Judges 18:11-26

New American Standard Bible 1995

¹¹ Then from the family of the Danites, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, six hundred men armed with weapons of war set out. ¹² They went up and camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. Therefore they called that place ^[a](A)Mahaneh-dan to this day; behold, it is ^[b]west of Kiriath-jearim. ¹³ They passed from there to the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah.

Danites Take Micah’s Idols

¹⁴ Then the five men who went to spy out the country of Laish said to their kinsmen, “Do you know that there are in these houses ^(B)an ephod and ^[c]household idols and a graven image and a molten image? Now therefore, consider what you should do.” ¹⁵ 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 The six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the sons of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate. ¹⁷ Now the five men who went to spy out the land went up and entered there, and took ^(C)the graven image and the ephod and ^[d]household idols 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 When these went into Micah’s house and took the graven image, the ephod and ^[e]household idols and the molten image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” ¹⁹ They said to him, “Be silent, ^(D)put your hand over your mouth and come with us, and be to us ^(E)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 The priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod and ^[f]household idols and the graven image and went among the people.

²¹ Then they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the livestock and the valuables in front of them. ²² When they had gone some distance from the house of Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house assembled and overtook the sons of Dan. ²³ They cried to the sons of Dan, who turned ^[g]around and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you, that you have assembled together?” ²⁴ 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 The sons of Dan said to him, “Do not let your voice be heard among us, or else ^[h]fierce men will fall upon you and you will ^[i]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.