THE
BOOK OF JUDGES
Judges Chapter 18
1
¶ In those days there was no king in
2
So the children of Dan sent five men of courage from their tribe, from Zorah,
and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to explore it; and they said to
them, Go, explore the land: and when they came to the hill country of Ephraim,
to the house of Micah, they lodged there.
3
When they neared the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the
young Levite: and they turned aside, and said to him, Who brought you here?
what are you doing in this place? and what is keeping you here?
4
And he said to them, Thus and so Micah deals with me, and has hired me, and I
am his priest.
5
And they said to him, Ask counsel of God, that we may know whether our journey
will be successful.
6
And the priest said to them, Go in peace: the journey on which you go is
pleasing to the LORD.
7
¶ Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw how the people who were
there lived quiet and secure, in the same way as the Zidonians; and there
was no magistrate in the land, who might put them to shame for any
thing; and they were far from the Zidonians, and had no dealings with
anyone.
8
And they returned to their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren
asked them, What is your report?
9
And they said, Arise, let us go up against them: for we have seen the land, and
it is very good: will you sit still? do not be sluggish, go enter and
possess the land.
10
When you go, you will come to a people who are secure, and to a large
land: for God has given it into your hands; a place where there is no
lack of anything that is on the earth.
11
And six hundred armed men with weapons of war, who were of the tribe of the
Danites, set out from there, from Zorah and from Eshtaol,.
12
And they went up, and pitched camp in Kirjathjearim, in
13
And they passed from there to the hill country of Ephraim, and came to the
house of Micah.
14
¶ Then the five men who had gone to spy out the country of Laish, said to their
brethren, Do you know that there are in these houses an ephod, and teraphim,
and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what you have to
do.
15
And they turned in that direction, and came to the house of the young Levite,
the house of Micah, and saluted him.
16
And the six hundred men who were armed with weapons of war, and were of
the children of Dan, stood by the entrance to the gate.
17
And the five men who had gone to spy out the land went up, and entered
the house, and took the graven image, the ephod, the teraphim, and the
molten image: while the priest stood by the entrance to the gate with the six
hundred men who were armed with weapons of war.
18
And when these went into Micah’s house, and took the carved image, the ephod,
the teraphim, and the molten image. The priest said to them, What are you
doing?
19
And they said to him, Keep quiet, put your hand over your mouth, and go with
us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for you to be a
priest for the house of one man, or to be a priest for a tribe and a family in
Israel?
20
And the priest was pleased, and he took the ephod, the teraphim, and the graven
image, and went with the people.
21
So they turned and left, and put the little ones, the cattle, and the baggage
in front of them.
22
And when they were a good distance from the house of Micah, the men who lived
in the houses near Micah’s house gathered together, and caught up with the
children of Dan.
23
And they shouted to the children of Dan, who turned to Micah, and said, What
ails you, that you come with such a company?
24
And he said, You take the gods which I made, and my priest, and go away: and
leave me nothing? and then you ask me, What ails you?
25
And the children of Dan said to him, Do not raise your voice against us, or
angry men will attack, and you and your family will die.
26
So the children of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw that they were
too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house.
27
¶ And they took the things that Micah had made, and the priest that he
had, and went to Laish, to a people who were peaceful and secure: and
struck them with the edge of the sword, and burnt their city with fire.
28
And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Zidon, and
they had no dealings with anyone; and it was in the valley that belongs
to Bethrehob. And they rebuilt the city, and lived in it.
29
And they named the city Dan, after Dan their forefather, who was born to
Israel: however the city was originally named Laish.
30
And the children of Dan set up the graven image for themselves: and
Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests to
the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.
31
So they used the graven image, which Micah had made, all during time when the
house of God was in Shiloh.