Judges 18:7-17

7 The five men went on, and when they came to Laish, they observed the people who were there living securely, after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting, lacking nothing on earth, and possessing wealth. Furthermore, they were far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with Aram.
8 When they came to their kinsfolk at Zorah and Eshtaol, they said to them, "What do you report?"
9 They said, "Come, let us go up against them; for we have seen the land, and it is very good. Will you do nothing? Do not be slow to go, but enter in and possess the land.
10 When you go, you will come to an unsuspecting people. The land is broad—God has indeed given it into your hands—a place where there is no lack of anything on earth."
11 Six hundred men of the Danite clan, armed with weapons of war, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol,
12 and went up and encamped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. On this account that place is called Mahaneh-dan to this day; it is west of Kiriath-jearim.
13 From there they passed on to the hill country of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.
14 Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land (that is, Laish) said to their comrades, "Do you know that in these buildings there are an ephod, teraphim, and an idol of cast metal? Now therefore consider what you will do."
15 So they turned in that direction and came to the house of the young Levite, at the home of Micah, and greeted him.
16 While the six hundred men of the Danites, armed with their weapons of war, stood by the entrance of the gate,
17 the five men who had gone to spy out the land proceeded to enter and take the idol of cast metal, the ephod, and the teraphim. The priest was standing by the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men armed with weapons of war.

Footnotes 5

  • [a]. Cn Compare 18.10: Meaning of Heb uncertain
  • [b]. Meaning of Heb uncertain
  • [c]. Symmachus: Heb [with anyone]
  • [d]. That is [Camp of Dan]
  • [e]. Compare 17.4, 5; 18.14: Heb [teraphim and the cast metal]
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.