Judges 18
1 In 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 all their
inheritance had not
fallen unto them
among the
tribes of
Israel. 2 And the
children of
Dan sent of their
family five men from their
coasts, men of
valour, from
Zorah, and from
Eshtaol, to
spy out the
land, and to
search it; and they
said unto them,
Go,
search the
land: who when they
came to
mount Ephraim, to the
house of
Micah, they
lodged there.
3 When they were by the
house of
Micah, they
knew the
voice of the young
man the
Levite: and they turned
in thither, and
said unto him, Who
brought thee
hither? and what
makest thou in this place? and what hast thou here?
4 And he
said unto them,
Thus and
thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath
hired me, and I am his
priest. 5 And they
said unto him, Ask
counsel, we pray thee, of
God, that we may
know whether our
way which we
go shall be
prosperous.
6 And the
priest said unto them,
Go in
peace: before the
LORD is your
way wherein ye
go.
7 Then the
five men departed, and
came to
Laish, and
saw the
people that were
therein, how they
dwelt careless, after the
manner of the
Zidonians, quiet and
secure; and there was no
magistrate in the
land, that might put them to
shame in any
thing; and they were
far from the
Zidonians, and had no
business with any
man. 8 And they
came unto their
brethren to
Zorah and
Eshtaol: and their
brethren said unto them, What say ye?
9 And they
said,
Arise, that we may 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 to
possess the
land. 10 When ye
go, ye shall
come unto a
people secure, and to a
large land: for
God hath
given it into your
hands; a
place where there is no
want of any
thing that is in the
earth. 11 And there
went from thence of the
family of the
Danites, out of
Zorah and out of
Eshtaol, six hundred men appointed with
weapons of
war. 12 And they went
up, and
pitched in
Kirjathjearim, in
Judah: wherefore they
called that
place Mahanehdan unto this
day: behold, it is
behind Kirjathjearim. 13 And they
passed thence unto
mount Ephraim, and
came unto the
house of
Micah. 14 Then
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.
15 And they
turned thitherward, and
came to the
house of the young
man the
Levite, even unto the
house of
Micah, and
saluted him.
16 And the
six hundred men appointed with their
weapons of
war, which were of the
children of
Dan, stood by the
entering of the
gate. 17 And 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 in the
entering of the
gate with the
six hundred men that were
appointed with
weapons of
war. 18 And these
went into
Micah's house, and
fetched the carved
image, the
ephod, and the
teraphim, and the molten
image. Then
said the
priest unto them, What
do ye?
19 And they
said unto him, Hold thy
peace,
lay thine
hand upon thy
mouth, and
go with us, and be to
us a
father and a
priest: is it
better for thee to be a
priest unto the
house of
one man, or that thou be a
priest unto a
tribe and a
family in
Israel? 20 And 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. 21 So they
turned and
departed, and
put the little
ones and the
cattle and the
carriage before them.
22 And when 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. 23 And 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?
24 And he
said, Ye have taken
away my
gods which I
made, and the
priest, and ye are gone
away: and what have I more? and what is this that ye
say unto me, What aileth thee?
25 And the
children of
Dan said unto him, Let not thy
voice be
heard among us, lest
angry fellows run upon thee, and thou
lose thy
life, with the
lives of thy
household. 26 And 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. 27 And they
took the things which
Micah had
made, and the
priest which he had, and
came unto
Laish, unto a
people that were at
quiet and
secure: and they
smote them with the
edge of the
sword, and
burnt the
city with
fire. 28 And there was no
deliverer, because it was
far from
Zidon, and they had no
business with any
man; and it was in the
valley that lieth by
Bethrehob. And they
built a
city, and
dwelt therein.
29 And 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. 30 And the
children of
Dan set
up the graven
image: and
Jonathan, the
son of
Gershom, the
son of
Manasseh, he and his
sons were
priests to the
tribe of
Dan until the
day of the
captivity of the
land. 31 And they set them
up Micah's graven
image, which he
made, all the
time that the
house of
God was in
Shiloh.