Judges 18 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
Back in those days, there was no king in Israel. And around that time, the of Dan was looking for territory to settle in, because up to that point they hadn't received their full of land among the tribes of Israel.
So the Danites sent out five warriors from their clan — capable men from Zorah and Eshtaol — to out the land and explore it. They told them, "Go, explore the land." The men came to the hill country of Ephraim, to Micah's house, and spent the night there.
When they were near Micah's house, they the of the young So they went over to him and asked, "Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What's your role here?"
He told them, "Micah did such-and-such for me. He hired me, and I've become his
They said to him, for us — we want to know whether the journey we're on will be successful."
The priest told them, "Go in The journey you're on has
So the five men left and came to They saw that the people living there were peaceful and living securely the way the Sidonians did — quiet, with no one threatening them or asserting authority over them. They were far from the Sidonians and had no alliance with anyone.
When they returned to their relatives in Zorah and Eshtaol, their people asked them, "What did you find?"
They said, "Let's go! Let's attack them! We saw the land — it's excellent. Are you just going to sit here and do nothing? Don't hesitate — go of the land!"
"When you get there, you'll find an unsuspecting people and a wide-open land. has it to you — a place where nothing on earth is lacking."
So six hundred men from the Danite clan set out from Zorah and Eshtaol, for
They went up and camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. (That's why the place west of Kiriath-jearim is called to this day.)
From there they passed through the hill country of Ephraim and arrived at Micah's house.
Then the five men who had scouted the land around Laish spoke up and told their relatives, "Did you know that in one of these houses there's a a and a So think about what you want to do."
So they turned off the road and went to the young Levite's place — Micah's house — and greeted him.
The six hundred Danite warriors stood positioned at the entrance of the gate, armed for battle.
The five men who had scouted the land went inside and took the carved image, the priestly vest, the household gods, and the cast metal idol, while the priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred armed men.
When those men entered Micah's house and took the carved image, the priestly vest, the household gods, and the cast metal idol, the priest said to them, "What are you doing?"
They told him, "Be quiet. Put your hand over your mouth and come with us. Be a and priest to us. Which is better for you — to be priest for one man's household, or to be priest for an entire tribe and clan in Israel?"
The priest was He took the priestly vest, the household gods, and the carved image, and joined the group of people.
So they turned and left, putting the children, the livestock, and their at the front of the group.
They had gone a good distance from Micah's house when the men from the houses near Micah's place were called together and caught up with the Danites.
They shouted at the Danites, who turned around and said to Micah, "What's wrong with you? Why did you bring this mob?"
He said, "You took the I and my priest, and just walked off. What do I have left? How can you ask me, 'What's wrong with you?'"
The Danites said to him, "Don't let us hear your voice again, or some might attack you, and you'll lose your life — and your family's lives too."
So the Danites went on their way. Micah saw that they were too strong for him, so he turned around and went back home.
They took what Micah had made and the priest who had been his, and attacked Laish — a peaceful, unsuspecting people. They them down with swords and burned the city to the ground.
There was no one to them because they were far from Sidon and had no alliance with anyone. The city was in the valley near Beth-rehob. The Danites rebuilt the city and settled there.
They renamed the city Dan, after their ancestor Dan who was born to But the city's original name had been Laish.
The Danites set up the carved image for themselves. of of and his sons served as priests for the tribe of Dan until the day the land went into
They kept Micah's carved image set up the whole time that was in