The Danites Settle in Laish

18 In those days Israel had no king.^(A)

And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking a place of their own where they might settle, because they had not yet come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.^{(B) 2} So the Danites^(C) sent five of their leading men^(D) from Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out^(E) the land and explore it. These men represented all the Danites. They told them, “Go, explore the land.”^(F)

So they entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah,^(G) where they spent the night. ³ When they were near Micah’s house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite;^(H) so they turned in there and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?”

⁴ He told them what Micah had done for him, and said, “He has hired me and I am his priest.^(I)”

⁵ Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God^(J) to learn whether our journey will be successful.”

⁶ The priest answered them, “Go in peace^(K). Your journey has the Lord’s approval.”

⁷ So the five men^(L) left and came to Laish,^(M) where they saw that the people were living in safety, like the Sidonians, at peace and secure.^(N) And since their land lacked nothing, they were prosperous.^[a] Also, they lived a long way from the Sidonians^(O) and had no relationship with anyone else.^[b]

⁸ When they returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their fellow Danites asked them, “How did you find things?”

⁹ They answered, “Come on, let’s attack them! We have seen the land, and it is very good. Aren’t you going to do something? Don’t hesitate to go there and take it over.^{(P) 10} When you get there, you will find an unsuspecting people and a spacious land that God has put into your hands, a land that lacks nothing^(Q) whatever.^(R)”

¹¹ Then six hundred men^(S) of the Danites,^(T) armed for battle, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. ¹² On their way they set up camp near Kiriath Jearim^(U) in Judah. This is why the place west of Kiriath Jearim is called Mahaneh Dan^[c](V) to this day. ¹³ From there they went on to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah’s house.^(W)

¹⁴ Then the five men who had spied out the land of Laish^(X) said to their fellow Danites, “Do you know that one of these houses has an ephod,^(Y) some household gods and an image overlaid with silver?^(Z) Now you know what to do.” ¹⁵ So they turned in there and went to the house of the young Levite at Micah’s place and greeted him. ¹⁶ The six hundred Danites,^(AA) armed for battle, stood at the entrance of the gate. ¹⁷ The five men who had spied out the land went inside and took the idol, the ephod and the household gods^(AB) while the priest and the six hundred armed men^(AC) stood at the entrance of the gate.

¹⁸ When the five men went into Micah’s house and took^(AD) the idol, the ephod and the household gods,^(AE) the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”

¹⁹ They answered him, “Be quiet!^(AF) Don’t say a word. Come with us, and be our father and priest.^(AG) Isn’t it better that you serve a tribe and clan^(AH) in Israel as priest rather than just one man’s household?” ²⁰ The priest was very pleased. He took the ephod, the household gods and the idol and went along with the people. ²¹ Putting their little children, their livestock and their possessions in front of them, they turned away and left.

²² When they had gone some distance from Micah’s house, the men who lived near Micah were called together and overtook the Danites. ²³ As they shouted after them, the Danites turned and said to Micah, “What’s the matter with you that you called out your men to fight?”

²⁴ He replied, “You took^(AI) the gods I made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you ask, ‘What’s the matter with you?’”

²⁵ The Danites answered, “Don’t argue with us, or some of the men may get angry and attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives.” ²⁶ So the Danites went their way, and Micah, seeing that they were too strong for him,^(AJ) turned around and went back home.

²⁷ Then they took what Micah had made, and his priest, and went on to Laish, against a people at peace and secure.^(AK) They attacked them with the sword and burned^(AL) down their city.^{(AM) 28} There was no one to rescue them because they lived a long way from Sidon^(AN) and had no relationship with anyone else. The city was in a valley near Beth Rehob.^(AO)

The Danites rebuilt the city and settled there. ²⁹ They named it Dan^(AP) after their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city used to be called Laish.^{(AQ) 30} There the Danites set up for themselves the idol, and Jonathan son of Gershom,^(AR) the son of Moses,^[d] and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the captivity of the land. ³¹ They continued to use the idol Micah had made,^(AS) all the time the house of God^(AT) was in Shiloh.^(AU)

22 ¹ “Brothers and fathers,^(A) listen now to my defense.”

² When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic,^(B) they became very quiet.

Then Paul said: ³ “I am a Jew,^(C) born in Tarsus^(D) of Cilicia,^(E) but brought up in this city. I studied under^(F) Gamaliel^(G) and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors.^(H) I was just as zealous^(I) for God as any of you are today. ⁴ I persecuted^(J) the followers of this Way^(K) to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison,^{(L) 5} as the high priest and all the Council^(M) can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates^(N) in Damascus,^(O) and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.

⁶ “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.^{(P) 7} I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’

⁸ “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.

“ ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth,^(Q) whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. ⁹ My companions saw the light,^(R) but they did not understand the voice^(S) of him who was speaking to me.

¹⁰ “‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked.

“ ‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’^{(T) 11} My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.^(U)

¹² “A man named Ananias came to see me.^(V) He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there.^{(W) 13} He stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I was able to see him.

¹⁴ “Then he said: ‘The God of our ancestors^(X) has chosen you to know his will and to see^(Y) the Righteous One^(Z) and to hear words from his mouth. ¹⁵ You will be his witness^(AA) to all people of what you have seen^(AB) and heard. ¹⁶ And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized^(AC) and wash your sins away,^(AD) calling on his name.’^(AE)

¹⁷ “When I returned to Jerusalem^(AF) and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance^{(AG) 18} and saw the Lord speaking to me. ‘Quick!’ he said. ‘Leave Jerusalem immediately, because the people here will not accept your testimony about me.’

¹⁹ “‘Lord,’ I replied, ‘these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison^(AH) and beat^(AI) those who believe in you. ²⁰ And when the blood of your martyr^[a] Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’^(AJ)

²¹ “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”^(AK)

Paul the Roman Citizen

²² The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him!^(AL) He’s not fit to live!”^(AM)

²³ As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks^(AN) and flinging dust into the air,^{(AO) 24} the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks.^(AP) He directed^(AQ) that he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this. ²⁵ As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?”^(AR)

²⁶ When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. “What are you going to do?” he asked. “This man is a Roman citizen.”

²⁷ The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”

“Yes, I am,” he answered.

²⁸ Then the commander said, “I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship.”

“But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied.

²⁹ Those who were about to interrogate him^(AS) withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen,^(AT) in chains.^(AU)

Paul Before the Sanhedrin

³⁰ The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews.^(AV) So the next day he released him^(AW) and ordered the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin^(AX) to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.