Judges 18
New Living Translation
Idolatry in the Tribe of Dan
18 Now in those days Israel had no king. And the tribe of Dan was trying to find a place where they could settle, for they had not yet moved into the land assigned to them when the land was divided among the tribes of Israel. 2 So the men of Dan chose from their clans five capable warriors from the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol to scout out a land for them to settle in.
When these warriors arrived in the hill country of Ephraim, they came to Micah’s house and spent the night there. 3 While at Micah’s house, they recognized the young Levite’s accent, so they went over and asked him, “Who brought you here, and what are you doing in this place? Why are you here?” 4 He told them about his agreement with Micah and that he had been hired as Micah’s personal priest.
5 Then they said, “Ask God whether or not our journey will be successful.”
6 “Go in peace,” the priest replied. “For the Lord is watching over your journey.”
7 So the five men went on to the town of Laish, where they noticed the people living carefree lives, like the Sidonians; they were peaceful and secure.[a] The people were also wealthy because their land was very fertile. And they lived a great distance from Sidon and had no allies nearby.
8 When the men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their relatives asked them, “What did you find?”
9 The men replied, “Come on, let’s attack them! We have seen the land, and it is very good. What are you waiting for? Don’t hesitate to go and take possession of it. 10 When you get there, you will find the people living carefree lives. God has given us a spacious and fertile land, lacking in nothing!”
11 So 600 men from the tribe of Dan, armed with weapons of war, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. 12 They camped at a place west of Kiriath-jearim in Judah, which is called Mahaneh-dan[b] to this day. 13 Then they went on from there into the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah.
14 The five men who had scouted out the land around Laish explained to the others, “These buildings contain a sacred ephod, as well as some household idols, a carved image, and a cast idol. What do you think you should do?” 15 Then the five men turned off the road and went over to Micah’s house, where the young Levite lived, and greeted him kindly. 16 As the 600 armed warriors from the tribe of Dan stood at the entrance of the gate, 17 the five scouts entered the shrine and removed the carved image, the sacred ephod, the household idols, and the cast idol. Meanwhile, the priest was standing at the gate with the 600 armed warriors.
18 When the priest saw the men carrying all the sacred objects out of Micah’s shrine, he said, “What are you doing?”
19 “Be quiet and come with us,” they said. “Be a father and priest to all of us. Isn’t it better to be a priest for an entire tribe and clan of Israel than for the household of just one man?”
20 The young priest was quite happy to go with them, so he took along the sacred ephod, the household idols, and the carved image. 21 They turned and started on their way again, placing their children, livestock, and possessions in front of them.
22 When the people from the tribe of Dan were quite a distance from Micah’s house, the people who lived near Micah came chasing after them. 23 They were shouting as they caught up with them. The men of Dan turned around and said to Micah, “What’s the matter? Why have you called these men together and chased after us like this?”
24 “What do you mean, ‘What’s the matter?’” Micah replied. “You’ve taken away all the gods I have made, and my priest, and I have nothing left!”
25 The men of Dan said, “Watch what you say! There are some short-tempered men around here who might get angry and kill you and your family.” 26 So the men of Dan continued on their way. When Micah saw that there were too many of them for him to attack, he turned around and went home.
27 Then, with Micah’s idols and his priest, the men of Dan came to the town of Laish, whose people were peaceful and secure. They attacked with swords and burned the town to the ground. 28 There was no one to rescue the people, for they lived a great distance from Sidon and had no allies nearby. This happened in the valley near Beth-rehob.
Then the people of the tribe of Dan rebuilt the town and lived there. 29 They renamed the town Dan after their ancestor, Israel’s son, but it had originally been called Laish.
30 Then they set up the carved image, and they appointed Jonathan son of Gershom, son of Moses,[c] as their priest. This family continued as priests for the tribe of Dan until the Exile. 31 So Micah’s carved image was worshiped by the tribe of Dan as long as the Tabernacle of God remained at Shiloh.
Judges 18
Lexham English Bible
The Tribe of Dan Seeks Territory
18 In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking territory for itself to live in, because until that day it had not been allotted territory among the tribes of Israel. 2 The descendants[a] of Dan sent from the whole number of their clan five capable men[b] from Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out the land and to explore it. And they said to them, “Go, explore the land.” And they went to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and they spent the night there.[c] 3 While they were with the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young Levite, and they turned aside there and said to him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place, and what is your business here?”[d] 4 And he said to them, “Micah did such and such for me and hired me, and I became his priest.” 5 And they said to him, “Please inquire of God that we may know whether our journey that we are going on will be successful.” 6 And the priest said to them, “Go in peace. Yahweh is in front of you on the journey you want to go on.”
