Judges 18

1In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking for itself an inheritance to dwell in, because up to that day no inheritance had fallen to it among the tribes of Israel.

2So the sons of Dan sent five men from their clan, from among their whole number, valiant men from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to explore it. And they said to them, “Go, explore the land.” So they came to the hill country of Ephraim, as far as the house of Micah, and spent the night there.

3While they were near Micah’s house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite. So they turned aside there and said to him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? And what do you have here?”

4He said to them, “Thus and so Micah did for me, and he hired me, and I became his priest.”

5And they said to him, “Please inquire of God, so that we may know whether the journey on which we are going will succeed.”

6And the priest said to them, “Go in peace. The journey on which you are going is before Yahweh.”

7Then the five men went and came to Laish, and they saw the people who were in it, dwelling securely, according to the custom of the Sidonians, quiet and secure. And there was no one in the land to humiliate them in anything, possessing authority; and they were far from the Sidonians, and they had no dealings with anyone.

8Then they came to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol, and their brothers said to them, “What is with you?”

9And they said, “Rise up, and let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very good. And you are keeping silent—do not be sluggish to go, to enter, to take possession of the land.”

10When you go, you will come to a secure people, and the land is broad; for God has given it into your hand, a place where there is no lack of anything that is in the land.

11So six hundred men from the clan of the Danites set out from there, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war.

12They went up and camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. Therefore that place has been called Mahaneh-dan to this day; behold, it is west of Kiriath-jearim.

13From there they passed through the hill country of Ephraim and came as far as Micah’s house.

14Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish answered and said to their brothers, “Do you know that in these houses there are an ephod, teraphim, a carved image, and a cast image? So now, know what you will do.”

15They turned aside there and came to the house of the young Levite, to the house of Micah, and asked him about his welfare.

16And six hundred men, armed with their weapons of war, were standing at the entrance of the gate; these were from the sons of Dan.

17Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land went up, came there, and took the carved image, the ephod, the household gods, and the cast image, while the priest was standing at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men armed with weapons of war.

18These men went into Micah’s house and took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the cast image. Then the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”

19They said to him, “Be quiet; put your hand over your mouth, and come with us, and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and a clan in Israel?”

20And the priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod, the household idols, and the carved image, and went into the midst of the people.

21So they turned and went on, and put the little children, the livestock, and the valuables before them.

22When they had gone some distance from Micah’s house, the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house were called together, and they overtook the sons of Dan.

23They called out to the sons of Dan, and they turned around and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you, that you have called out?”

24He said, “You have taken my gods that I made, and the priest, and you have gone away. What do I have left now? So how can you say to me, ‘What is the matter with you?’”

25And the sons of Dan said to him, “Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest men bitter of soul fall upon you, and you lose your life and the lives of your household.”

26Then the sons of Dan went on their way, and Micah saw that they were stronger than he was, so he turned and went back to his house.

27So they took what Micah had made, along with the priest who belonged to him, and came against Laish, against a people quiet and secure. They struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire.

28And there was no one to deliver them, because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with anyone; and it was in the valley that belongs to Beth-rehob. Then they rebuilt the city and lived in it.

29And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel; however, the name of the city formerly was Laish.

30Then the sons of Dan set up for themselves the carved image, and Jonathan the son of Gershom, son of Moses, he and his sons were priests for the tribe of the Danites until the day of the exile of the land.

31So they set up for themselves Micah’s carved image that he had made, all the days that the house of God was in Shiloh.