2
And the sons of Dan sent from their families five men of valour, from Saraa and from Esthaol, to spy out the land and to search it; and they said to them, Go and search out the land. And they came as far as the mount of Ephraim to the house of Michaias and they lodged there,
3
in the house of Michaias, and they recognised the voice of the young man the Levite, and turned in thither; and said to him, Who brought thee in hither? and what doest thou in this place? and what hast thou here?
4
And he said to them, Thus and thus did Michaias to me, and he hired me, and I became his priest.
5
And they said to him, Enquire now of God, and we shall know whether our way will prosper, on which we are going.
6
And the priest said to them, Go in peace; your way in which ye go, before the Lord.
7
And the five men went on, and came to Laisa; and they saw the people in the midst of it dwelling securely, at ease as the manner of the Sidonians, and there is no one perverting or shaming a matter in the land, no heir extorting treasures; and they are far from the Sidonians, and they have no intercourse with any one.
8
And the five men came to their brethren to Saraa and Esthaol, and said to their brethren, Why sit ye here ?
9
And they said, Arise, and let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and, behold, very good, yet ye are still: delay not to go, an to enter in to possess the land.
10
And whensoever ye shall go, ye shall come in upon a people secure, and the land extensive, for God has given it into your hand; a place where there is no want of anything that the earth affords.
11
And there departed thence of the families of Dan, from Saraa and from Esthaol, six hundred men, girded with weapons of war.
12
And they went up, and encamped in Cariathiarim in Juda; therefore it was called in that place the camp of Dan, until this day: behold, behind Cariathiarim.
13
And they went on thence to the mount of Ephraim, and came to the house of Michaias.
14
And the five men who went to spy out the land of Laisa answered, and said to their brethren, Ye know that there is in this place an ephod, and theraphin, and a graven and a molten image; and now consider what ye shall do.
15
And they turned aside there, and went into the house of the young man, the Levite, into the house of Michaias, and asked him how he was.
16
And the six hundred men of the sons of Dan who were girded with their weapons of war stood by the door of the gate.
17
And the five men who went to spy out the land went up, and entered into the house of Michaias, and the priest stood.
18
And they took the graven image, and the ephod, and the theraphin, and the molten image; and the priest said to them, What are ye doing?
19
And they said to him, Be silent, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and come with us, and be to us a father and a priest: better for thee to be the priest of the house of one man, or to be the priest of a tribe and house for a family of Israel?
20
And the heart of the priest was glad, and he took the ephod, and the theraphin, and the graven image, and the molten image, and went in the midst of the people.
21
So they turned and departed, and put their children and their property and their baggage before them.
22
They went some distance from the house of Michaias, and, behold, Michaias and the men in the houses near Michaias' house, cried out, and overtook the children of Dan.