¹⁹ Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole her father’s household gods.^(A)

¹³ Michal took an idol^[a] and laid it on the bed; she put a net^[b] of goats’ hair on its head and covered it with the clothes.

⁴ For the Israelites shall remain many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or teraphim.^(A)

³⁰ Even though you had to go because you longed greatly for your father’s house, why did you steal my gods?”^(A)

²¹ For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the way, at the fork in the two roads, to use divination; he shakes the arrows; he consults the teraphim;^[a] he inspects the liver.^(A)

² So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, and purify yourselves, and change your clothes;^(A)

¹⁴ Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land (that is, Laish) said to their comrades, “Do you know that in these buildings there are an ephod, teraphim, and an idol of cast metal? Now, therefore, consider what you will do.”^{(A) 15} So they turned in that direction and came to the house of the young Levite at the home of Micah and greeted him. ¹⁶ While the six hundred men of the Danites, armed with their weapons of war, stood by the entrance of the gate,^{(B) 17} the five men who had gone to spy out the land proceeded to enter and take the idol of cast metal, the ephod, and the teraphim.^[a] The priest was standing by the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men armed with weapons of war.^{(C) 18} When the men went into Micah’s house and took the idol of cast metal, the ephod, and the teraphim, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” ¹⁹ They said to him, “Keep quiet! Put your hand over your mouth, and come with us, and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one person or to be priest to a tribe and clan in Israel?”^{(D) 20} Then the priest accepted the offer. He took the ephod, the teraphim, and the idol and went along with the people.

²¹ So they resumed their journey, putting the little ones, the livestock, and the goods in front of them. ²² When they were some distance from the home of Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house were called out, and they overtook the Danites. ²³ They shouted to the Danites, who turned around and said to Micah, “What is the matter that you come with such a company?” ²⁴ He replied, “You take my gods that I made and the priest and go away, and what have I left? How then can you ask me, ‘What is the matter?’ ”^(E)

⁴ So when he returned the money to his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver and gave it to the silversmith, who made it into an idol of cast metal, and it was in the house of Micah. ⁵ This man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and teraphim and installed one of his sons, who became his priest.^(A)

³⁴ Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them in the camel’s saddle and sat on them. Laban felt all about in the tent but did not find them.

³² But anyone with whom you find your gods shall not live. In the presence of our kinsfolk, point out what I have that is yours, and take it.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the gods.^[a](A)