| English Standard Version | New International Version |
| 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 Israel had no king. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking a place of their own where they might settle, because they had not yet come into an inheritance 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 five of their leading men from Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out the land and explore it. These men represented all the Danites. They told them, "Go, explore the land." So they entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night. |
| 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?” | 3When they were near Micah's house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; so they turned in there and asked him, "Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are 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 said, "He has hired me and I am 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 to learn whether our journey will be successful." |
| 6And the priest said to them, “Go in peace. The journey on which you go is under the eye of the LORD.” | 6The priest answered them, "Go in peace. Your journey has the LORD's approval." |
| 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. | 7So the five men left and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living in safety, like the Sidonians, at peace and secure. And since their land lacked nothing, they were prosperous. Also, they lived a long way from the Sidonians and had no relationship with anyone else. |
| 8And when they came to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers said to them, “What do you report?” | 8When they returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their fellow Danites asked them, "How did you find things?" |
| 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 attack them! We have seen the land, and it is very good. Aren't you going to do something? Don't hesitate to go there and take it over. |
| 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 find an unsuspecting people and a spacious land that God has put into your hands, a land that lacks nothing whatever." |
| 11So 600 men of the tribe of Dan, armed with weapons of war, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol, | 11Then six hundred men of the Danites, armed for battle, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. |
| 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. | 12On their way they set up camp near Kiriath Jearim in Judah. This is why the place west of Kiriath Jearim is called Mahaneh Dan to this day. |
| 13And they passed on from there to the hill country of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah. | 13From there they went on to the hill country of Ephraim and came to 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.” | 14Then the five men who had spied out the land of Laish said to their fellow Danites, "Do you know that one of these houses has an ephod, some household gods and an image overlaid with silver? Now you know what to 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 turned in there and went to the house of the young Levite at Micah's place and greeted him. |
| 16Now the 600 men of the Danites, armed with their weapons of war, stood by the entrance of the gate. | 16The six hundred Danites, armed for battle, stood at the entrance of the gate. |
| 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. | 17The five men who had spied out the land went inside and took the idol, the ephod and the household gods while the priest and the six hundred armed men stood at the entrance of the gate. |
| 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 the five men went into Micah's house and took the idol, the ephod and the household gods, 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 answered him, "Be quiet! Don't say a word. Come with us, and be our father and priest. Isn't it better that you serve a tribe and clan in Israel as priest rather than just one man's household?" |
| 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. | 20The priest was very pleased. He took the ephod, the household gods and the idol and went along with the people. |
| 21So they turned and departed, putting the little ones and the livestock and the goods in front of them. | 21Putting their little children, their livestock and their possessions in front of them, they turned away and left. |
| 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. | 22When they had gone some distance from Micah's house, the men who lived near Micah were called together and overtook 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?” | 23As they shouted after them, the Danites turned and said to Micah, "What's the matter with you that you called out your men to fight?" |
| 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 replied, "You took the gods I made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you ask, '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 answered, "Don't argue with us, or some of the men may get angry and 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. | 26So the Danites went their way, and Micah, seeing that they were too strong for him, turned around and went back home. |
| 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. | 27Then they took what Micah had made, and his priest, and went on to Laish, against a people at peace and secure. They attacked them with the sword and burned down their 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 they lived a long way from Sidon and had no relationship with anyone else. The city was in a valley near Beth Rehob. The Danites rebuilt the city and settled there. |
| 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 it Dan after their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel--though the city used to be called 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. | 30There the Danites set up for themselves the idol, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the captivity of the land. |
| 31So they set up Micah’s carved image that he made, as long as the house of God was at Shiloh. | 31They continued to use the idol Micah had made, all the time the house of God was in Shiloh. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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