The Danites Settle in Laish
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.
2
So the Danites sent five of their leading men from Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out the land and explore it. These men represented all the Danites. They told them, “Go, explore the land.” So they entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night.
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?”
4
He told them what Micah had done for him, and said, “He has hired me and I am his priest.”
5
Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God to learn whether our journey will be successful.”
6
The priest answered them, “Go in peace. Your journey has the LORD’s approval.”
7
So the five men left and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living in safety, like the Sidonians, at peace 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.
8
When they returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their fellow Danites asked them, “How did you find things?”