had been called Laish, but they changed the name to Dan. They named the city after their ancestor Dan, one of the sons of Israel.
30 The people of the tribe of Dan set up the idol in the city of Dan. They made Jonathan son of Gershom their priest. Gershom was the son of Moses. [ c ] Jonathan and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the time when the Israelites were taken into captivity. 31 The people of Dan set up for themselves the idol that Micah had made. That idol was there the whole time that the house of God was in Shiloh.
18 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.
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.
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 thee hither? and what makest thou in this place? and what hast thou here?
4 And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest.
5 And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.
6 And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the Lord is your way wherein ye go.
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.
8 And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto them, What say ye?
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 ye still? be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess the land.
10 When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure, and to a large land: for God hath given it into your hands; a place where there is no want of any thing that is in the earth.
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.
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.
13 And they passed thence unto mount Ephraim, and came unto the house of Micah.
14 Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have to do.
15 And they turned thitherward, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and saluted him.
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.
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.
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 ye?
19 And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel?
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.
21 So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the carriage before 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.
23 And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company?
24 And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and ye are gone away: and what have I more? and what is this that ye say unto me, What aileth thee?
25 And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows run upon thee, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household.
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.
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 at quiet and secure: and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire.
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 lieth by Bethrehob. And they built a city, and dwelt therein.
29 And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel: howbeit the name of the city was Laish at the first.
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.
31 And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.
18 ( A ) In those days there was no king of Israel; and ( B ) in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking an inheritance for themselves to live in, for until that day [ a ] an inheritance had not [ b ] been allotted to them as a possession among the tribes of Israel. 2 So the sons of Dan sent from their family five men out of their whole number, [ c ] valiant men from ( C ) Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to explore it; and they said to them, “Go, explore the land.” And they came to ( D ) the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and stayed overnight there. 3 When they were near the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young man, the Levite; and 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?” 4 He said to them, “Micah has done this and that for me, and he has hired me and ( E ) I have become his priest.” 5 Then they said to him, “Inquire of God, please, that we may know whether our way on which we are going will be successful.” 6 And the priest said to them, “Go in peace; your way in which you are going [ d ] has the Lord ’ s approval.”
7 So the five men departed and came to ( F ) Laish, and saw the people who were in it living in security, in the way of the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting; for there was no [ e ] oppressive ruler humiliating them for anything in the land, and they were far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone. 8 When they came back to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers said to them, “What do you say ?” 9 And they said, “Arise, and let’s go up against them; for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very good. And will you [ f ] sit still? Do not hesitate to go, to enter, to take possession of the land. 10 When you enter, you will come to an unsuspecting people with a spacious land; for God has handed it over to you, ( G ) a place where there is no lack of anything that is on the earth.”
11 Then from the family of the Danites, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, six hundred men armed with weapons of war set out. 12 They went up and camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. Therefore they called that place [ g ] ( H ) Mahaneh-dan to this day; behold, it is [ h ] west of Kiriath-jearim. 13 And they passed from there to the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah.
14 Then the five men who went to spy out the country of Laish [ i ] said to their kinsmen, “Do you know that there are in these houses ( I ) an ephod and [ j ] household idols, and a carved image and a cast metal image? Now then, consider what you should do.” 15 So they turned aside there and came to the house of the young man, the Levite, to the house of Micah, and asked [ k ] him how he was doing. 16 Meanwhile, the six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the sons of Dan, were positioned at the entrance of the gate. 17 Now the five men who went to spy out the land went up and entered there; they took ( J ) the carved image, the ephod, the [ l ] household idols, and the cast metal image, while the priest was standing at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men armed with weapons of war. 18 When these men entered Micah’s house and took the carved image, the ephod, [ m ] household idols, and the cast metal image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” 19 And they said to him, “Be silent, ( K ) put your hand over your mouth, and go with us, and be to us ( L ) a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be a priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?” 20 The priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod, the [ n ] household idols, and the carved image, and went among the people.
21 Then they turned and left, and put the children, the livestock, and the valuables in front of them. 22 When they had distanced themselves from Micah’s house, the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house assembled by command and overtook the sons of Dan. 23 Then they called out to the sons of Dan, who turned [ o ] around and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you, that you have assembled together?” 24 And he said, “You have taken my gods which I made, and the priest, and have gone away; what more do I have? So how can you say to me, ‘What is the matter with you?’” 25 Then the sons of Dan said to him, “Do not let your voice be heard among us, or else [ p ] fierce men will attack you, and you will [ q ] lose your life and the lives of your household.” 26 So the sons of Dan went on their way; and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house.
