Judges
18:1 In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe
of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day
all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of
Israel.
18:2 And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts,
men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to
search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land: who when they
came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there.
18:3 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 unto him, Who
brought thee hither? and what makest thou in this place? and what hast
thou here?
18:4 And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath
hired me, and I am his priest.
18:5 And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may
know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.
18:6 And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the LORD is your way
wherein ye go.
18:7 Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that
were therein, 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.
18:8 And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their
brethren said unto them, What say ye?
18:9 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.
18:10 When ye go, ye shall come unto 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 in the earth.
18:11 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.
18:12 And they went up, and pitched in Kirjathjearim, in Judah: wherefore they
called that place Mahanehdan unto this day: behold, it is behind
Kirjathjearim.
18:13 And they passed thence unto mount Ephraim, and came unto the house of
Micah.
18:14 Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish,
and said unto 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.
18:15 And they turned thitherward, and came to the house of the young man the
Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and saluted him.
18:16 And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, which were
of the children of Dan, stood by the entering of the gate.
18:17 And the five men that went to spy out 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 entering of the gate with
the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war.
18:18 And these went into Micah's house, and fetched the carved image, the
ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto
them, What do ye?
18:19 And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine 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 unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest
unto a tribe and a family in Israel?
18:20 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.
18:21 So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and
the carriage before them.
18:22 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.
18:23 And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces,
and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a
company?
18:24 And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest,
and ye are gone away: and what have I more? and what is this that ye say
unto me, What aileth thee?
18:25 And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among
us, lest angry fellows run upon thee, and thou lose thy life, with the
lives of thy household.
18:26 And the children of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw that they
were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house.
18:27 And they took the things which Micah had made, and the priest which he
had, and came unto Laish, unto a people that were at quiet and secure:
and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with
fire.
18:28 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 therein.
18:29 And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their
father, who was born unto Israel: howbeit the name of the city was Laish
at the first.
18:30 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.
18:31 And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he made, all the time
that the house of God was in Shiloh.
