Judges, 18

1. In those days there was no king in Israel. Now in those days the tribe of Dan was in search of a territory to live in, for until then no territory had fallen to them among the tribes of Israel.

1. In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking for itself an inheritance to dwell in; for until then no inheritance among the tribes of Israel had fallen to them.

2. From their clan the Danites sent five brave men from Zorah and Eshtaol to reconnoitre the country and explore it. They said to them, 'Go and explore the country.' The five men came to the highlands of Ephraim, as far as Micah's house, and spent the night there.

2. So the Danites sent five able men from the whole number of their tribe, from Zorah and from Esh'ta-ol, to spy out the land and to explore it; and they said to them, "Go and explore the land." And they came to the hill country of E'phraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there.

3. When they were near Micah's house, they recognised the voice of the young Levite and, going nearer, said to him, 'Who brought you here? What are you doing here? What is keeping you here?'

3. When they were by the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; and they turned aside and said to him, "Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is your business here?"

4. He replied, 'Micah has made certain arrangements with me. He pays me a wage and I act as his priest.'

4. And he said to them, "Thus and thus has Micah dealt with me: he has hired me, and I have become his priest."

5. They replied, 'Then consult God, so that we may know whether the journey we are on will lead to success.'

5. And they said to him, "Inquire of God, we pray thee, that we may know whether the journey on which we are setting out will succeed."

6. The priest replied, 'Go in peace; Yahweh is watching over your journey.'

6. And the priest said to them, "Go in peace. The journey on which you go is under the eye of the LORD."

7. The five men then left and, arriving at Laish, saw that the people living there had an untroubled existence, according to the customs of the Sidonians, peaceful and trusting, that there was no lack or shortage of any sort in the territory, that they were a long way away from the Sidonians and that they had no contact with the Aramaeans.

7. Then the five men departed, and came to La'ish, and saw the people who were there, how they dwelt in security, after the manner of the Sido'nians, quiet and unsuspecting, lacking nothing that is in the earth, and possessing wealth, and how they were far from the Sido'nians and had no dealings with any one.

8. They then went back to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol and, when the latter asked them, 'What have you to report?'

8. And when they came to their brethren at Zorah and Esh'ta-ol, their brethren said to them, "What do you report?"

9. they said, 'Up! we must go against them, since we have looked at the country and it is excellent, though you take no action! Waste no time in setting out and taking possession of the country.

9. They said, "Arise, and let us go up against them; for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very fertile. And will you do nothing? Do not be slow to go, and enter in and possess the land.

10. When you get there, you will find a trusting people. The country is wide, and God has put it at your mercy. It is a place where there is no lack of anything on earth.'

10. When you go, you will come to an unsuspecting people. The land is broad; yea, God has given it into your hands, a place where there is no lack of anything that is in the earth."

11. From these places, consequently, from the clan of Danites at Zorah and Eshtaol, six hundred men set out equipped for war.

11. And six hundred men of the tribe of Dan, armed with weapons of war, set forth from Zorah and Esh'ta-ol,

12. They went up and camped at Kiriath-Jearim in Judah; and for this reason the place is still called the Camp of Dan today. It lies to the west of Kiriath-Jearim.

12. and went up and encamped at Kir'iath-je'arim in Judah. On this account that place is called Ma'haneh-dan to this day; behold, it is west of Kir'iath-je'arim.

13. From there they entered the highlands of Ephraim and came to Micah's house.

13. And they passed on from there to the hill country of E'phraim, and came to the house of Micah.

14. The five men who had been to reconnoitre the country then spoke to their brothers. 'Do you know', they said, 'that in these houses there is an ephod, some domestic images, a carved statue and an idol cast in metal? So now work out what you have got to do!

14. Then the five men who had gone to spy out the country of La'ish said to their brethren, "Do you know that in these houses there are an ephod, teraphim, a graven image, and a molten image? Now therefore consider what you will do."

