| 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 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
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. 3 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? 4 And he said unto them, Thus and thus hath Micah dealt with me, and
he hath hired me, and I am become 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 Jehovah 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 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. 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, 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. 10 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.
11 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. 12 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.
13 And they passed thence unto the hill-country of 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 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. 16 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. 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 by the entrance of the gate with the
six hundred men girt with weapons of war. 18 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? 19 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?
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 goods before them. 22 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 are gone away, and what
have I more? and how then say ye 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 fall upon you, 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 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. 28 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. 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
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. 31 So they set them up Micah's graven image
which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.
Genesis - Public
Domain
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