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Judges 18

The Complete Jewish Bible CJB

1 At that time there was no king in Isra'el, and it was also at that time that the tribe of Dan was looking for a place to claim ownership of and settle in, since they had not yet been given any land of their own among the tribes of Isra'el.

2 The people of Dan sent five leading men from Tzor'ah and Eshta'ol, representing their whole tribe, to spy out and explore the land. They instructed them, "Go, and explore the land." They came to the hills of Efrayim, to the house of Mikhah, and stayed there.

3 While they were at Mikhah's house they recognized the accent of the young man, the Levi, so they approached him and said, "Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is there for you here?"

4 He answered, "Here's the arrangement Mikhah has made with me: he pays me a wage, and I serve as his cohen."

5 They said to him, "Please ask God whether our journey will be successful."

6 The cohen replied, "Don't worry. ADONAI is with you on this journey."

7 The five men left, came to Layish and saw the people there living securely according to the customs of the Tzidonim, quietly and securely; since no one in the land was exercising authority that might shame them in any respect; moreover, they were far away from the Tzidonim and had no dealings with other peoples.

8 When they returned to their kinsmen in Tzor'ah and Eshta'ol, they asked them what they had to report.

9 They said, "Let's go up and attack them. We've seen the land, and it's excellent. Don't delay; start moving! Go in, and take the land!

10 When you go, you will come to a people who feel safe. There's plenty of land, the place lacks nothing, it has everything there is on earth, and God has given it to you."

11 So from the tribe of Dan 600 men equipped for war set out from there, from Tzor'ah and Eshta'ol.

12 They went up and camped at Kiryat-Ye'arim, in Y'hudah, which is why that place is called Machaneh-Dan [the camp of Dan] to this day (actually, it's behind Kiryat-Ye'arim).

13 From there they passed on into the hills of Efrayim and came to Mikhah's house.

14 The men who had gone to spy out the land of Layish then said to their kinsmen, "Are you aware that in these buildings there is a ritual vest, household gods and a carved image overlaid with silver? Decide what you ought to do."

15 They turned off the road and went to the house of the young Levi, that is, to Mikhah's house, and asked how he was doing.

16 The 600 soldiers from Dan stayed at the gate,

17 while the five who had spied out the land went in and took the idol overlaid with silver, the vest and the household gods. The cohen had stayed with the 600 soldiers by the gate.

18 But when they went into Mikhah's house and took the silver-covered image, the vest and the household gods, the cohen asked them, "What are you doing?"

19 They replied, "Be quiet, keep your mouth shut, and come with us. Be a father and a cohen for us. Which is better? To be a cohen in the house of one man or to be cohen to a whole tribe and family in Isra'el?"

20 This made the cohen feel very good; so he took the ritual vest, the household gods and the image and went off with the people.

21 So they turned and left, with their children, cattle and belongings going ahead of them.

22 When they were a good distance from Mikhah's house, the men who lived in the houses near his got together [with him], overtook the people from Dan

23 and began shouting at them. The people from Dan turned and said to Mikhah, "What's wrong with you, that you've gathered such a crowd?"

24 He answered, "You've taken away my god, which I made, and gone off with the cohen! What more have I got? How can you ask me, 'What's wrong with you?'"

25 The men from Dan replied, "You had best say no more to us, because some of us might get angry and attack you. You could lose your life, and so might the others in your household."

26 Then the people from Dan went their way; and when Mikhah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house.

27 So they took what Mikhah had made and his cohen. They came to Layish, to a quiet and trusting people. They attacked, killed them and burned down the city.

28 No one came to rescue them, because it was far from Tzidon, and they had no dealings with other peoples. This was in the valley near Beit-Rechov. Then the people of Dan rebuilt the city and settled there.

29 They named the city Dan, after Dan their ancestor, who was born to Isra'el; although the city had previously been called Layish.

30 The people of Dan set up the image for themselves. Y'honatan the son of Gershom, the son of M'nasheh, and his sons were cohanim for the tribe of the people of Dan until the day of the exile from the land.

