Judges 18

1In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel.

1In those days, Israel had no king. During that time, the tribe of Dan was looking for a place to settle down and call their own, because they had not yet received a permanent territory among the tribes of Israel.

2And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their whole number, men of valor, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land. And they came to the hill-country of Ephraim, unto the house of Micah, and lodged there.

2So the people of Dan sent out five brave warriors from their clans in Zorah and Eshtaol to scout the land and explore it. They told them, 'Go and explore the land.' These men traveled to the hill country of Ephraim and reached the house of Micah, where they stayed for the night.

3When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite; and they turned aside thither, and said unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what doest thou in this place? and what hast thou here?

3While they were near Micah’s house, they recognized the accent of the young Levite. They went over to him and asked, 'Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?'

4And he said unto them, Thus and thus hath Micah dealt with me, and he hath hired me, and I am become his priest.

4He told them, 'This is what Micah did for me: he hired me, and I have become his priest.'

5And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.

5Then they said to him, 'Please ask God whether our journey will be successful.'

6And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before Jehovah is your way wherein ye go.

6The priest answered them, 'Go in peace. The Lord is watching over your journey.'

7Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt in security, after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure; for there was none in the land, possessing authority, that might put them to shame in anything, and they were far from the Sidonians, and had no dealings with any man.

7So the five men left and came to the town of Laish. They saw that the people there were living in security, like the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting. There was no one in the land with authority to bother them, and they lived far away from the Sidonians and had no treaties with anyone else.

8And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto them, What say ye?

8When the scouts returned to their relatives in Zorah and Eshtaol, their relatives asked them, 'What did you find?'

9And they said, Arise, and let us go up against them; for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not slothful to go and to enter in to possess the land.

9They answered, 'Come on, let’s attack them! We have seen the land, and it is very good. Why are you sitting still? Don’t hesitate to go and take possession of that land.'

10When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure, and the land is large; for God hath given it into your hand, a place where there is no want of anything that is in the earth.

10'When you get there, you will find an unsuspecting people and a spacious land. God has handed it over to you—a place where nothing on earth is lacking.'

11And there set forth from thence of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men girt with weapons of war.

11So six hundred men from the tribe of Dan, armed for war, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol.

12And they went up, and encamped in Kiriath-jearim, in Judah: wherefore they called that place Mahaneh-dan, unto this day; behold, it is behind Kiriath-jearim.

12On their way, they camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. That is why the place west of Kiriath-jearim is still called Mahaneh-dan to this day.

13And they passed thence unto the hill-country of Ephraim, and came unto the house of Micah.

13From there they moved on to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah’s house.

14Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have to do.

14The five men who had scouted the land of Laish said to their fellow Danites, 'Did you know that in one of these houses there is an ephod, some household idols, a carved image, and a metal idol? Now you know what you have to do.'

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

15They turned off the road and went to the house of the young Levite at Micah’s home and greeted him.

16And the six hundred men girt with their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate.

16The six hundred Danites, armed with their weapons of war, stood at the entrance of the gate.

17And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood by the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men girt with weapons of war.

17The five scouts went inside and took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the metal idol. Meanwhile, the priest and the six hundred armed men were standing at the gate.

18And when these went into Micah’s house, and fetched the graven image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image, the priest said unto them, What do ye?

18When these men went into Micah’s house and took the various idols and the ephod, the priest asked them, 'What are you doing?'

19And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thy hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be priest unto the house of one man, or to be priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel?

19They told him, 'Be quiet! Don’t say a word. Come with us and be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest for one man’s family, or to be the priest for a whole tribe and clan in Israel?'

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

20The priest was happy about this. He took the ephod, the household idols, and the carved image, and he joined the group of people.

21So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the goods before them.

21As they turned to leave, they put their small children, their livestock, and their valuables in front of them.

22When they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that were in the houses near to Micah’s house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan.

22When they had gone some distance from Micah’s house, the men who lived in the houses near Micah were called together, and they caught up with the people of Dan.

23And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company?

23They shouted at the Danites, who turned around and said to Micah, 'What’s the matter with you? Why have you brought out this army?'

24And he said, ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and are gone away, and what have I more? and how then say ye unto me, What aileth thee?

24Micah answered, 'You have taken away the gods I made and my priest! Now I have nothing left. How can you ask me, "What’s the matter with you?"'

25And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows fall upon you, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household.

25The people of Dan replied, 'Don't let us hear any more from you, or some hot-tempered men might attack you, and you and your family would lose your lives.'

26And the children of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house.

26Then the people of Dan continued on their way. When Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned around and went back home.

27And they took that which Micah had made, and the priest whom he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people quiet and secure, and smote them with the edge of the sword; and they burnt the city with fire.

27After they took the things Micah had made and the priest who belonged to him, they went to Laish, a quiet and unsuspecting people. They killed the people with their swords and burned the city down.

28And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by Beth-rehob. And they built the city, and dwelt therein.

28There was no one to save them because the city was far from Sidon and they had no dealings with anyone. The city was in a valley near Beth-rehob. The Danites rebuilt the city and lived there.

29And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel: howbeit the name of the city was Laish at the first.

29They named the city Dan after their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel, though the city used to be called Laish.

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

30The people of Dan set up the carved image for themselves. Jonathan, the son of Gershom and grandson of Moses, and his sons were the priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the captivity of the land.

31So they set them up Micah’s graven image which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

31They continued to use the carved image Micah had made as long as the house of God was at Shiloh.