Judges 18

New International Version

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) ²So 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. ³When 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?”

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

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

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

⁷So 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]

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

⁹They 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) ¹⁰When 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)”

¹¹Then six hundred men^(S) of the Danites,^(T) armed for battle, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. ¹²On 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. ¹³From there they went on to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah’s house.^(W)

¹⁴Then 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.” ¹⁵So they turned in there and went to the house of the young Levite at Micah’s place and greeted him. ¹⁶The six hundred Danites,^(AA) armed for battle, stood at the entrance of the gate. ¹⁷The 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.

¹⁸When 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?”

¹⁹They 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?” ²⁰The priest was very pleased. He took the ephod, the household gods and the idol and went along with the people. ²¹Putting their little children, their livestock and their possessions in front of them, they turned away and left.

²²When they had gone some distance from Micah’s house, the men who lived near Micah were called together and overtook the Danites. ²³As 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?”

²⁴He 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?’”

²⁵The 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.” ²⁶So the Danites went their way, and Micah, seeing that they were too strong for him,^(AJ) turned around and went back home.

²⁷Then 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) ²⁸There 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. ²⁹They named it Dan^(AP) after their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city used to be called Laish.^(AQ) ³⁰There 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. ³¹They continued to use the idol Micah had made,^(AS) all the time the house of God^(AT) was in Shiloh.^(AU)

Footnotes

Judges 18:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
Judges 18:7 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts with the Arameans
Judges 18:12 Mahaneh Dan means Dan’s camp.
Judges 18:30 Many Hebrew manuscripts, some Septuagint manuscripts and Vulgate; many other Hebrew manuscripts and some other Septuagint manuscripts Manasseh

Ezekiel 7

New International Version

The End Has Come

7 The word of the Lord came to me: ²“Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says to the land of Israel:

“‘The end!^(A) The end has come
    upon the four corners^(B) of the land!
³The end is now upon you,
    and I will unleash my anger against you.
I will judge you according to your conduct^(C)
    and repay you for all your detestable practices.^(D)
⁴I will not look on you with pity;^(E)
    I will not spare you.
I will surely repay you for your conduct
    and for the detestable practices among you.

“‘Then you will know that I am the Lord.’^(F)

⁵“This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘Disaster!^(G) Unheard-of^[a] disaster!
    See, it comes!
⁶The end^(H) has come!
    The end has come!
It has roused itself against you.
    See, it comes!
⁷Doom has come upon you,
    upon you who dwell in the land.
The time has come! The day^(I) is near!^(J)
    There is panic, not joy, on the mountains.
⁸I am about to pour out my wrath^(K) on you
    and spend my anger against you.
I will judge you according to your conduct
    and repay you for all your detestable practices.^(L)
⁹I will not look on you with pity;
    I will not spare you.^(M)
I will repay you for your conduct
    and for the detestable practices among you.^(N)

“‘Then you will know that it is I the Lord who strikes you.^(O)

¹⁰“‘See, the day!
    See, it comes!
Doom has burst forth,
    the rod^(P) has budded,
    arrogance has blossomed!
¹¹Violence^(Q) has arisen,^[b]
    a rod to punish the wicked.
None of the people will be left,
    none of that crowd—
none of their wealth,
    nothing of value.^(R)
¹²The time has come!
    The day has arrived!
Let not the buyer^(S) rejoice
    nor the seller grieve,
    for my wrath is on the whole crowd.^(T)
¹³The seller will not recover
    the property that was sold—
    as long as both buyer and seller live.
For the vision concerning the whole crowd
    will not be reversed.
Because of their sins, not one of them
    will preserve their life.^(U)

¹⁴“‘They have blown the trumpet,^(V)
    they have made all things ready,
but no one will go into battle,
    for my wrath^(W) is on the whole crowd.
¹⁵Outside is the sword;
    inside are plague and famine.
Those in the country
    will die by the sword;
those in the city
    will be devoured by famine and plague.^(X)
¹⁶The fugitives^(Y) who escape
    will flee to the mountains.
Like doves^(Z) of the valleys,
    they will all moan,
    each for their own sins.^(AA)
¹⁷Every hand will go limp;^(AB)
    every leg will be wet with urine.^(AC)
¹⁸They will put on sackcloth^(AD)
    and be clothed with terror.^(AE)
Every face will be covered with shame,
    and every head will be shaved.^(AF)

¹⁹“‘They will throw their silver into the streets,^(AG)
    and their gold will be treated as a thing unclean.
Their silver and gold
    will not be able to deliver them
    in the day of the Lord’s wrath.^(AH)
It will not satisfy^(AI) their hunger
    or fill their stomachs,
    for it has caused them to stumble^(AJ) into sin.^(AK)
²⁰They took pride in their beautiful jewelry
    and used it to make^(AL) their detestable idols.
They made it into vile images;^(AM)
    therefore I will make it a thing unclean for them.^(AN)
²¹I will give their wealth as plunder^(AO) to foreigners
    and as loot to the wicked of the earth,
    who will defile it.^(AP)
²²I will turn my face^(AQ) away from the people,
    and robbers will desecrate the place I treasure.
They will enter it
    and will defile it.^(AR)

