5
They said to him, "Please find out from God if our journey will be successful."
6
The priest told them, "Go in peace. The LORD approves of your journey."
7
The five men left there and came to the city of Laish. They saw that the people there lived without a care. These people were like the people of Sidon. They were peaceful and secure. There was no one around who threatened to take away their property by force. They were far from the people of Sidon and totally independent.
8
The men went back to their relatives in Zorah and Eshtaol. Their relatives asked them, "What did you find?"
9
They replied, "Get up, let's attack Laish. We saw the land. It's very good! "Don't just sit there! Go at once and take the land.
10
When you get there, you will come to a secure people. The land is wide open to you. God will hand it over to you. It's a place where you will have everything you could want."
11
So 600 men from the tribe of Dan left Zorah and Eshtaol armed for war.
12
They camped at Kiriath Jearim in Judah. This is why the place just west of Kiriath Jearim is still called Mahaneh Dan [The Camp of Dan] today.
13
From there they marched to the mountains of Ephraim as far as Micah's house.
14
Then the five men who had gone to spy throughout the land around Laish spoke up. They said to the other men of Dan, "Do you know that there's an ephod, a carved idol, a metal idol, and household idols in these houses? What do you think we should do?"
15
So they stopped and entered Micah's house and greeted the young Levite.