| English Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the people of Dan was seeking for itself an inheritance to dwell in, for until then no inheritance among the tribes of Israel had fallen to them. | 1In those days, there was no king in Israel, and the Danite tribe was looking for territory to occupy. Up to that time no territory had been captured by them among the tribes of Israel. |
| 2So the people of Dan sent five able men from the whole number of their tribe, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to explore it. And they said to them, “Go and explore the land.” And they came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there. | 2So the Danites sent out five brave men from all their clans, from Zorah and Eshtaol, to scout out the land and explore it. They told them, "Go and explore the land." They came to the hill country of Ephraim as far as the home of Micah and spent the night there. |
| 3When they were by 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? What is your business here?” | 3While they were near Micah's home, they recognized the speech of the young Levite. So they went over to him and asked, "Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is keeping you here?" |
| 4And he said to them, “This is how Micah dealt with me: he has hired me, and I have become his priest.” | 4He told them what Micah had done for him and that he had hired him as his priest. |
| 5And they said to him, “Inquire of God, please, that we may know whether the journey on which we are setting out will succeed.” | 5Then they said to him, "Please inquire of God so we will know if we will have a successful journey." |
| 6And the priest said to them, “Go in peace. The journey on which you go is under the eye of the LORD.” | 6The priest told them, "Go in peace. The LORD is watching over the journey you are going on." |
| 7Then the five men departed and came to Laish and saw the people who were there, how they lived in security, after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting, lacking nothing that is in the earth and possessing wealth, and how they were far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone. | 7The five men left and came to Laish. They saw that the people who were there were living securely, in the same way as the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting. There was nothing lacking in the land and no oppressive ruler. They were far from the Sidonians, having no alliance with anyone. |
| 8And when they came to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers said to them, “What do you report?” | 8When the men went back to their clans at Zorah and Eshtaol, their people asked them, "What did you find out?" |
| 9They said, “Arise, and let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very good. And will you do nothing? Do not be slow to go, to enter in and possess the land. | 9They answered, "Come on, let's go up against them, for we have seen the land, and it is very good. Why wait? Don't hesitate to go and invade and take possession of the land! |
| 10As soon as you go, you will come to an unsuspecting people. The land is spacious, for God has given it into your hands, a place where there is no lack of anything that is in the earth.” | 10When you get there, you will come to an unsuspecting people and a spacious land, for God has handed it over to you. It is a place where nothing on earth is lacking." |
| 11So 600 men of the tribe of Dan, armed with weapons of war, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol, | 11Six hundred Danites departed from Zorah and Eshtaol armed with weapons of war. |
| 12and went up and encamped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. On this account that place is called Mahaneh-dan to this day; behold, it is west of Kiriath-jearim. | 12They went up and camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. This is why the place is called the Camp of Dan to this day; it is west of Kiriath-jearim. |
| 13And they passed on from there to the hill country of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah. | 13From there they traveled to the hill country of Ephraim and arrived at Micah's house. |
| 14Then the five men who had gone to scout out the country of Laish said to their brothers, “Do you know that in these houses there are an ephod, household gods, a carved image, and a metal image? Now therefore consider what you will do.” | 14The five men who had gone to scout out the land of Laish told their brothers, "Did you know that there are an ephod, household gods, and a carved image overlaid with silver in these houses? Now think about what you should do." |
| 15And they turned aside there and came to the house of the young Levite, at the home of Micah, and asked him about his welfare. | 15So they detoured there and went to the house of the young Levite at the home of Micah and greeted him. |
| 16Now the 600 men of the Danites, armed with their weapons of war, stood by the entrance of the gate. | 16The 600 Danite men were standing by the entrance of the gate, armed with their weapons of war. |
| 17And the five men who had gone to scout out the land went up and entered and took the carved image, the ephod, the household gods, and the metal image, while the priest stood by the entrance of the gate with the 600 men armed with weapons of war. | 17Then the five men who had gone to scout out the land went in and took the carved image overlaid with silver, the ephod, and the household idols, while the priest was standing by the entrance of the gate with the 600 men armed with weapons of war. |
| 18And when these went into Micah’s house and took the carved image, the ephod, the household gods, and the metal image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” | 18When they entered Micah's house and took the carved image overlaid with silver, the ephod, and the household idols, the priest said to them, "What are you doing?" |
| 19And they said to him, “Keep quiet; put your hand on your mouth and come with us and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and clan in Israel?” | 19They told him, "Be quiet. Keep your mouth shut. 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 for you to be a priest for a tribe and family in Israel?" |
| 20And the priest’s heart was glad. He took the ephod and the household gods and the carved image and went along with the people. | 20So the priest was pleased and took his ephod, household idols, and carved image, and went with the people. |
| 21So they turned and departed, putting the little ones and the livestock and the goods in front of them. | 21They prepared to leave, putting their small children, livestock, and possessions in front of them. |
| 22When they had gone a distance from the home of Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house were called out, and they overtook the people of Dan. | 22After they were some distance from Micah's house, the men who were in the houses near it mobilized and caught up with the Danites. |
| 23And they shouted to the people of Dan, who turned around and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you, that you come with such a company?” | 23They called to the Danites, who turned to face them, and said to Micah, "What's the matter with you that you mobilized the men?" |
| 24And he said, “You take my gods that I made and the priest, and go away, and what have I left? How then do you ask me, ‘What is the matter with you?’” | 24He said, "You took the gods I had made and the priest, and went away. What do I have left? How can you say to me, 'What's the matter with you?'" |
| 25And the people of Dan said to him, “Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows fall upon you, and you lose your life with the lives of your household.” | 25The Danites said to him, "Don't raise your voice against us, or angry men will attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives." |
| 26Then the people of Dan went their way. And when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his home. | 26The Danites went on their way, and Micah turned to go back home, because he saw that they were stronger than he was. |
| 27But the people of Dan took what Micah had made, and the priest who belonged to him, and they came to Laish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, and struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire. | 27After they had taken the gods Micah had made and the priest that belonged to him, they went to Laish, to a quiet and unsuspecting people. They killed them with their swords and burned down the city. |
| 28And there was no deliverer because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with anyone. It was in the valley that belongs to Beth-rehob. Then they rebuilt the city and lived in it. | 28There was no one to rescue them because it was far from Sidon and they had no alliance with anyone. It was in a valley that belonged to Beth-rehob. They rebuilt the city and lived in it. |
| 29And they named the city Dan, after the name of Dan their ancestor, who was born to Israel; but the name of the city was Laish at the first. | 29They named the city Dan, after the name of their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel. The city was formerly named Laish. |
| 30And the people of Dan set up the carved image for themselves, and Jonathan the son of Gershom, son of Moses, and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land. | 30The Danites set up the carved image for themselves. Jonathan son of Gershom, son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the Danite tribe until the time of the exile from the land. |
| 31So they set up Micah’s carved image that he made, as long as the house of God was at Shiloh. | 31So they set up for themselves Micah's carved image that he had made, and it was there as long as the house of God was in Shiloh. |
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