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.
