1
In those◦ days there was no king in Israel ; and in those◦ days the tribe◦ of the Danites sought for itself an inheritance in which to dwell ; for even··to that◦ day an inheritance had not fallen to it in the midst of the tribes ◦ of Israel .
2
And the sons of Dan sent from their family five men◦ from their borders*, men◦ that were sons of valor, from Zorah and from Eshtaol to spy ··out the land , and to search· her ·out; and they said to▵ them, Go , search··out the land ; and they came to Mount Ephraim , to◦ the house of Micah, and passed··the··night there.
3
They◦ were by the house of Micah and they◦ recognized the voice of the lad , the Levite; and they turned ··aside there, and said unto him, Who brought· thee ·in hither? and what doest thou◦ in this place? and what hast◦ thou here?
4
And he said to▵ them, As thus and as this is Micah doing with me, and he hired me and I am to him for a priest.
5
And they said unto him, Ask, we pray◦ thee, of God , that we may··know , whether our way which we◦ go ◦ shall prosper .
6
And the priest said unto them, Go in peace ; before Jehovah is your way in which◦ you Go .
7
And the five men◦ went and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, dwelling securely as the judgment of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and there was none possessing any thing restraining in the land to humiliate them; and they◦ were far from the Zidonians, and they had◦ no thing with man.
8
And they came to▵ their brothers to Zorah and Eshtaol, and their brothers said unto them, What have you◦?
9
And they said , Arise and let us go··up against them; for we have seen the land , and behold it is very good : and are· you◦ ·silent◦? Be not slothful to go, to come ··in to possess the land .
10
When◦ you come , you shall come to▵ a people who are··secure, and to a land broad in spaces; for God has given her into your hand ; a place where▵ there is no want of any thing that is in the earth .
11
And there journeyed thence of the family of the Danites, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, six hundred men ◦ girded with weapons◦ of war .
12
And they went··up and encamped in Kiriath-jearim, in Judah ; therefore they called that◦ place Machaneh-dan until this day ; behold it is behind Kiriath-jearim.
13
And they passed thence unto Mount Ephraim , and came even··to the house of Micah.
14
And the five men◦, who went◦ to spy ··out the land of Laish, answered and said to▵ their brothers , Do you◦ know that there··is in these houses an ephod and teraphim , and a carved image and a molten image ? And now know what you will do.
15
And they turned ··aside thither, and came to▵ the house of the lad , the Levite, the house of Micah, and asked him for peace.
16
And the six hundred men ◦, girded with their arms of war , stood··up by the entrance of the gate ; they were from the sons of Dan .
17
And the five men ◦ going◦ to spy ··out the land went··up, and came ··in thither; they took the carved image and the ephod, and the teraphim , and the molten image : and the priest stood··up at the entrance of the gate , and the six hundred men ◦ girded with the weapons◦ of war .
18
And these came ··into the house of Micah, and took the carved image , the ephod, and the teraphim , and the molten image . And the priest said to▵ them, What are you◦ doing?
19
And they said to him, Be··silent ; set thy hand upon thy mouth , and go with us , and be to us for a father and for a priest; is▵ it better for thee to be a priest for the house of one man ◦, or that thou be a priest for a tribe◦ and a family in Israel ?
20
And in the heart of the priest it was··good, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim , and the carved image , and came into the midst◦ of the people.
21
And they turned ◦ and went, and they set the infant and the livestock and what was heavy before them.
22
When they◦ were far from the house of Micah, the men◦ who were in the houses which were by the house of Micah, were called··up, and stuck close to the sons of Dan .
23
And they called to▵ the sons of Dan . And they turned · their faces ·around , and said unto Micah, What ails thee, that thou hast been called ··up?
24
And he said , The gods which I made, you have taken, and the priest; and you are gone; and what have I more◦? And what is this that you say unto▵ me, What hast thou?
25
And the sons of Dan said unto▵ him, Let not thy voice be heard with us , lest men◦ bitter of soul fall on◦ thee and thou gather thy soul and the soul of thy house .
26
And the sons of Dan went their way ; and Micah saw that they◦ were too strong for him, and he turned ◦ and returned unto▵ his house .
27
And they◦ took what Micah had made, and the priest whom he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people quiet and secure; and they smote them with the mouth of the sword , and burnt··up the city with fire .
28
And there was no rescuer, because◦ it◦ was far from Zidon, and they had no word with any man; and it◦ was in the valley which is by Beth-rehob; and they built the city and dwelt there.
29
And they called the name of the city , Dan , by the name of Dan , their father , who was··born to Israel ; nevertheless the name of the city was Laish at the first .
30
And the sons of Dan raised··up for themselves the graven image ; and Jehonathan, the son of Gershom , the son of Manasseh , he◦ and his sons were priests to the tribe◦ of the Danite until the day of the exile of the land .
31
And they set up for themselves the graven image of Micah, which he made, all the days that the house of God was in Shiloh .