| Good News Translation w/ Apocrypha (GNTA) |
New International Version (NIV) |
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1 There was no king in Israel at that time. In those days the tribe of Dan was looking for territory to claim and settle in because they had not yet received any land of their own among the tribes of Israel.
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1 In those days Israel had no king. 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.
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2 So the people of Dan chose five qualified men out of all the families in the tribe and sent them from the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol with instructions to explore the land and spy on it. When they arrived in the hill country of Ephraim, they stayed at Micah's house.
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2 So the Danites sent five warriors from Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out the land and explore it. These men represented all their clans. They told them, "Go, explore the land." The men entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night.
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3 While they were there, they recognized the accent of the young Levite, so they went up to him and asked, "What are you doing here? Who brought you here?"
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3 When they were near Micah's house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; so they turned in there and asked him, "Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?"
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4 He answered, "I have an arrangement with Micah, who pays me to serve as his priest."
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4 He told them what Micah had done for him, and said, "He has hired me and I am his priest."
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5 They said to him, "Please ask God if we are going to be successful on our trip."
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5 Then they said to him, "Please inquire of God to learn whether our journey will be successful."
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6 The priest answered, "You have nothing to worry about. The Lord is taking care of you on this trip."
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6 The priest answered them, "Go in peace. Your journey has the LORD's approval."
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7 So the five men left and went to the town of Laish. They saw how the people there lived in security like the Sidonians. They were a peaceful, quiet people, with no argument with anyone; they had all they needed. They lived far away from the Sidonians and had no dealings with any other people.
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7 So the five men left and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living in safety, like the Sidonians, unsuspecting and secure. And since their land lacked nothing, they were prosperous. Also, they lived a long way from the Sidonians and had no relationship with anyone else.
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8 When the five men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, the people asked them what they had found out.
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8 When they returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers asked them, "How did you find things?"
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9 "Come on," they replied. "Let's attack Laish. We saw the land, and it's very good. Don't stay here doing nothing; hurry! Go on in and take it over!
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9 They answered, "Come on, let's attack them! We have seen that the land is very good. Aren't you going to do something? Don't hesitate to go there and take it over.
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10 When you get there, you will find that the people don't suspect a thing. It is a big country; it has everything a person could want, and God has given it to you."
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10 When 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 whatever."
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11 So six hundred men from the tribe of Dan left Zorah and Eshtaol, ready for battle.
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11 Then six hundred men from the clan of the Danites, armed for battle, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol.
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12 They went up and camped west of Kiriath Jearim in Judah. That is why the place is still called Camp of Dan.
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12 On their way they set up camp near Kiriath Jearim in Judah. This is why the place west of Kiriath Jearim is called Mahaneh Dan to this day.
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13 They went on from there and came to Micah's house in the hill country of Ephraim.
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13 From there they went on to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah's house.
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14 Then the five men who had gone to spy on the country around Laish said to their companions, "Did you know that here in one of these houses there is a wooden idol covered with silver? There are also other idols and an ephod. What do you think we should do?"
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14 Then the five men who had spied out the land of Laish said to their brothers, "Do you know that one of these houses has an ephod, other household gods, a carved image and a cast idol? Now you know what to do."
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15 So they went into Micah's house, where the young Levite lived, and asked the Levite how he was getting along.
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15 So they turned in there and went to the house of the young Levite at Micah's place and greeted him.
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16 Meanwhile the six hundred Danite soldiers, ready for battle, were standing at the gate.
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16 The six hundred Danites, armed for battle, stood at the entrance to the gate.
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17 The five spies went straight on into the house and took the wooden idol covered with silver, the other idols, and the ephod, while the priest stayed at the gate with the six hundred armed men.
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17 The five men who had spied out the land went inside and took the carved image, the ephod, the other household gods and the cast idol while the priest and the six hundred armed men stood at the entrance to the gate.
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18 When the men went into Micah's house and took the sacred objects, the priest asked them, "What are you doing?"
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18 When these men went into Micah's house and took the carved image, the ephod, the other household gods and the cast idol, the priest said to them, "What are you doing?"
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19 They told him, "Keep quiet. Don't say a word. Come with us and be our priest and adviser. Wouldn't you rather be a priest for a whole Israelite tribe than for the family of one man?"
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19 They answered him, "Be quiet! Don't say a word. Come with us, and be our father and priest. Isn't it better that you serve a tribe and clan in Israel as priest rather than just one man's household?"
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20 This made the priest very happy, so he took the sacred objects and went along with them.
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20 Then the priest was glad. He took the ephod, the other household gods and the carved image and went along with the people.
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21 They turned around and started off, with their children, their livestock, and their belongings going ahead.
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21 Putting their little children, their livestock and their possessions in front of them, they turned away and left.
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22 They had traveled a good distance from the house when Micah called his neighbors out for battle. They caught up with the Danites
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22 When they had gone some distance from Micah's house, the men who lived near Micah were called together and overtook the Danites.
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23 and shouted at them. The Danites turned around and asked Micah, "What's the matter? Why all this mob?"
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23 As 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?"
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24 Micah answered, "What do you mean, "What's the matter?' You take my priest and the gods that I made, and walk off! What have I got left?"
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24 He replied, "You took 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?' "
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25 The Danites told him, "You had better not say anything else unless you want these men to get angry and attack you. You and your whole family would die."
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25 The Danites answered, "Don't argue with us, or some hot-tempered men will attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives."
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26 Then the Danites went on. Micah saw that they were too strong for him, so he turned and went back home.
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26 So the Danites went their way, and Micah, seeing that they were too strong for him, turned around and went back home.
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27 After the Danites had taken the priest and the things that Micah had made, they went and attacked Laish, that town of peaceful, quiet people which was in the same valley as Bethrehob. They killed the inhabitants and burned the town. There was no one to save them, because Laish was a long way from Sidon, and they had no dealings with any other people. The Danites rebuilt the town and settled down there.
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27 Then they took what Micah had made, and his priest, and went on to Laish, against a peaceful and unsuspecting people. They attacked them with the sword and burned down their city.
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29 They changed its name from Laish to Dan, after their ancestor Dan, the son of Jacob.
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29 There was no one to rescue them because they lived a long way from Sidon and had no relationship with anyone else. The city was in a valley near Beth Rehob. The Danites rebuilt the city and settled there.
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30 The Danites set up the idol to be worshiped, and Jonathan, the son of Gershom and grandson of Moses, served as a priest for the Danites, and his descendants served as their priests until the people were taken away into exile.
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30 They named it Dan after their forefather Dan, who was born to Israel--though the city used to be called Laish.
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31 Micah's idol remained there as long as the Tent where God was worshiped remained at Shiloh.
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31 There the Danites set up for themselves the idols, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the captivity of the land.
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31 They continued to use the idols Micah had made, all the time the house of God was in Shiloh.
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| Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission. (Good News Translation w/ Apocrypha) |
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. (New International Version Bible Online) |
