The Danites Settle in Laish

18 In those days Israel had no king.^(A)

And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking a place of their own where they might settle, because they had not yet come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.^{(B) 2} So the Danites^(C) sent five of their leading men^(D) from Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out^(E) the land and explore it. These men represented all the Danites. They told them, “Go, explore the land.”^(F)

So they entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah,^(G) where they spent the night. ³ When they were near Micah’s house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite;^(H) so they turned in there and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?”

⁴ He told them what Micah had done for him, and said, “He has hired me and I am his priest.^(I)”

⁵ Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God^(J) to learn whether our journey will be successful.”

⁶ The priest answered them, “Go in peace^(K). Your journey has the Lord’s approval.”

⁷ So the five men^(L) left and came to Laish,^(M) where they saw that the people were living in safety, like the Sidonians, at peace and secure.^(N) And since their land lacked nothing, they were prosperous.^[a] Also, they lived a long way from the Sidonians^(O) and had no relationship with anyone else.^[b]

⁸ When they returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their fellow Danites asked them, “How did you find things?”

⁹ They answered, “Come on, let’s attack them! We have seen the land, and it is very good. Aren’t you going to do something? Don’t hesitate to go there and take it over.^{(P) 10} When you get there, you will find an unsuspecting people and a spacious land that God has put into your hands, a land that lacks nothing^(Q) whatever.^(R)”

¹¹ Then six hundred men^(S) of the Danites,^(T) armed for battle, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. ¹² On their way they set up camp near Kiriath Jearim^(U) in Judah. This is why the place west of Kiriath Jearim is called Mahaneh Dan^[c](V) to this day. ¹³ From there they went on to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah’s house.^(W)

¹⁴ Then the five men who had spied out the land of Laish^(X) said to their fellow Danites, “Do you know that one of these houses has an ephod,^(Y) some household gods and an image overlaid with silver?^(Z) Now you know what to do.” ¹⁵ So they turned in there and went to the house of the young Levite at Micah’s place and greeted him. ¹⁶ The six hundred Danites,^(AA) armed for battle, stood at the entrance of the gate. ¹⁷ The five men who had spied out the land went inside and took the idol, the ephod and the household gods^(AB) while the priest and the six hundred armed men^(AC) stood at the entrance of the gate.

¹⁸ When the five men went into Micah’s house and took^(AD) the idol, the ephod and the household gods,^(AE) the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”

¹⁹ They answered him, “Be quiet!^(AF) Don’t say a word. Come with us, and be our father and priest.^(AG) Isn’t it better that you serve a tribe and clan^(AH) in Israel as priest rather than just one man’s household?” ²⁰ The priest was very pleased. He took the ephod, the household gods and the idol and went along with the people. ²¹ Putting their little children, their livestock and their possessions in front of them, they turned away and left.

²² When they had gone some distance from Micah’s house, the men who lived near Micah were called together and overtook the Danites. ²³ As they shouted after them, the Danites turned and said to Micah, “What’s the matter with you that you called out your men to fight?”

²⁴ He replied, “You took^(AI) the gods I made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you ask, ‘What’s the matter with you?’”

²⁵ The Danites answered, “Don’t argue with us, or some of the men may get angry and attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives.” ²⁶ So the Danites went their way, and Micah, seeing that they were too strong for him,^(AJ) turned around and went back home.

²⁷ Then they took what Micah had made, and his priest, and went on to Laish, against a people at peace and secure.^(AK) They attacked them with the sword and burned^(AL) down their city.^{(AM) 28} There was no one to rescue them because they lived a long way from Sidon^(AN) and had no relationship with anyone else. The city was in a valley near Beth Rehob.^(AO)

The Danites rebuilt the city and settled there. ²⁹ They named it Dan^(AP) after their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city used to be called Laish.^{(AQ) 30} There the Danites set up for themselves the idol, and Jonathan son of Gershom,^(AR) the son of Moses,^[d] and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the captivity of the land. ³¹ They continued to use the idol Micah had made,^(AS) all the time the house of God^(AT) was in Shiloh.^(AU)

Psalm 114

Released From the Law, Bound to Christ

7 Do you not know, brothers and sisters^(A)—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives? ² For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him.^{(B) 3} So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress.^(C) But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man.

⁴ So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law^(D) through the body of Christ,^(E) that you might belong to another,^(F) to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. ⁵ For when we were in the realm of the flesh,^[a](G) the sinful passions aroused by the law^(H) were at work in us,^(I) so that we bore fruit for death.^{(J) 6} But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law^(K) so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.^(L)

The Law and Sin

⁷ What shall we say, then?^(M) Is the law sinful? Certainly not!^(N) Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law.^(O) For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”^{[b](P) 8} But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment,^(Q) produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead.^{(R) 9} Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. ¹⁰ I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life^(S) actually brought death. ¹¹ For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment,^(T) deceived me,^(U) and through the commandment put me to death. ¹² So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.^(V)

¹³ Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good^(W) to bring about my death,^(X) so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.

¹⁴ We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual,^(Y) sold^(Z) as a slave to sin.^{(AA) 15} I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.^{(AB) 16} And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.^{(AC) 17} As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.^{(AD) 18} For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.^[c](AE) For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.^{(AF) 20} Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.^(AG)

²¹ So I find this law at work:^(AH) Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²² For in my inner being^(AI) I delight in God’s law;^{(AJ) 23} but I see another law at work in me, waging war^(AK) against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin^(AL) at work within me. ²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?^{(AM) 25} Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!^(AN)

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law,^(AO) but in my sinful nature^[d] a slave to the law of sin.^(AP)