aIn those days
there
was no
king
of Israel
; and bin those
days
the tribe
of the Danites
was seeking
an inheritance
for themselves to live
in, for until
that day
1an inheritance
had not 2been allotted
to them as a possession
among
the tribes
of Israel
.
So the sons of Dan
sent
from their family
five
men
out of their whole
number
, 1valiant
men
from aZorah
and Eshtaol
, to spy
out the land
and to search
it; and they said
to them, "Go
, search
the land
." And they came
to bthe hill
country
of Ephraim
, to the house
of Micah
, and lodged
there
.
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
?"
He said to them, "Thus
and so
has Micah
done
to me, and he has hired
me and aI have
become
his priest
."
They said to him, "Inquire
of God
, please
, that we may know
whether our way
on which
we are going
will be prosperous
."
The priest said
to them, "Go
in peace
; your way
in which
you are going
1has the LORD'S
approval
."
Then the five men
departed
and came
to aLaish
and saw
the people
who
were in it living
in security
, after the manner
of the Sidonians
, quiet
and secure
; for there
was no
1ruler
humiliating
them for anything
in the land
, and they were far
from the Sidonians
and had
no
dealings
with anyone
.
When they came back to their brothers
at Zorah
and Eshtaol
, their brothers
said
to them, "What
do you report?"
They said, "Arise
, and let us go
up against
them; for we have seen
the land
, and behold
, it is very
good
. And will you 1sit
still
? Do not delay
to go
, to enter
, to possess
the land
.
"When you enter, you will come
to a secure
people
with a spacious
land
; for God
has given
it into your hand
, aa place
where
there
is no
lack
of anything
that is on the earth
."
Then from the family of the Danites
, from Zorah
and from Eshtaol
, six
hundred
men
armed
with weapons
of war
set
out.
They went up and camped
at Kiriath-jearim
in Judah
. Therefore
they called
that place
1 aMahaneh-dan
to this
day
; behold
, it is 2west
of Kiriath-jearim
.
They passed from there
to the hill
country
of Ephraim
and came
to the house
of Micah
.
Then the five men
who went
to spy
out the country
of Laish
said
to their kinsmen
, "Do you know
that there
are in these
houses
aan ephod
and 1household
idols
and a graven
image
and a molten
image
? Now
therefore, consider
what
you should do
."
They turned aside
there
and came
to the house
of the young
man
, the Levite
, to the house
of Micah
, and asked
him of his welfare
.
The six hundred
men
armed
with their weapons
of war
, who
were of the sons
of Dan
, stood
by the entrance
of the gate
.
Now the five men
who went
to spy
out the land
went
up and entered
there
, and took
athe graven
image
and the ephod
and 1household
idols
and the molten
image
, while the priest
stood
by the entrance
of the gate
with the six
hundred
men
armed
with weapons
of war
.
When these went
into Micah's
house
and took
the graven
image
, the ephod
and 1household
idols
and the molten
image
, the priest
said
to them, "What
are you doing
?"
They said to him, "Be silent
, aput
your hand
over
your mouth
and come
with us, and be to us ba 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
?"
The priest's heart
was glad
, and he took
the ephod
and 1household
idols
and the graven
image
and went
among
the people
.
Then they turned and departed
, and put
the little
ones
and the livestock
and the valuables
in front
of them.
When they had gone some
distance
from the house
of Micah
, the men
who
were in the houses
near
Micah's
house
assembled
and overtook
the sons
of Dan
.
They cried to the sons
of Dan
, who turned
1around
and said
to Micah
, "What
is the matter with you, that you have assembled
together
?"
He said, "You have taken
away my gods
which
I made
, and the priest
, and have gone
away, and what
do I have besides
? So how
can you say
to me, `What
is the matter with you?' "
The sons of Dan
said
to him, "Do not let your voice
be heard
among
us, or
else
1fierce
men
will fall
upon you and you will 2lose
your life
, with the lives
of your household
."
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
.
Then they took what
Micah
had made
and the priest
who
had
belonged
to him, and came
to aLaish
, to a people
quiet
and secure
, and struck
them with the edge
of the sword
; and they burned
the city
with fire
.
And there was no
one
to deliver
them, because
it was far
from Sidon
and they had
no
dealings
with anyone
, and it was in the valley
which
is near aBeth-rehob
. And they rebuilt
the city
and lived
in it.
aThey called the name
of the city
Dan
, after the name
of Dan
their father
who
was born
in Israel
; however
, the name
of the city
formerly
was Laish
.
The sons of Dan
set
up for themselves athe graven
image
; and Jonathan
, the son
of bGershom
, the son
of 1Manasseh
, ahe and his sons
were priests
to the tribe
of the Danites
until
the day
of the captivity
of the land
.
So they set up for themselves Micah's
graven
image
which
he had made
, all
the time
that the ahouse
of God
was at Shiloh
.