Judges 18

1 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.

In those days, there was no king in Israel. And the tribe of Dan sought a possession for themselves, so that they might live in it. For even to that day, they had not received their lot among the other tribes.

2 And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their land, men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out 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.

Therefore, the sons of Dan sent five very strong men, of their stock and family, from Zorah and Eshtaol, so that they might explore the land and diligently inspect it. And they said to them, “Go, and consider the land.” And after traveling, they arrived at mount Ephraim, and they entered into the house of Micah. There they rested.

3 When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite: and they turned in there, and said to him, Who brought thee here? and what makest thou in this place? and what hast thou here?

And they recognized the speech of the youth who was a Levite. And while making use of an inn with him, they said to him: “Who brought you here? What are you doing here? For what reason did you want to come here?”

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

And he answered them, “Micah has offered me one thing and another, and he has paid me wages, so that I may be his priest.”

5 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.

Then they begged him to consult the Lord, so that they might be able to know whether the journey they undertook would be prosperous, and whether the matter would have success.

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

And he responded to them, “Go in peace. The Lord looks with favor on your path, and on the journey that you have undertaken.”

7 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.

And so the five men, going on, arrived at Laish. And they saw the people, living in it without any fear, according to the custom of the Sidonians, secure and peaceful, having hardly anyone to oppose them, and with great wealth, and living separately, far from Sidon and from all men.

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

And they returned to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol, who questioned them as to what they had done. And they responded:

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.

“Rise up. Let us ascend to them. For we have seen that the land is very wealthy and fruitful. Do not delay; do not refrain. Let us go out and possess it. There will be no difficulty.

10 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.

We shall enter to those who dwell securely, in a very wide region, and the Lord will deliver the place to us, a place in which there is no lack of anything that grows upon the earth.”

11 And there went from there of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men appointed with weapons of war.

And so, those of the kindred of Dan set out, that is, six hundred men from Zorah and Eshtaol, girded with the weapons of warfare.

12 And they went up, and encamped in Kirjathjearim, in Judah: therefore they called that place Mahanehdan to this day: behold, it is behind Kirjathjearim.

And going up, they stayed at Kiriath-jearim of Judah. And so the place, from that time, received the name the Camp of Dan, and it is behind the back of Kiriath-jearim.

13 And they passed from there to mount Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.

From there, they crossed over to mount Ephraim. And when they had arrived at the house of Micah,

14 Then answered the five men that went to spy out 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.

the five men, who before had been sent to consider the land of Laish, said to the rest of their brothers: “You know that in these houses there is an ephod and theraphim, and a molten idol and a graven image. Consider what it may please you to do.”

15 And they turned aside there, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even to the house of Micah, and greeted him.

And when they had turned aside a little, they entered the house of the Levite youth, who was in the house of Micah. And they greeted him with peaceful words.

16 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.

Now the six hundred men, who were all armed, were standing before the door.

17 And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in there, 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.

But those who had entered the house of the youth strove to take away the graven image, and the ephod, and the theraphim, and the molten idol. But the priest was standing in front of the door, with the six hundred very strong men waiting not far away.

18 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?

And so, those who had entered took away the graven image, the ephod, and the theraphim, and the molten idol. And the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”

19 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 shouldest be a priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?

And they responded to him: “Be silent and place your finger over your mouth. And come with us, so that we may have you as a father as well as a priest. For which is better for you: to be a priest in the house of one man, or in one tribe and 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.

And when he had heard this, he agreed to their words. And he took the ephod, and the idols, and the graven image, and he set out with them.

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

And while traveling, they had also sent the children, and the cattle, and all that was valuable to go ahead of 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.

And when they were far from the house of Micah, the men who were living in the houses of Micah, crying out together, followed them.

23 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?

And they began to shout behind their backs. And when they had looked back, they said to Micah: “What do you want? Why are you crying out?”

24 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?

And he responded: “You have taken away my gods, which I made for myself, and the priest, and all that I have. And do you say, ‘What is it that you want?’”

25 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.

And the sons of Dan said to him, “Take care that you no longer speak to us, otherwise men with a mind for violence may overwhelm you, and you yourself would perish with all your house.”

26 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.

And so, they continued on the journey that they had begun. But Micah, seeing that they were stronger than he was, returned to his house.

27 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.

Now the six hundred men took the priest, and the things we stated above, and they went to Laish, to a people quiet and secure, and they struck them down with the edge of the sword. And they burned 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 in it.

For no one at all sent reinforcements, because they lived far away from Sidon, and they had no association or business with any man. Now the city was situated in the region of Rehob. And building it up again, they lived in it,

29 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.

calling the name of the city Dan, according to the name of their father, who had been born of Israel, though before it was called Laish.

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.

And they established for themselves the graven image. And Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, with his sons, were priests in the tribe of Dan, even until the day of their captivity.

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

And the idol of Micah remained with them during the entire time that the house of God was in Shiloh. In those days, there was no king in Israel.