Judges 18

1 In those days there was no king in Israel, and the tribe of Dan sought them an inheritance to dwell in: for unto that day they had not received their lot among the other tribes.

In those days [there was] no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought for themselves an inheritance to dwell in; for to that day [all their] inheritance had not fallen to them among the tribes of Israel.

2 So the children of Dan sent five most valiant men of their stock and family from Saraa and Esthaol, to spy out the land, and to view it diligently: and they said to them: Go, and view the land. They went on their way, and when they came to mount Ephraim, they went into the house of Michas, and rested there:

And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their borders, men of valor, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to explore the land, and to search it; and they said to them, Go, search the land: who when they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there.

3 And knowing the voice of the young man the Levite, and lodging with him, they said to him: Who brought thee hither? what dost thou here? why wouldst thou come hither?

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 to him, Who brought thee hither? and what makest thou in this [place]? and what hast thou here?

4 He answered them: Michas hath done such and such things for me, and hath hired me to be his priest.

And he said to them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest.

5 Then they desired him to consult the Lord, that they might know whether their journey should be prosperous, and the thing should have effect.

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

6 He answered them: Go in peace, the Lord looketh on your way, and the journey that you go.

And the priest said to them, Go in peace: before the LORD [is] your way in which ye go.

7 So the five men going on came to Lais: and they saw how the people dwelt therein without any fear, according to the custom of the Sidonians, secure and easy, having no man at all to oppose them, being very rich, and living separated, at a distance from Sidon and from all men.

Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that [were] in it, 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 returned to their brethren in Saraa and Esthaol, who asked them what they had done? to whom they answered:

And they came to their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said to them, What [say] ye?

9 Arise, and let us go up to them: for we have seen the land which is exceeding rich and fruitful: neglect not, lose no time: let us go and possess it, there will be no difficulty.

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 We shall come to a people that is secure, into a spacious country, and the Lord will deliver the place to us, in which there is no want of any thing that groweth on the earth.

When ye go, ye shall come to 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] on the earth.

11 There went therefore of the kindred of Dan, to wit, from Saraa and Esthaol, six hundred men, furnished with arms for war,

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 going up they lodged in Cariathiarim of Juda: which place from that time is called the camp of Dan, and is behind Cariathiarim.

And they went up, and encamped in Kirjath-jearim, in Judah: wherefore they called that place Mahaneh-dan to this day: behold, [it is] behind Kirjath-jearim.

13 From thence they passed into mount Ephraim. And when they were come to the house of Michas,

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

14 The five men, that before had been sent to view the land of Lais, said to the rest of their brethren: You know that in these houses there is an ephod, and theraphim, and a graven, and a molten god: see what you are pleased to do.

Then answered the five men that went to explore the country of Laish, and said to 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 when they had turned a little aside, they went into the house of the young man the Levite, who was in the house of Michas: and they saluted him with words of peace.

And they turned thitherward, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, [even] to the house of Micah, and saluted him.

16 And the six hundred men stood before the door, appointed with their arms.

And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, who [were] of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate.

17 But they that were gone into the house of the young man, went about to take away the graven god, and the ephod, and the theraphim, and the molten god, and the priest stood before the door, the six hundred valiant men waiting not far off.

And the five men that went to explore 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 entrance of the gate with the six hundred men [that were] appointed with weapons of war.

18 So they that were gone in took away the graven thing, the ephod, and the idols, and the molten god. And the priest said to them: What are you doing?

And these went into Micah's house, and brought the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest to them, What do ye?

19 And they said to him: Hold thy peace and put thy finger on thy mouth and come with us, that we may have thee for a father, and a priest. Whether is better for thee, to be a priest in the house of one man, or in a tribe and family in Israel?

And they said to him, Hold thy peace, lay thy 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 to the house of one man, or that thou shouldst be a priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?

20 When he had heard this, he agreed to their words, and took the ephod, and the idols, and the graven god, and departed with them.

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 And when they were going forward, and had put before them the children and the cattle and all that was valuable,

So they turned and departed, and put the little ones, and the cattle, and the furniture before them.

22 And were now at a distance from the house of Michas, the men that dwelt in the houses of Michas gathering together followed them,

[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 collected, and overtook the children of Dan.

23 And began to shout out after them. They looked back, and said to Michas: What aileth thee? Why dost thou cry?

And they cried to the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said to Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company?

24 And he answered: You have taken away my gods which I have made me and the priest, and all that I have, and do you say: What aileth thee?

And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and ye have gone away: and what have I more? and what [is] this [that] ye say to me, What aileth thee?

25 And the children of Dan said to him: See thou say no more to us, lest men enraged come upon thee, and thou perish with all thy house.

And the children of Dan said to him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows rush upon thee, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household.

26 And so they went on the journey they had begun. But Michas seeing that they were stronger than he, returned to his house.

And the children of Dan departed: and when Micah saw that they [were] too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house.

27 And the six hundred men took the priest, and the things we spoke of before, and came to Lais to a people that was quiet and secure, and smote them with the edge of the sword: and the city was burnt with fire,

And they took [the things] which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and came to Laish, to 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 There being no man at all who brought them any succour, because they dwelt far from Sidon, and had no society or business with any man. And the city was in the land of Rohob: and they rebuilt it and dwelt therein.

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 Beth-rehob. And they built a city and dwelt in it.

29 Calling the name of the city Dan after the name of their father, who was the son of Israel, which before was called Lais.

And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel: but the name of the city [was] Laish at the first.

30 And they set up to themselves the graven idol, and Jonathan the son of Gersam the son of Moses, he and his sons were priests in the tribe of Dan, until the day of their captivity.

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 the idol of Michas remained with them all the time that the house of God was in Silo. In those days there was no king in Israel.

And they set up for themselves Micah's graven image which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.