Verse
BSB
Berean Standard Bible
ASV
American Standard Version
In those days there was no king in Israel ,
and the tribe of the Danites was
looking
for
territory
to occupy.
For up
to
that time
they
had not come
into
an
inheritance
among the tribes of Israel.
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
`their'
inheritance
had not fallen
unto
them
among the tribes of Israel.
So
the Danites
sent out
five men from their clans
, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore
it .
“Go
and explore
the
land,”
they told
them .
The men
entered
the hill country of Ephraim and
came
to
the house of Micah, where
they
spent
the
night
.
And
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
.
And
while
they were near
Micah’s
house, they recognized
the voice of the young Levite; so
they went
over
and asked
him, “
Who brought you
here
? What are
you
doing
in this place? Why
are
you
here? ”
When
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?
“Micah
has
done
this
and that
for
me,”
he replied
, “
and he has
hired me to
be
his priest. ”
And he said
unto
them
, Thus
and thus
hath
Micah
dealt
with
me,
and
he hath
hired me ,
and
I
am
become
his priest.
Then
they said to
him, “Please
inquire
of God to
determine
whether we will
have
a
successful
journey
. ”
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
.
And the priest told
them, “
Go in peace .
The
LORD
is watching
over
your journey
. ”
And the priest said
unto
them, Go in peace :
before
Jehovah
is your way
wherein
ye
go
.
So
the five men departed and came to Laish, where
they
saw that
the people were living
securely
, like
the Sidonians, tranquil
and unsuspecting.
There was nothing
lacking
in the land and
no
oppressive
ruler.
And they were far away
from the Sidonians and had no alliance
with anyone
.
Then
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
.
When
the
men
returned
to Zorah and Eshtaol ,
their brothers
asked
them, “
What did
you
find
? ”
And
they
came
unto
their
brethren
to Zorah and Eshtaol :
and
their brethren
said
unto
them, What `say'
ye
?
They answered
, “Come
on
, let us go up against them ,
for we have seen the land, and it is very good .
Why
would
you
fail
to
act
? Do
not hesitate
to go there
and take
possession
of
the land !
And
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 .
When you
enter
, you
will
come to
an
unsuspecting
people and a
spacious
land ,
for God has
delivered
it into your hand .
It
is
a place where nothing
on
earth
is lacking
. ”
When 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
.
So
six
hundred
Danites
departed
from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed
with weapons of war.
And
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.
They went up and camped
at
Kiriath-jearim in Judah .
That is
why
the
place west
of
Kiriath-jearim
is
called
Mahaneh-dan to
this day.
And
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
.
And from
there
they traveled
to
the hill country of Ephraim and came to
Micah’s
house.
And they passed
thence
unto
the hill -
country of Ephraim ,
and came unto
the
house of
Micah
.
Then the five men who
had
gone
to spy out the land
of Laish said to
their brothers
, “Did
you
know that one
of
these houses has
an ephod, household
gods
, a graven image, and a molten idol
? Now think
about
what you
should
do. ”
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.
So
they turned aside there
and went
to the home
of the young Levite, the house of Micah, and greeted
him.
And
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
.
The six hundred Danites
stood at
the entrance of the gate ,
armed
with
their
weapons
of
war
.
And
the six hundred men
girt
with
their
weapons
of
war,
who
were
of
the
children
of
Dan,
stood by
the entrance of the gate.
And the five men who
had
gone
to spy out the land went inside
and took the graven image, the ephod, the household
idols
, and the molten idol,
while
the priest stood at
the entrance of the gate with the six hundred armed
men.
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 by
the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men girt
with
weapons
of
war
.
When they
entered
Micah’s
house and took
the graven image, the ephod, the household
idols
, and the molten idol
, the priest said to
them, “
What are
you
doing
? ”
And
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
?
“Be
quiet,”
they told
him .
“Put
your
hand over
your
mouth and come
with us and be a father and a priest to
us.
Is it better for you
to be a
priest for
the house of one person
or a
priest for
a tribe and family in Israel? ”
And
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?
So
the priest
was glad and took the ephod, the household
idols
, and the graven image, and went with
the people.
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.
Putting
their
small
children,
their
livestock,
and
their
possessions
in
front
of
them,
they turned and departed.
So
they turned and departed ,
and
put
the
little
ones
and
the
cattle
and
the
goods
before
them
.
After
they were some
distance
from Micah’s
house, the men in the houses near Micah’s
house mobilized
and overtook the Danites
.
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
.
When
they called
out
after
them,
the Danites
turned to
face
them
and said to
Micah, “
What is
the
matter
with
you
that you
have
called
out
such a company? ”
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?
He replied
, “You
took
the
gods I had
made, and my
priest, and went
away .
What else
do
I
have? How can
you
say to
me, ‘
What is
the
matter
with
you
? ’”
And
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
?
The Danites
said to
him, “Do
not raise
your
voice against
us, or
angry men
will
attack
you, and you
and
your
family
will
lose your
lives. ”
And
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
.
So
the Danites
went on
their way ,
and Micah turned
to
go
back
home,
because
he
saw that they were too strong for him.
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
.
After
they had taken
Micah’s
idols
and his
priest, they
went
to
Laish, to
a tranquil
and
unsuspecting
people, and they
struck
them with their
swords
and burned
down
the city.
And
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
.
There was no one
to
deliver
them
, because the
city
was far from Sidon and had no alliance
with anyone
; it was in a
valley near
Beth-rehob. And the
Danites
rebuilt
the city and lived
there
.
And
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
.
They named
it
Dan, after their
forefather
Dan, who was born to
Israel —though
the city was formerly
named
Laish.
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
.
The Danites
set up idols
for themselves ,
and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for
the tribe of Dan
until the day of the captivity of the land.
And
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.
So they set up for
themselves
Micah’s
graven image, and
it
was
there
the whole
time the house of God was in Shiloh.
So they set them
up Micah's
graven image which
he
made
, all
the time that
the house of God was in Shiloh.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible and American Standard Version. Public domain; source text distributed by BSB Publishing, LLC.; Public domain..