27 Then they took what Micah had made and the priest who had belonged to him, and came to ( M ) Laish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, and struck them with the edge of the sword; and they burned the city with fire. 28 And there was no one to save them , because it was far from Sidon and they had no dealings with anyone, and it was in the valley which is near ( N ) Beth-rehob. So they rebuilt the city and lived in it. 29 And ( O ) they named the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father who was born to Israel; however, the name of the city was previously Laish. 30 The sons of Dan set up for themselves ( P ) the carved image; and Jonathan, the son of ( Q ) Gershom, the son of [ r ] Manasseh, ( R ) he and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land. 31 So they set up for themselves Micah’s carved image which he had made, all the time that the ( S ) house of God was in Shiloh.
18 In those days Israel had no king. ( A )
And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking a place of their own where they might settle, because they had not yet come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. ( B ) 2 So the Danites ( C ) sent five of their leading men ( D ) from Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out ( E ) the land and explore it. These men represented all the Danites. They told them, “Go, explore the land.” ( F )
So they entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, ( G ) where they spent the night. 3 When they were near Micah’s house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; ( H ) so they turned in there and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?”
4 He told them what Micah had done for him, and said, “He has hired me and I am his priest. ( I ) ”
5 Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God ( J ) to learn whether our journey will be successful.”
6 The priest answered them, “Go in peace ( K ) . Your journey has the Lord ’s approval.”
7 So the five men ( L ) left and came to Laish, ( M ) where they saw that the people were living in safety, like the Sidonians, at peace and secure. ( N ) And since their land lacked nothing, they were prosperous. [ a ] Also, they lived a long way from the Sidonians ( O ) and had no relationship with anyone else. [ b ]
8 When they returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their fellow Danites asked them, “How did you find things?”
9 They answered, “Come on, let’s attack them! We have seen the land, and it is very good. Aren’t you going to do something? Don’t hesitate to go there and take it over. ( P ) 10 When you get there, you will find an unsuspecting people and a spacious land that God has put into your hands, a land that lacks nothing ( Q ) whatever. ( R ) ”
11 Then six hundred men ( S ) of the Danites, ( T ) armed for battle, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. 12 On their way they set up camp near Kiriath Jearim ( U ) in Judah. This is why the place west of Kiriath Jearim is called Mahaneh Dan [ c ] ( V ) to this day. 13 From there they went on to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah’s house. ( W )
14 Then the five men who had spied out the land of Laish ( X ) said to their fellow Danites, “Do you know that one of these houses has an ephod, ( Y ) some household gods and an image overlaid with silver? ( Z ) Now you know what to do.” 15 So they turned in there and went to the house of the young Levite at Micah’s place and greeted him. 16 The six hundred Danites, ( AA ) armed for battle, stood at the entrance of the gate. 17 The five men who had spied out the land went inside and took the idol, the ephod and the household gods ( AB ) while the priest and the six hundred armed men ( AC ) stood at the entrance of the gate.
18 When the five men went into Micah’s house and took ( AD ) the idol, the ephod and the household gods, ( AE ) the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”
19 They answered him, “Be quiet! ( AF ) Don’t say a word. Come with us, and be our father and priest. ( AG ) Isn’t it better that you serve a tribe and clan ( AH ) in Israel as priest rather than just one man’s household?” 20 The priest was very pleased. He took the ephod, the household gods and the idol and went along with the people. 21 Putting their little children, their livestock and their possessions in front of them, they turned away and left.
22 When they had gone some distance from Micah’s house, the men who lived near Micah were called together and overtook the Danites. 23 As they shouted after them, the Danites turned and said to Micah, “What’s the matter with you that you called out your men to fight?”
24 He replied, “You took ( AI ) the gods I made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you ask, ‘What’s the matter with you?’”
25 The Danites answered, “Don’t argue with us, or some of the men may get angry and attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives.” 26 So the Danites went their way, and Micah, seeing that they were too strong for him, ( AJ ) turned around and went back home.
27 Then they took what Micah had made, and his priest, and went on to Laish, against a people at peace and secure. ( AK ) They attacked them with the sword and burned ( AL ) down their city. ( AM ) 28 There was no one to rescue them because they lived a long way from Sidon ( AN ) and had no relationship with anyone else. The city was in a valley near Beth Rehob. ( AO )
The Danites rebuilt the city and settled there. 29 They named it Dan ( AP ) after their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city used to be called Laish. ( AQ ) 30 There the Danites set up for themselves the idol, and Jonathan son of Gershom, ( AR ) the son of Moses, [ d ] and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the captivity of the land. 31 They continued to use the idol Micah had made, ( AS ) all the time the house of God ( AT ) was in Shiloh. ( AU )
