13
They went on from there and came to Micah's house in the hill country of Ephraim.
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?"
15
So they went into Micah's house, where the young Levite lived, and asked the Levite how he was getting along.
16
Meanwhile the six hundred Danite soldiers, ready for battle, were standing at the gate.
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.
18
When the men went into Micah's house and took the sacred objects, the priest asked them, "What are you doing?"
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?"
20
This made the priest very happy, so he took the sacred objects and went along with them.
21
They turned around and started off, with their children, their livestock, and their belongings going ahead.
22
They had traveled a good distance from the house when Micah called his neighbors out for battle. They caught up with the Danites
23
and shouted at them. The Danites turned around and asked Micah, "What's the matter? Why all this mob?"