Judges 18
World English Bible
18 In those days there was no king in Israel. In those days the tribe of the Danites sought an inheritance to dwell in; for to that day, their inheritance had not fallen to them among the tribes of Israel. 2 The children of Dan sent five men of their family from their whole number, men of valor, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to search it. They said to them, “Go, explore the land!”
They came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there. 3 When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite; so they went over there and said to him, “Who brought you here? What do you do in this place? What do you have here?”
4 He said to them, “Thus and thus has Micah dealt with me, and he has hired me, and I have become his priest.”
5 They said to him, “Please ask counsel of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.”
6 The priest said to them, “Go in peace. Your way in which you go is before Yahweh.”
7 Then the five men departed and came to Laish and saw the people who were there, how they lived in safety, in the way of the Sidonians, quiet and secure; for there was no one in the land possessing authority, that might put them to shame in anything, and they were far from the Sidonians, and had no dealings with anyone else. 8 They came to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol; and their brothers asked them, “What do you say?”
9 They said, “Arise, and let’s go up against them; for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very good. Do you stand still? Don’t be slothful to go and to enter in to possess the land. 10 When you go, you will come to an unsuspecting people, and the land is large; for God has given it into your hand, a place where there is no lack of anything that is in the earth.”
11 The family of the Danites set out from Zorah and Eshtaol with six hundred men armed with weapons of war. 12 They went up and encamped in Kiriath Jearim in Judah. Therefore they call that place Mahaneh Dan to this day. Behold, it is behind Kiriath Jearim. 13 They passed from there to the hill country of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.
14 Then the five men who went to spy out the country of Laish answered and said to their brothers, “Do you know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim,[a] and a carved image, and a molten image? Now therefore consider what you have to do.” 15 They went over there and came to the house of the young Levite man, even to the house of Micah, and asked him how he was doing. 16 The six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate. 17 The five men who went to spy out the land went up, and came in there, and took the engraved image, the ephod, the teraphim, and the molten image; and the priest stood by the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men armed with weapons of war.
18 When these went into Micah’s house, and took the engraved image, the ephod, the teraphim, and the molten image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”
19 They said to him, “Hold your peace, put your hand on your mouth, and go with us. Be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?”
20 The priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod, the teraphim, and the engraved image, and went with the people. 21 So they turned and departed, and put the little ones, the livestock, and the goods before them. 22 When they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house gathered together and overtook the children of Dan. 23 As they called to the children of Dan, they turned their faces, and said to Micah, “What ails you, that you come with such a company?”
24 He said, “You have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and have gone away! What more do I have? How can you ask me, ‘What ails you?’”
25 The children of Dan said to him, “Don’t let your voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows fall on you, and you lose your life, with the lives of your household.”
26 The children of Dan went their way; and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house. 27 They took that which Micah had made, and the priest whom he had, and came to Laish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, and struck them with the edge of the sword; then they burned the city with fire. 28 There was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with anyone else; and it was in the valley that lies by Beth Rehob. They built the city and lived in it. 29 They called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel; however the name of the city used to be Laish. 30 The children of Dan set up for themselves the engraved image; and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, 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 for themselves Micah’s engraved image which he made, and it remained all the time that God’s house was in Shiloh.
Footnotes
- 18:14 teraphim were household idols that may have been associated with inheritance rights to the household property.
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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