1In[H3427] those days[H3117] there was no king[H4428]in[H3427]Israel[H3478]: and in[H3427] those days[H3117] the tribe[H7626] of the Danites[H1839]sought[H1245] them an inheritance[H5159] to dwell in[H3427]; for unto that day[H3117] all their inheritance[H5159] had not fallen[H5307] unto them among[H8432] the tribes[H7626] of Israel[H3478].
2
And the children[H1121] of Dan[H1835]sent[H7971] of their family[H4940]five[H2568]men[H582] from their coasts[H7098], men[H1121] of valour[H2428], from Zorah[H6881], and from Eshtaol[H847], to spy[H7270] out the land[H776], and to search[H2713] it; and they said[H559] unto them, Go[H3212], search[H2713] the land[H776]: who when they came[H935] to mount[H2022]Ephraim[H669], to the house[H1004] of Micah[H4318], they lodged[H3885] there.
3
When they were by the house[H1004] of Micah[H4318], they knew[H5234] the voice[H6963] of the young man[H5288] the Levite[H3881]: and they turned in[H5493] thither, and said[H559] unto him, Who brought[H935] thee hither?[H1988] and what makest[H6213] thou in[H5493] this place? and what hast thou here?
4
And he said[H559] unto them, Thus[H2090] and thus[H2090]dealeth[H6213]Micah[H4318] with me, and hath hired[H7936] me, and I am his priest[H3548].
5
And they said[H559] unto him, Ask counsel[H7592], we pray thee, of God[H430], that we may know[H3045] whether our way[H1870] which we go[H1980] shall be prosperous[H6743].
6
And the priest[H3548]said[H559] unto them, Go[H3212] in peace[H7965]: before[H5227] the LORD[H3068] is your way[H1870] wherein ye go[H3212].
7
Then the five[H2568]men[H582]departed[H3212], and came[H935] to Laish[H3919], and saw[H7200] the people[H5971] that were therein[H7130], how they dwelt[H3427]careless[H983], after the manner[H4941] of the Zidonians[H6722], quiet[H8252] and secure[H982]; and there was no magistrate[H3423] in the land[H776], that might put them to shame[H3637] in any thing[H1697]; and they were far[H7350] from the Zidonians[H6722], and had no business[H1697] with any man[H120].
8
And they came[H935] unto their brethren[H251] to Zorah[H6881] and Eshtaol[H847]: and their brethren[H251]said[H559] unto them, What say ye?
9
And they said[H559], Arise[H6965], that we may go[H3212]up[H5927] against them: for we have seen[H7200] the land[H776], and, behold, it is very[H3966]good[H2896]: and are ye still?[H2814] be not slothful[H6101] to go[H3212], and to enter[H935] to possess[H3423] the land[H776].
10
When ye go[H935], ye shall come[H935] unto a people[H5971]secure[H982], and to a large[H7342]land[H776]: for God[H430] hath given[H5414] it into your hands[H3027]; a place[H4725] where there is no want[H4270] of any thing[H1697] that is in the earth[H776].
11
And there went[H5265] from thence of the family[H4940] of the Danites[H1839], out of Zorah[H6881] and out of Eshtaol[H847], six[H8337]hundred[H3967]men[H376]appointed[H2296] with weapons[H3627] of war[H4421].
12
And they went up[H5927], and pitched[H2583] in Kirjathjearim[H7157], in Judah[H3063]: wherefore they called[H7121] that place[H4725]Mahanehdan[H4265] unto this day[H3117]: behold, it is behind[H310]Kirjathjearim[H7157].
13
And they passed[H5674] thence unto mount[H2022]Ephraim[H669], and came[H935] unto the house[H1004] of Micah[H4318].
14
Then answered[H6030] the five[H2568]men[H582] that went[H1980] to spy out[H7270] the country[H776] of Laish[H3919], and said[H559] unto their brethren[H251], Do[H6213] ye know[H3045] that there is[H3426] in these houses[H1004] an ephod[H646], and teraphim[H8655], and a graven image[H6459], and a molten image?[H4541] now therefore consider[H3045] what ye have to do[H6213].
15
And they turned[H5493] thitherward, and came[H935] to the house[H1004] of the young man[H5288] the Levite[H3881], even unto the house[H1004] of Micah[H4318], and saluted[H7592] him.