31 Thus they erected for themselves Mikhah's idol which he had made, and it remained there as long as the house of God was in Shiloh.

New Living Translation NLT

1 Now in those days Israel had no king. And the tribe of Dan was trying to find a place where they could settle, for they had not yet moved into the land assigned to them when the land was divided among the tribes of Israel.

2 So the men of Dan chose from their clans five capable warriors from the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol to scout out a land for them to settle in. When these warriors arrived in the hill country of Ephraim, they came to Micah’s house and spent the night there.

3 While at Micah’s house, they recognized the young Levite’s accent, so they went over and asked him, “Who brought you here, and what are you doing in this place? Why are you here?”

4 He told them about his agreement with Micah and that he had been hired as Micah’s personal priest.

5 Then they said, “Ask God whether or not our journey will be successful.”

6 “Go in peace,” the priest replied. “For the LORD is watching over your journey.”

7 So the five men went on to the town of Laish, where they noticed the people living carefree lives, like the Sidonians; they were peaceful and secure. The people were also wealthy because their land was very fertile. And they lived a great distance from Sidon and had no allies nearby.

8 When the men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their relatives asked them, “What did you find?”

9 The men replied, “Come on, let’s attack them! We have seen the land, and it is very good. What are you waiting for? Don’t hesitate to go and take possession of it.

10 When you get there, you will find the people living carefree lives. God has given us a spacious and fertile land, lacking in nothing!”

11 So 600 men from the tribe of Dan, armed with weapons of war, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol.

12 They camped at a place west of Kiriath-jearim in Judah, which is called Mahaneh-dan to this day.

13 Then they went on from there into the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah.

14 The five men who had scouted out the land around Laish explained to the others, “These buildings contain a sacred ephod, as well as some household idols, a carved image, and a cast idol. What do you think you should do?”

15 Then the five men turned off the road and went over to Micah’s house, where the young Levite lived, and greeted him kindly.

16 As the 600 armed warriors from the tribe of Dan stood at the entrance of the gate,

17 the five scouts entered the shrine and removed the carved image, the sacred ephod, the household idols, and the cast idol. Meanwhile, the priest was standing at the gate with the 600 armed warriors.

18 When the priest saw the men carrying all the sacred objects out of Micah’s shrine, he said, “What are you doing?”

19 “Be quiet and come with us,” they said. “Be a father and priest to all of us. Isn’t it better to be a priest for an entire tribe and clan of Israel than for the household of just one man?”

20 The young priest was quite happy to go with them, so he took along the sacred ephod, the household idols, and the carved image.

21 They turned and started on their way again, placing their children, livestock, and possessions in front of them.

22 When the people from the tribe of Dan were quite a distance from Micah’s house, the people who lived near Micah came chasing after them.

23 They were shouting as they caught up with them. The men of Dan turned around and said to Micah, “What’s the matter? Why have you called these men together and chased after us like this?”

24 “What do you mean, ‘What’s the matter?’” Micah replied. “You’ve taken away all the gods I have made, and my priest, and I have nothing left!”

25 The men of Dan said, “Watch what you say! There are some short-tempered men around here who might get angry and kill you and your family.”

26 So the men of Dan continued on their way. When Micah saw that there were too many of them for him to attack, he turned around and went home.

27 Then, with Micah’s idols and his priest, the men of Dan came to the town of Laish, whose people were peaceful and secure. They attacked with swords and burned the town to the ground.

28 There was no one to rescue the people, for they lived a great distance from Sidon and had no allies nearby. This happened in the valley near Beth-rehob. Then the people of the tribe of Dan rebuilt the town and lived there.

29 They renamed the town Dan after their ancestor, Israel’s son, but it had originally been called Laish.

30 Then they set up the carved image, and they appointed Jonathan son of Gershom, son of Moses, as their priest. This family continued as priests for the tribe of Dan until the Exile.

31 So Micah’s carved image was worshiped by the tribe of Dan as long as the Tabernacle of God remained at Shiloh.