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The Book of Judges 18

18 In those days there was not a king in Israel. Now in those days the tribe of the Danite was looking for a territory for itself to settle, because up to that day one had not fallen to it among the tribes of Israel for an inheritance. 2 The sons of Dan sent five men from their family, from their members men, sons of valor from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to scout out the land on foot, and to examine it thoroughly. They said to them, “Go! Search out the land thoroughly.” They came to the hill country of Ephraim, as far as the house of Micah, and they spent the night there. 3 They were among the house of Micah and they recognized the voice of the young Levite man. So they turned aside there and they said to him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What do you have here?” 4 He replied to them, “Like this and like this Micah has done for me; he has hired me and I am to him as a priest.” 5 They said to him, “Inquire, please, of God, that we may know whether our journey will have success, which we are going on it.” 6 The priest said to them, “Go in peace, before Yahweh is your journey which you are going on it.”

7 Then the five men left and they came to Laish. They saw the people who were in the midst of it were living in safety as the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure. There was no one causing them shame in any way in the land. Possessing restraint, they were far away from the Sidonians and there was no interaction for them with anyone. 8 Then they went to their brothers in Zorah and Eshtaol. Their brothers said to them, “How are you?” 9 They responded, “Get up at once that we may go up against them! For we have seen the land and look, it is exceedingly good. Yet you are keeping still. You must not be sluggish to go to enter in to possess the land. 10 When you go, you will come to a people living securely, and the land is spacious on both hands! For God has given it into your hands, a place where there is not a lack of any thing that is on the earth.”

11 So they journeyed away from there, six hundred men from the family of the Danite, out from Zorah and Eshtaol, girded with weapons of war. 12 They went up and they camped at Kiriath Jearim, in Judah. On account of this they call that place Mahaneh Dan to this day. It is back behind Kiriath Jearim. 13 They crossed over from there to the hill country of Ephraim, and they came up to the house of Micah.

14 Then the five men who had gone to scout out the land of Laish on foot responded to their brothers and they said, “Do you know that there are in these houses an ephod, family idols, a carved image, and a cast image? So now, consider what you will do.” 15 So they turned in there and they came to the house of the young man, the Levite, at the house of Micah, and they asked about his welfare. 16 Now six hundred men who were from the sons of Dan, the ones who were girded in their weapons of war, were stationed at the entrance of the gate. 17 The five men who had gone to scout out the land by foot went up, they came there. They took the carved image, the ephod, the family idols, and the cast image, while the priest was standing at the entrance of the gate along with the six hundred men who were girded with the weapons of war. 18 When these came into the house of Micah, and they took the carved image, the ephod, the family idols, and the cast image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” 19 They said to him, “Be quiet! Put your hand over your mouth and come with us, and be for us as a father and as a priest. Is it better your being a priest for the house of one man, or your being a priest for a tribe and for a family in Israel?” 20 The heart of the priest was agreeable, so he took the ephod, the family idols, and the carved image, and he went in the midst of the people.

21 Then they turned and they went away. They put the little children, the catle, and the property of value in front of themselves. 22 They had gone a great distance from the house of Micah, when the men who were in the houses which were near the house of Micah were called together, and they overtook the sons of Dan. 23 They called to the sons of Dan. They turned their faces around and they said to Micah, “What has happened to you that you have assembled together?” 24 He replied, “You took my gods that I made, and the priest, and you left. What do I have any longer? So how is it you can say to me, ‘What has happened to you?’ ” 25 The sons of Dan responded to him, “You should not make your voice heard among us, lest some men fierce in temperment will come with hostility against you, with the result that you would reap the destruction of your soul and the soul of your household.” 26 So the sons of Dan went their way since Micah perceived that they were stronger than him. He turned back and he returned to his house.

27 Now they had taken what Micah had made, and the priest who was his, and they came to Laish, to a people living undisturbed and feeling secure. They slaughtered them with the mouth of the sword and they burned the city with fire. 28 There was not a deliverer because it was far from Sidon, and there was no involvement for them with any man. It was in the valley that is near Beth Rehob. They rebuilt the city and they lived in it. 29 They called the name of the city Dan, in honor of the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel. However Laish was the name of the city at the first. 30 The sons of Dan raised up the carved image for themselves. Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manesseh, he along with his sons were priests for the tribe of the Danite until the day of the exile of the land. 31 So they set up for themselves the carved image belonging to Micah that he had made, all the days of the house of the true God being at Shiloh.

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