Judges 18

1 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.

In those days, there was no king in Israel, —and, in those days, the tribe of the Danites was seeking for itself an inheritance to dwell in for there had not fallen to them, unto that day, in the midst of the tribes of Israel, enough for an inheritance.

2 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.

So then the sons of Dan sent, out of their family, five men out of their bounds—men who were sons of valour—out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol—to spy out the land, and to explore it, and they said unto them, Go! explore the land. And they came into the hill country of Ephraim, as far as the house of Micah, and lodged there.

3 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?”

They, being by the house of Micah, knew the voice of the young man, the Levite, —so they turned aside there, and said to him—Who brought thee in hither? and what art thou doing in this place, and what hast thou here?

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

And he said unto them, Thus and so, hath Micah dealt with me, and hath hired me, and I am become his priest.

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

So they said unto him—Ask of God, we pray thee, —that we may know whether the journey on which we are going shall have good success.

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

And the priest said unto them—Go! and prosper, —before Yahweh, is your journey on which ye go.

7 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.

So the five men went their way, and entered Laish, —and saw the people who were therein, dwelling securely, after the manner of the Zidonians, quietly and securely, and there was no one to reproach them with anything in the land, none to possess himself of dominion, they being, far away, from the Zidonians, and having no dealings with any one.

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

So they came unto their brethren, in Zorah and Eshtaol, —and their brethren said unto them—Why are ye minded to do nothing?

9 “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!

And they said—Arise! and let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and lo! it is very good, —are, ye, then, minded to do nothing? do not be too slothful to go, and enter, and take possession of the land.

10 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!”

When ye do enter, ye will enter amongst a people secure, and, the land, is of ample bounds, —yea God hath delivered it into your hands, —a place where there is no lack of anything that is in the earth.

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

So there brake up from thence, out of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men, begirt with weapons of war.

12 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.

And they went up and encamped in Kiriath-jearim, in Judah, —wherefore they have called that place, Mahaneh-dan—unto this day, lo! it is behind Kiriath-jearim.

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

And they passed on from thence unto the hill country of Ephraim, —and came as far as the house of Micah.

14 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.”

Then responded the five men who had been to spy out the land of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Know ye that there are in these houses, an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image, —now, therefore, know what ye will do!

15 The five men left the road and went to where the young Levite was living in Micah's home to ask how he was.

So they turned aside thither, and entered into the house of the young man the Levite, the house of Micah, —and asked him of his welfare.

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

Now, the six hundred men, begirt with weapons of war, were standing at the entrance of the gate, —they being of the sons of Dan.

17 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.

Then went up the five men who had been to spy out the land, they came in thither, they took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image, —now, the priest, was standing at the entrance of the gate, with the six hundred men who were begirt with weapons of war.

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

But, when, these, had entered the house of Micah, and taken the graven image and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image, the priest said unto them, What are ye doing?

19 “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?”

And they said unto him—Hold thy peace, lay thy hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and become to us a father and a priest, —is it better that thou be priest to the house of one man, or that thou be priest to a tribe and to a family in Israel?

20 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.

Then was the heart of the priest glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, —and came into the midst of the people.

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

So they turned, and went their way, —and put the little ones, and the cattle, and the goods, before them.

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

They, had gone a good way from the house of Micah, when, the men that were in the houses near to the house of Micah, were called out and overtook the sons of Dan.

23 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?”

And they called unto the sons of Dan, who turned their faces, —and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou hast called out thy neighbours?

24 “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?’”

And he said—My gods which I had made, ye have taken away, and the priest, and have departed, and what have I more? How then is it that ye can say unto me, What aileth thee?

25 “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!”

And the sons of Dan said unto him, Do not let thy voice be heard among us, —lest men embittered in soul fall upon you, and thou gather in thy life and the lives of thy household.

26 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.

And the sons of Dan went on their journey, —and, when Micah saw that they were, too strong, for him, he turned and went back unto his house.

27 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.

They, therefore, took what Micah had made, and the priest that he had, and came upon Laish, upon a people quiet and secure, and smote them with the edge of the sword, —the city also, burned they with fire.

28 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.

And there was no one to rescue, because it was, far, from Zidon, and they had no, dealings, with any one, it, being in the vale that pertaineth to Beth-rehob. Then built they the city, and dwelt therein,

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

and called the name of the city, Dan, by the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel, —howbeit, Laish, was the name of the city, at the first.

30 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.

And the sons of Dan set up for themselves the graven image, —and, Jonathan, son of Gershom, son of Moses, he and his sons, became priests to the tribe of the Danites, until the day of the captivity of the land.

31 They worshiped the carved idol that Micah had made the whole time God's Temple was at Shiloh.

So they set up for themselves the graven image of Micah, which he had made, —[and let it remain] all the days that the house of God was in Shiloh.