²³“‘Prepare chains!
    For the land is full of bloodshed,^(AS)
    and the city is full of violence.^(AT)
²⁴I will bring the most wicked of nations
    to take possession of their houses.
I will put an end to the pride of the mighty,
    and their sanctuaries^(AU) will be desecrated.^(AV)
²⁵When terror comes,
    they will seek peace in vain.^(AW)
²⁶Calamity upon calamity^(AX) will come,
    and rumor upon rumor.
They will go searching for a vision from the prophet,^(AY)
    priestly instruction in the law will cease,
    the counsel of the elders will come to an end.^(AZ)
²⁷The king will mourn,
    the prince will be clothed with despair,^(BA)
    and the hands of the people of the land will tremble.
I will deal with them according to their conduct,^(BB)
    and by their own standards I will judge them.

“‘Then they will know that I am the Lord.^(BC)’”

Footnotes

Ezekiel 7:5 Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac Disaster after
Ezekiel 7:11 Or The violent one has become

Psalm 93-95

New International Version

Psalm 93

¹The Lord reigns,^(A) he is robed in majesty;^(B)
    the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength;^(C)
    indeed, the world is established,^(D) firm and secure.^(E)
²Your throne was established^(F) long ago;
    you are from all eternity.^(G)

³The seas^(H) have lifted up, Lord,
    the seas have lifted up their voice;^(I)
    the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.^(J)
⁴Mightier than the thunder^(K) of the great waters,
    mightier than the breakers^(L) of the sea—
    the Lord on high is mighty.^(M)

⁵Your statutes, Lord, stand firm;
holiness^(N) adorns your house^(O)
for endless days.

Psalm 94

¹The Lord is a God who avenges.^(P)
    O God who avenges, shine forth.^(Q)
²Rise up,^(R) Judge^(S) of the earth;
    pay back^(T) to the proud what they deserve.
³How long, Lord, will the wicked,
    how long will the wicked be jubilant?^(U)

⁴They pour out arrogant^(V) words;
    all the evildoers are full of boasting.^(W)
⁵They crush your people,^(X) Lord;
    they oppress your inheritance.^(Y)
⁶They slay the widow^(Z) and the foreigner;
    they murder the fatherless.^(AA)
⁷They say, “The Lord does not see;^(AB)
    the God of Jacob^(AC) takes no notice.”

⁸Take notice, you senseless ones^(AD) among the people;
    you fools, when will you become wise?
⁹Does he who fashioned the ear not hear?
    Does he who formed the eye not see?^(AE)
¹⁰Does he who disciplines^(AF) nations not punish?
    Does he who teaches^(AG) mankind lack knowledge?
¹¹The Lord knows all human plans;^(AH)
    he knows that they are futile.^(AI)

¹²Blessed is the one you discipline,^(AJ) Lord,
    the one you teach^(AK) from your law;
¹³you grant them relief from days of trouble,^(AL)
    till a pit^(AM) is dug for the wicked.
¹⁴For the Lord will not reject his people;^(AN)
    he will never forsake his inheritance.
¹⁵Judgment will again be founded on righteousness,^(AO)
    and all the upright in heart^(AP) will follow it.

¹⁶Who will rise up^(AQ) for me against the wicked?
    Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?^(AR)
¹⁷Unless the Lord had given me help,^(AS)
    I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.^(AT)
¹⁸When I said, “My foot is slipping,^(AU)”
    your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.
¹⁹When anxiety^(AV) was great within me,
    your consolation^(AW) brought me joy.

²⁰Can a corrupt throne^(AX) be allied with you—
    a throne that brings on misery by its decrees?^(AY)
²¹The wicked band together^(AZ) against the righteous
    and condemn the innocent^(BA) to death.^(BB)
²²But the Lord has become my fortress,
    and my God the rock^(BC) in whom I take refuge.^(BD)
²³He will repay^(BE) them for their sins
    and destroy^(BF) them for their wickedness;
    the Lord our God will destroy them.

Psalm 95

¹Come,^(BG) let us sing for joy^(BH) to the Lord;
let us shout aloud^(BI) to the Rock^(BJ) of our salvation.
²Let us come before him^(BK) with thanksgiving^(BL)
and extol him with music^(BM) and song.

³For the Lord is the great God,^(BN)
    the great King^(BO) above all gods.^(BP)
⁴In his hand are the depths of the earth,^(BQ)
    and the mountain peaks belong to him.
⁵The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land.^(BR)

⁶Come, let us bow down^(BS) in worship,^(BT)
    let us kneel^(BU) before the Lord our Maker;^(BV)
⁷for he is our God
    and we are the people of his pasture,^(BW)
    the flock under his care.

Today, if only you would hear his voice,
⁸“Do not harden your hearts^(BX) as you did at Meribah,^[a]^(BY)
    as you did that day at Massah^[b] in the wilderness,^(BZ)
⁹where your ancestors tested^(CA) me;
    they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
¹⁰For forty years^(CB) I was angry with that generation;
    I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,^(CC)
    and they have not known my ways.’^(CD)
¹¹So I declared on oath^(CE) in my anger,
    ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”^(CF)