Judg 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 there had nothing been allotted
unto them among the tribes of Israel for an inheritance.
2
And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their whole number, 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'; and they came to the hill-country of Ephraim,
unto the house of Micah, and lodged there.
3
When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite;
and they turned aside thither, and said unto him: 'Who brought thee hither? and what
doest thou in this place? and what hast thou here?'
4
And he said unto them: 'Thus and thus hath Micah dealt with me, and he hath hired
me, and I am become his priest.'
5
And they said unto him: 'Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether
our way which we are going shall be prosperous.'
6
And the priest said unto them: 'Go in peace; before the LORD is your way wherein ye
go.'
7
Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein,
how they dwelt in security, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; for
there was none in the land, possessing authority, that might put them to shame in
any thing, and they were far from the Zidonians, and had no dealings with any man.
8
And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol; and their brethren said unto
them: 'What say ye?'
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 ye still? be not slothful to go and to enter in to
possess the land.
10
When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure, and the land is large; for God hath
given it into your hand; a place where there is no want; it hath every thing that
is in the earth.'
11
And there set forth from thence of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out
of Eshtaol, six hundred men girt with weapons of war.
12
And they went up, and encamped in Kiriath-jearim, in Judah; wherefore that place was
called Mahaneh-dan unto this day; behold, it is behind Kiriath-jearim.
13
And they passed thence unto the hill-country of Ephraim, and came unto the house of
Micah.
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.'
15
And they turned aside thither, and came to the house of the young man the Levite,
even unto the house of Micah, and asked him of his welfare.
16
And the six hundred men girt with their weapons of war, who were of the children of
Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate.
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 by the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men girt with weapons of war.
18
And when these went into Micah's house, and fetched the graven image of the ephod,
and the teraphim, and the molten image, the priest said unto them: 'What do ye?'
19
And they said unto 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 priest unto the
house of one man, or to be priest unto a tribe and a 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.
21
So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the goods
before them.
22
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.
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?'
24
And he said: 'Ye have taken away my god which I made, and the priest, and are gone
away, and what have I more? and how then say ye unto me: What aileth thee?'
25
And the children of Dan said unto him: 'Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest
angry fellows fall upon you, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household.'
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.
27
And they took that which Micah had made, and the priest whom he had, and came unto
Laish, unto a people quiet and secure, and smote them with the edge of the sword;
and they burnt the city with fire.
28
And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Zidon, and they had no dealings
with any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by Beth-rehob. And they built the
city, and dwelt therein.
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.
30
And the children of Dan set up for themselves the graven image; and Jonathan, the
son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe
of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land.
31
So they set them up Micah's graven image which he made, all the time that the house
of God was in Shiloh.