7 And the five men went and came to Laish, and they observed the people who were living according to the customs of the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting, and lacking nothing in the land, and possessing restraint.[e] And they were far from the Sidonians and had no word with anyone. 8 They came to their relatives[f] at Zorah and Eshtaol, and their relatives[g] said to them, “What do you report?” 9 And they said to them, “Come, let us go up against them; for we have seen the land, and it is very good. Will you do nothing? Do not hesitate to go, to enter, to possess the land. 10 When you go you will come to an unsuspecting people, and the land is spread out on all sides;[h] God has given a place into your hands where there is no lack of anything that is on the earth.”
11 Six hundred men from the clan of the Danites from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war, set out from there. 12 They went up and encamped at Kiriath Jearim in Judah. Therefore they called this place Camp of Dan[i] to this day; it is west of Kiriath Jearim. 13 From there they crossed over to the hill country of Ephraim, and they came to the house of Micah.
14 And the five men that went out to spy out the land (that is, Laish) responded and said to their relatives,[j] “Do you know that there are in these houses an ephod, teraphim, and an idol of cast metal? So then, consider what you must do.” 15 So they turned to that direction, and they came to the house of the young Levite, the house of Micah, and they greeted him.[k] 16 And six hundred men from the descendants[l] of Dan, armed with their weapons of war, were standing at the entrance of the gate. 17 And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and they entered there and took the carved divine image, ephod, teraphim, and the molten image. The priest was standing at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men armed with the weapons of war. 18 When these went to Micah’s house, they took the divine carved image, ephod, the teraphim, and the molten image, and the priest asked them, “What are you doing?” 19 And they said to him, “Keep quiet! Put your hand on your mouth and come with us and be for us a father and a priest. Is it better being a priest for a house of one man or being a priest for a tribe and clan in Israel?” 20 The priest accepted the offer,[m] and he took the ephod, teraphim, and molten image and went along with the people.
21 And they turned[n] and went and put the little children, the livestock, and the valuable property in front of them. 22 When they were at a distance from the house, Micah and the men who were in the houses that were near the house of Micah cried out, and they overtook the descendants[o] of Dan. 23 And they called to the descendants[p] of Dan, who turned around to face them, and they said to Micah, “What is the matter with you that you assembled together?” 24 He said, “You took away my gods that I had made, and the priest, and then you go away. What is now left for me? How can you say to me, ‘What is the matter?’” 25 And the descendants[q] of Dan said to him, “You should not let your voice be heard among us, so that ill-tempered men[r] will not attack you,[s] and take your life[t] and the lives of your household.” 26 And the descendants[u] of Dan went their way. When Micah saw that they were stronger than him, he turned to return to his house.
27 And they took what Micah had made, and his priest, and they came to Laish, to a quiet and unsuspecting people, and they put them to the sword[v] and burned the city with fire. 28 There was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and they had had no dealings with anyone.[w] It was in the valley that belonged to Beth-rehob, and they rebuilt[x] the city and lived in it. 29 And they called the name of the city Dan, after Dan their ancestor,[y] who was born to Israel; but the former name of the city was Laish. 30 And the descendants[z] of Dan set up for themselves the carved divine image, and Jonathan son of Gershom, son of Manasseh,[aa] he and his sons were priests for the tribe of the Danites until the time of the captivity of the land. 31 So they set up for themselves the carved divine image that Micah had made, all the days that the house of God was in Shiloh.
Footnotes
- Judges 18:2 Or “sons/children”
- Judges 18:2 Literally “sons of physical strength”
- Judges 18:2 Or “they lodged there”
- Judges 18:3 Literally “What is for you here?”
- Judges 18:7 Or perhaps “prosperity”; the Hebrew of this word is uncertain
- Judges 18:8 Or “brothers”
- Judges 18:8 Or “brothers”
- Judges 18:10 Literally “is wide of hands”
- Judges 18:12 That is “Mahaneh-dan”
- Judges 18:14 Or “brothers”
- Judges 18:15 Literally “they asked for him in peace”
- Judges 18:16 Or “sons/children”
- Judges 18:20 Literally “It was good in the heart of the priest”
- Judges 18:21 Or “resumed their journey”
- Judges 18:22 Or “sons/children”
- Judges 18:23 Or “sons/children”
- Judges 18:25 Or “sons/children”
- Judges 18:25 Literally “men of bitter soul”
- Judges 18:25 Literally “will not fall on you”
- Judges 18:25 Literally “and you will lose your life”
- Judges 18:26 Or “sons/children”
- Judges 18:27 Literally “they put them to the mouth of the sword”
- Judges 18:28 Literally “a thing was not for them with anyone”
- Judges 18:28 Hebrew “built”
- Judges 18:29 Or “father”
- Judges 18:30 Or “sons/children”
- Judges 18:30 Other ancient versions read “Moses”
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