15. So, turning off the road, they went to the young Levite's dwelling, to Micah's house, and greeted him peacefully.

15. And they turned aside thither, and came to the house of the young Levite, at the home of Micah, and asked him of his welfare.

16. While the six hundred men of the Danites, equipped for war, stood at the threshold of the gate,

16. Now the six hundred men of the Danites, armed with their weapons of war, stood by the entrance of the gate;

17. the five who had been to reconnoitre the country went on into the house and took the carved statue, the ephod, the domestic images and the idol cast in metal; meanwhile the priest remained at the threshold of the gate with the six hundred men equipped for war.

17. and the five men who had gone to spy out the land went up, and entered and took the graven image, the ephod, the teraphim, and the molten image, while the priest stood by the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men armed with weapons of war.

18. These men, having entered Micah's house, took the carved statue, the ephod, the domestic images and the idol cast in metal. The priest, however, said, 'What are you doing?'

18. And when these went into Micah's house and took the graven image, the ephod, the teraphim, and the molten image, the priest said to them, "What are you doing?"

19. 'Be quiet,' they replied. 'Put your hand over your mouth and come with us, and become our father and priest. Are you better off as domestic priest to one man, or as priest to a tribe and clan in Israel?'

19. And they said to him, "Keep quiet, put your hand upon your mouth, and come with us, and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and family in Israel?"

20. The priest was delighted; he took the ephod, the domestic images and the carved statue, and went off among the people.

20. And the priest's heart was glad; he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.

21. Resuming their original line of march, they set off, having put the women, children, livestock and baggage out in front.

21. So they turned and departed, putting the little ones and the cattle and the goods in front of them.

22. They had gone some distance from Micah's house, when the people living in the houses near Micah's house raised the alarm and set off in pursuit of the Danites.

22. When they were a good way from the home of Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah's house were called out, and they overtook the Danites.

23. As they shouted after the Danites, the latter, turning about, said to Micah, 'What is the matter with you, that you are shouting like this?'

23. And they shouted to the Danites, who turned round and said to Micah, "What ails you that you come with such a company?"

24. He replied, 'You have taken away my god, which I have had made, and the priest as well. You are going away, and what have I got left? And now you ask me, "What is the matter?" '

24. And he said, "You take my gods which I made, and the priest, and go away, and what have I left? How then do you ask me, `What ails you?'"

25. The Danites said, 'Let us hear no more from you, or quick-tempered men may set about you, and this might cost you your life and the lives of your family!'

25. And the Danites said to him, "Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows fall upon you, and you lose your life with the lives of your household."

26. So the Danites went on their way; and Micah, seeing that they were the stronger, turned and went home.

26. Then the Danites went their way; and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his home.

27. So, having taken the god made by Micah, and the priest who had been his, the Danites marched on Laish, on a peaceful and trusting people. They put it to the sword and they burned down the town.

27. And taking what Micah had made, and the priest who belonged to him, the Danites came to La'ish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, and smote them with the edge of the sword, and burned the city with fire.

28. There was no one to come to the rescue, since it was a long way from Sidon and had no contact with the Aramaeans. It lay in the valley running towards Beth-Rehob. They rebuilt the town and settled in it

28. And there was no deliverer because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with any one. It was in the valley which belongs to Beth-rehob. And they rebuilt the city, and dwelt in it.

29. and called it Dan, from the name of Dan their ancestor who had been born to Israel; originally, however, the town had been called Laish.

29. And they named the city Dan, after the name of Dan their ancestor, who was born to Israel; but the name of the city was La'ish at the first.

30. The Danites erected the carved statue for themselves. Jonathan son of Gershom, son of Moses, and his sons after him were priests for the tribe of Dan till the day when the inhabitants of the country were carried away into exile.

30. And the Danites set up the graven image for themselves; and Jonathan the son of Gershom, son of Moses, and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land.

31. The carved statue made by Micah they installed for their own use, and there it stayed as long as the house of God remained at Shiloh.

31. So they set up Micah's graven image which he made, as long as the house of God was at Shiloh.