16
And the six[H8337]hundred[H3967]men[H376]appointed[H2296] with their weapons[H3627] of war[H4421], which were of the children[H1121] of Dan[H1835], stood[H5324] by the entering[H6607] of the gate[H8179].
17
And the five[H2568]men[H582] that went[H1980] to spy out[H7270] the land[H776]went[H1980]up[H5927], and came in[H935] thither, and took[H3947] the graven image[H6459], and the ephod[H646], and the teraphim[H8655], and the molten image[H4541]: and the priest[H3548]stood[H5324]in[H935] the entering[H6607] of the gate[H8179] with the six[H8337]hundred[H3967]men[H376] that were appointed[H2296] with weapons[H3627] of war[H4421].
18
And these went[H935] into Micah's house[H1004], and fetched[H3947] the carved image[H6459], the ephod[H646], and the teraphim[H8655], and the molten image[H4541]. Then said[H559] the priest[H3548] unto them, What do[H6213] ye?
19
And they said[H559] unto him, Hold thy peace[H2790], lay[H7760] thine hand[H3027] upon thy mouth[H6310], and go[H3212] with us[H1961], and be to us[H1961] a father[H1] and a priest[H3548]: is it better[H2896] for thee to be a priest[H3548] unto the house[H1004] of one[H259]man[H376], or that thou be a priest[H3548] unto a tribe[H7626] and a family[H4940] in Israel?[H3478]
20
And the priest's heart[H3820] was glad[H3190], and he took[H3947] the ephod[H646], and the teraphim[H8655], and the graven image[H6459], and went in[H935] the midst[H7130] of the people[H5971].
21
So they turned[H6437] and departed[H3212], and put[H7760] the little ones[H2945] and the cattle[H4735] and the carriage[H3520]before[H6440] them.
22
And when they were a good way[H7368] from the house[H1004] of Micah[H4318], the men[H582] that were in the houses[H1004] near to Micah[H4318]'s house[H1004] were gathered together[H2199], and overtook[H1692] the children[H1121] of Dan[H1835].
23
And they cried[H7121] unto the children[H1121] of Dan[H1835]. And they turned[H5437] their faces[H6440], and said[H559] unto Micah[H4318], What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company?[H2199]
24
And he said[H559], Ye have taken away[H3947] my gods[H430] which I made[H6213], and the priest[H3548], and ye are gone away[H3212]: and what have I more? and what is this that ye say[H559] unto me, What aileth thee?
25
And the children[H1121] of Dan[H1835]said[H559] unto him, Let not thy voice[H6963] be heard[H8085] among us, lest angry[H4751]fellows[H582]run[H6293] upon thee, and thou lose[H622] thy life[H5315], with the lives[H5315] of thy household[H1004].
26
And the children[H1121] of Dan[H1835]went[H3212] their way[H1870]: and when Micah[H4318]saw[H7200] that they were too strong[H2389] for him, he turned[H6437] and went[H3212]back[H7725] unto his house[H1004].
27
And they took[H3947] the things which Micah[H4318] had made[H6213], and the priest[H3548] which he had, and came[H935] unto Laish[H3919], unto a people[H5971] that were at quiet[H8252] and secure[H982]: and they smote[H5221] them with the edge[H6310] of the sword[H2719], and burnt[H8313] the city[H5892] with fire[H784].
28
And there was no deliverer[H5337], because it was far[H7350] from Zidon[H6721], and they had no business[H1697] with any man[H120]; and it was in the valley[H6010] that lieth by Bethrehob[H1050]. And they built[H1129] a city[H5892], and dwelt[H3427] therein.
29
And they called[H7121] the name[H8034] of the city[H5892]Dan[H1835], after the name[H8034] of Dan[H1835] their father[H1], who was born[H3205] unto Israel[H3478]: howbeit[H199] the name[H8034] of the city[H5892] was Laish[H3919] at the first[H7223].
30
And the children[H1121] of Dan[H1835] set up[H6965] the graven image[H6459]: and Jonathan[H3083], the son[H1121] of Gershom[H1647], the son[H1121] of Manasseh[H4519], he and his sons[H1121] were priests[H3548] to the tribe[H7626] of Dan[H1839] until the day[H3117] of the captivity[H1540] of the land[H776].
31
And they set them up[H7760] Micah's graven image[H6459], which he made[H6213], all the time[H3117] that the house[H1004] of God[H430] was in Shiloh[H7887].