¹⁶ Now the six hundred men of the Danites, armed with their weapons of war, stood by the entrance of the gate; ¹⁷ and the five men who had gone to spy out the land went up, and entered and took the graven image, the ephod, the ter′aphim, and the molten image, while the priest stood by the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men armed with weapons of war. ¹⁸ And when these went into Micah’s house and took the graven image, the ephod, the ter′aphim, and the molten image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” ¹⁹ And they said to him, “Keep quiet, put your hand upon 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 man, or to be priest to a tribe and family in Israel?” ²⁰ And the priest’s heart was glad; he took the ephod, and the ter′aphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.

²¹ So they turned and departed, putting the little ones and the cattle and the goods in front of them. ²² When they were a good way 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 And they shouted to the Danites, who turned round and said to Micah, “What ails you that you come with such a company?” ²⁴ And he said, “You take my gods which I made, and the priest, and go away, and what have I left? How then do you ask me, ‘What ails you?’” ²⁵ And the Danites said to him, “Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows fall upon you, and you lose your life with the lives of your household.” ²⁶ Then the Danites went their way; and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his home.

The Danites Settle in Laish

²⁷ And taking what Micah had made, and the priest who belonged to him, the Danites came to La′ish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, and smote them with the edge of the sword, and burned the city with fire. ²⁸ And there was no deliverer because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with any one. It was in the valley which belongs to Beth-rehob. And they rebuilt the city, and dwelt in it. ²⁹ And they named the city Dan, after the name of Dan their ancestor, who was born to Israel; but the name of the city was La′ish at the first. ³⁰ And the Danites set up the graven image for themselves; and Jonathan the son of Gershom, son of Moses,^[a] and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land. ³¹ So they set up Micah’s graven image which he made, as long as the house of God was at Shiloh.