The Danites Adopt Micah’s Idolatry

18 In ^(A)those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days ^(B)the tribe of the Danites was seeking an inheritance for itself to dwell in; for until that day their inheritance among the tribes of Israel had not fallen to them. ² So the children of Dan sent five men of their family from their territory, men of valor from ^(C)Zorah and Eshtaol, ^(D)to spy out the land and search it. They said to them, “Go, search the land.” So they went to the mountains of Ephraim, to the ^(E)house of Micah, and lodged there. ³ While they were at the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young Levite. They turned aside and said to him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What do you have here?”

⁴ He said to them, “Thus and so Micah did for me. He has ^(F)hired me, and I have become his priest.”

⁵ So they said to him, “Please ^(G)inquire ^(H)of God, that we may know whether the journey on which we go will be prosperous.”

⁶ And the priest said to them, ^(I)“Go in peace. ^[a]The presence of the Lord be with you on your way.”

⁷ So the five men departed and went to ^(J)Laish. They saw the people who were there, ^(K)how they dwelt safely, in the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure. There were no rulers in the land who might put them to shame for anything. They were far from the ^(L)Sidonians, and they had no ties ^[b]with anyone.

⁸ Then the spies came back to their brethren at ^(M)Zorah and Eshtaol, and their brethren said to them, “What is your report?”

⁹ So they said, ^(N)“Arise, let us go up against them. For we have seen the land, and indeed it is very good. Would you ^(O)do nothing? Do not hesitate to go, and enter to possess the land. ¹⁰ When you go, you will come to a ^(P)secure people and a large land. For God has given it into your hands, ^(Q)a place where there is no lack of anything that is on the earth.”

¹¹ And six hundred men of the family of the Danites went from there, from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war. ¹² Then they went up and encamped in ^(R)Kirjath Jearim in Judah. (Therefore they call that place ^(S)Mahaneh Dan^[c] to this day. There it is, west of Kirjath Jearim.) ¹³ And they passed from there to the mountains of Ephraim, and came to ^(T)the house of Micah.

^14 (U)Then the five men who had gone to spy out the country of Laish answered and said to their brethren, “Do you know that ^(V)there are in these houses an ephod, household idols, a carved image, and a molded image? Now therefore, consider what you should do.” ¹⁵ So they turned aside there, and came to the house of the young Levite man—to the house of Micah—and greeted him. ¹⁶ The ^(W)six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate. ¹⁷ Then ^(X)the five men who had gone to spy out the land went up. Entering there, they took ^(Y)the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molded image. The priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men who were armed with weapons of war.

¹⁸ When these went into Micah’s house and took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molded image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”

¹⁹ And they said to him, “Be quiet, ^(Z)put your hand over your mouth, and come with us; ^(AA)be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest to the household of one man, or that you be a priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?” ²⁰ So the priest’s heart was glad; and he took the ephod, the household idols, and the carved image, and took his place among the people.

²¹ Then they turned and departed, and put the little ones, the livestock, and the goods in front of 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 And they called out to the children of Dan. So they turned around and said to Micah, ^(AB)“What ails you, that you have gathered such a company?”

²⁴ So he said, “You have ^(AC)taken away my ^[d]gods which I made, and the priest, and you have gone away. Now what more do I have? How can you say to me, ‘What ails you?’ ”

²⁵ And the children of Dan said to him, “Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest ^[e]angry men fall upon you, and you lose your life, with the lives of your household!” ²⁶ Then 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.

Danites Settle in Laish

²⁷ So they took the things Micah had made, and the priest who had belonged to him, and went to Laish, to a people quiet and secure; ^(AD)and they struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire. ²⁸ There was no deliverer, because it was ^(AE)far from Sidon, and they had no ties with anyone. It was in the valley that belongs ^(AF)to Beth Rehob. So they rebuilt the city and dwelt there. ²⁹ And ^(AG)they called the name of the city ^(AH)Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel. However, the name of the city formerly was Laish.

³⁰ Then the children of Dan set up for themselves the carved image; and Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of ^[f]Manasseh, and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan ^(AI)until the day of the captivity of the land. ³¹ So they set up for themselves Micah’s carved image which he made, ^(AJ)all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

⁹ Now ^(A)the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; ^10 (B)for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.” ¹¹ And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

¹² When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to the ^[a]judgment seat, ¹³ saying, “This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.”

¹⁴ And when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or wicked crimes, O Jews, there would be reason why I should bear with you. ¹⁵ But if it is a ^(C)question of words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves; for I do not want to be a judge of such matters.” ¹⁶ And he drove them from the judgment seat. ¹⁷ Then ^[b]all the Greeks took ^(D)Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. But Gallio took no notice of these things.

Paul Returns to Antioch

¹⁸ So Paul still remained ^[c]a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. ^(E)He had his hair cut off at ^(F)Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow. ¹⁹ And he came to Ephesus, and left them there; but he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. ²⁰ When they asked him to stay a longer time with them, he did not consent, ²¹ but took leave of them, saying, ^(G)“I^[d] must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; but I will return again to you, ^(H)God willing.” And he sailed from Ephesus.

²² And when he had landed at ^(I)Caesarea, and ^[e]gone up and greeted the church, he went down to Antioch. ²³ After he had spent some time there, he departed and went over the region of ^(J)Galatia and Phrygia ^[f]in order, ^(K)strengthening all the disciples.

Ministry of Apollos

^24 (L)Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. ²⁵ This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being ^(M)fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, ^(N)though he knew only the baptism of John. ²⁶ So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. ²⁷ And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, ^(O)he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; ²⁸ for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, ^(P)showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.

Paul at Ephesus

19 And it happened, while ^(A)Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through ^(B)the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples ² he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

So they said to him, ^(C)“We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”

³ And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?”

So they said, ^(D)“Into John’s baptism.”

⁴ Then Paul said, ^(E)“John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”

⁵ When they heard this, they were baptized ^(F)in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul had ^(G)laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and ^(H)they spoke with tongues and prophesied. ⁷ Now the men were about twelve in all.

^8 (I)And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading ^(J)concerning the things of the kingdom of God. ⁹ But ^(K)when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil ^(L)of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. ¹⁰ And ^(M)this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

Miracles Glorify Christ

¹¹ Now ^(N)God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, ^12 (O)so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. ^13 (P)Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists ^(Q)took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, ^[a]“We ^[b]exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul ^(R)preaches.”