Judges 18
Legacy Standard Bible
Danites Seek an Inheritance
18 (A)In those days there was no king of Israel; and (B)in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking an inheritance for themselves to live in, for until that day the land among the tribes of Israel had not fallen to them as an inheritance. 2 So the sons of Dan sent from their family five men out of their whole number, [a]men of valor from (C)Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to search it; and they said to them, “Go, search the land.” And they came to (D)the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there. 3 They were near the house of Micah, and they recognized the voice of the young man, the Levite. So they turned aside there and said to him, “Who brought you here? And what are you doing in this place? And what do you have here?” 4 And he said to them, “Thus and so has Micah done to me, and he has hired me, and (E)I have become his priest.” 5 And they said to him, “Ask of God, please, that we may know whether our way on which we are going will be successful.” 6 So the priest said to them, “Go in peace; your way in which you are going is before Yahweh.”
7 Then the five men went forth and came to (F)Laish and saw the people who were in it living in security, after the [b]manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure; for there was no [c]oppressive conqueror dishonoring them for anything in the land, and they were far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone. 8 So they came back to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol, and their brothers said to them, “What do you report?” 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 will you be silent? Do not delay to go, to enter, to possess the land. 10 When you enter, you will come to a secure people and a spacious land; for God has given it into your hand, (G)a place where there is no lack of anything that is on the earth.”
11 Then from the family of the Danites, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, 600 men armed with weapons of war set out. 12 And they went up and camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. Therefore they called that place [d](H)Mahaneh-dan to this day; behold, it is [e]west of Kiriath-jearim. 13 Then they passed from there to the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah.
Danites Take Micah’s Idols
14 And the five men who went to spy out the country of Laish answered and said to their relatives, “Do you know that there are in these houses (I)an ephod and [f]household idols and a graven image and a molten image? So now, know what you should do.” 15 Then they turned aside there and came to the house of the young man, the Levite, to the house of Micah, and asked him of his welfare. 16 Now the 600 men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the sons of Dan, were standing by the entrance of the gate. 17 Then the five men who went to spy out the land went up and entered there, and took (J)the graven image and the ephod and household idols and the molten image. And the priest was standing by the entrance of the gate with the 600 men armed with weapons of war. 18 Now these had entered into Micah’s house and took the graven image, the ephod and household idols and the molten image. Then the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” 19 And they said to him, “Be silent; (K)put your hand over your mouth and come with us and be to us (L)a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be a priest to the house of one man or to be priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?” 20 And the priest’s heart was merry, and he took the ephod and household idols and the graven image and entered among the people.
21 Then they turned and went away and put the little ones and the livestock and the valuables in front of them. 22 They had gone some distance from the house of Micah, and the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house were summoned and then overtook the sons of Dan. 23 And they called out to the sons of Dan, who turned [g]around and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you, that you were summoned together?” 24 And he said, “You have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and have gone away, and what do I have besides? So how can you say to me, ‘What is the matter with you?’” 25 Then the sons of Dan said to him, “Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest men, bitter of soul, fall upon you and you [h]lose your life, with the lives of your household.” 26 So the sons of Dan went on their way; and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house.
27 Now they took what Micah had made and the priest who had belonged to him, and they came to (M)Laish, to a people quiet and secure, and struck them with the edge of the sword; and they burned the city with fire. 28 And there was no one to deliver them because it was far from Sidon and they had no dealings with anyone, and it was in the valley which is near (N)Beth-rehob. And they rebuilt the city and lived in it. 29 (O)And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father who was born in Israel; however, the name of the city formerly was Laish. 30 Then the sons of Dan set up for themselves (P)the graven image; and Jonathan, the son of (Q)Gershom, the son of [i]Moses, (R)he and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the exile of the land. 31 So they set up for themselves Micah’s graven image which he had made, all the time that the (S)house of God was at Shiloh.
Footnotes
- Judges 18:2 Lit men, sons of valor
- Judges 18:7 Lit judgment
- Judges 18:7 Lit the one who possesses oppression
- Judges 18:12 Lit the camp of Dan
- Judges 18:12 Or behind
- Judges 18:14 Heb teraphim, so through v 20
- Judges 18:23 Lit their faces
- Judges 18:25 Lit gather
- Judges 18:30 As in some Heb mss, LXX, and Vg.; M.T. Manasseh
Judges 18
Revised Standard Version
The Migration of Dan
18 In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking for itself an inheritance to dwell in; for until then no inheritance among the tribes of Israel had fallen to them. 2 So the Danites sent five able men from the whole number of their tribe, from Zorah and from Esh′ta-ol, to spy out the land and to explore it; and they said to them, “Go and explore the land.” And they came to the hill country of E′phraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there. 3 When they were by the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; and they turned aside and said to him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is your business here?” 4 And he said to them, “Thus and thus has Micah dealt with me: he has hired me, and I have become his priest.” 5 And they said to him, “Inquire of God, we pray thee, that we may know whether the journey on which we are setting out will succeed.” 6 And the priest said to them, “Go in peace. The journey on which you go is under the eye of the Lord.”
7 Then the five men departed, and came to La′ish, and saw the people who were there, how they dwelt in security, after the manner of the Sido′nians, quiet and unsuspecting, lacking[a] nothing that is in the earth, and possessing wealth, and how they were far from the Sido′nians and had no dealings with any one. 8 And when they came to their brethren at Zorah and Esh′ta-ol, their brethren said to them, “What do you report?” 9 They said, “Arise, and let us go up against them; for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very fertile. And will you do nothing? Do not be slow to go, and enter in and possess the land. 10 When you go, you will come to an unsuspecting people. The land is broad; yea, God has given it into your hands, a place where there is no lack of anything that is in the earth.”
11 And six hundred men of the tribe of Dan, armed with weapons of war, set forth from Zorah and Esh′ta-ol, 12 and went up and encamped at Kir′iath-je′arim in Judah. On this account that place is called Ma′haneh-dan[b] to this day; behold, it is west of Kir′iath-je′arim. 13 And they passed on from there to the hill country of E′phraim, and came to the house of Micah.
14 Then the five men who had gone to spy out the country of La′ish said to their brethren, “Do you know that in these houses there are an ephod, teraphim, a graven image, and a molten image? Now therefore consider what you will do.” 15 And they turned aside thither, and came to the house of the young Levite, at the home of Micah, and asked him of his welfare. 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 teraphim, 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 teraphim, 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 teraphim, 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,[c] 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.
Footnotes
- Judges 18:7 Cn Compare 18.10. The Hebrew text is uncertain
- Judges 18:12 That is Camp of Dan
- Judges 18:30 Another reading is Manasseh
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