| New International Version | NET Bible |
| 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. | 1In those days Israel had no king. And in those days the Danite tribe was looking for a place to settle, because at that time they did not yet have a place to call their own among the tribes of Israel. |
| 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. | 2The Danites sent out from their whole tribe five representatives, capable men from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. They said to them, "Go, explore the land." They came to the Ephraimite hill country and spent the night at Micah's house. |
| 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?" | 3As they approached Micah's house, they recognized the accent of the young Levite. So they stopped there and said to him, "Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is your business here?" |
| 4He told them what Micah had done for him, and said, "He has hired me and I am his priest." | 4He told them what Micah had done for him, saying, "He hired me and I became his priest." |
| 5Then they said to him, "Please inquire of God to learn whether our journey will be successful." | 5They said to him, "Seek a divine oracle for us, so we can know if we will be successful on our mission." |
| 6The priest answered them, "Go in peace. Your journey has the LORD's approval." | 6The priest said to them, "Go with confidence. The LORD will be with you on your mission." |
| 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. | 7So the five men journeyed on and arrived in Laish. They noticed that the people there were living securely, like the Sidonians do, undisturbed and unsuspecting. No conqueror was troubling them in any way. They lived far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone. |
| 8When they returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their fellow Danites asked them, "How did you find things?" | 8When the Danites returned to their tribe in Zorah and Eshtaol, their kinsmen asked them, "How did it go?" |
| 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. | 9They said, "Come on, let's attack them, for we saw their land and it is very good. You seem lethargic, but don't hesitate to invade and conquer the land. |
| 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." | 10When you invade, you will encounter unsuspecting people. The land is wide! God is handing it over to you--a place that lacks nothing on earth!" |
| 11Then six hundred men of the Danites, armed for battle, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. | 11So six hundred Danites, fully armed, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. |
| 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. | 12They went up and camped in Kiriath Jearim in Judah. (To this day that place is called Camp of Dan. It is west of Kiriath Jearim.) |
| 13From there they went on to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah's house. | 13From there they traveled through the Ephraimite hill country and arrived at Micah's house. |
| 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." | 14The five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish said to their kinsmen, "Do you realize that inside these houses are an ephod, some personal idols, a carved image, and a metal image? Decide now what you want to do." |
| 15So they turned in there and went to the house of the young Levite at Micah's place and greeted him. | 15They stopped there, went inside the young Levite's house (which belonged to Micah), and asked him how he was doing. |
| 16The six hundred Danites, armed for battle, stood at the entrance of the gate. | 16Meanwhile the six hundred Danites, fully armed, stood at the entrance to the gate. |
| 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. | 17The five men who had gone to spy out the land broke in and stole the carved image, the ephod, the personal idols, and the metal image, while the priest was standing at the entrance to the gate with the six hundred fully armed men. |
| 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?" | 18When these men broke into Micah's house and stole the carved image, the ephod, the personal idols, and the metal image, the priest said to them, "What are you doing?" |
| 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?" | 19They said to him, "Shut up! Put your hand over your mouth and come with us! You can be our adviser and priest. Wouldn't it be better to be a priest for a whole Israelite tribe than for just one man's family?" |
| 20The priest was very pleased. He took the ephod, the household gods and the idol and went along with the people. | 20The priest was happy. He took the ephod, the personal idols, and the carved image and joined the group. |
| 21Putting their little children, their livestock and their possessions in front of them, they turned away and left. | 21They turned and went on their way, but they walked behind the children, the cattle, and their possessions. |
| 22When they had gone some distance from Micah's house, the men who lived near Micah were called together and overtook the Danites. | 22After they had gone a good distance from Micah's house, Micah's neighbors gathered together and caught up with the Danites. |
| 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?" | 23When they called out to the Danites, the Danites turned around and said to Micah, "Why have you gathered together?" |
| 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?'" | 24He said, "You stole my gods that I made, as well as this priest, and then went away. What do I have left? How can you have the audacity to say to me, 'What do you want?'" |
| 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." | 25The Danites said to him, "Don't say another word to us, or some very angry men will attack you, and you and your family will die." |
| 26So the Danites went their way, and Micah, seeing that they were too strong for him, turned around and went back home. | 26The Danites went on their way; when Micah realized they were too strong to resist, he turned around and went home. |
| 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. | 27Now the Danites took what Micah had made, as well as his priest, and came to Laish, where the people were undisturbed and unsuspecting. They struck them down with the sword and burned the city. |
| 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. | 28No one came to the rescue because the city was far from Sidon and they had no dealings with anyone. The city was in a valley near Beth Rehob. The Danites rebuilt the city and occupied it. |
| 29They named it Dan after their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel--though the city used to be called Laish. | 29They named it Dan after their ancestor, who was one of Israel's sons. But the city's name used to be Laish. |
| 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. | 30The Danites worshiped the carved image. Jonathan, descendant of Gershom, son of Moses, and his descendants served as priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the exile. |
| 31They continued to use the idol Micah had made, all the time the house of God was in Shiloh. | 31They worshiped Micah's carved image the whole time God's authorized shrine was in Shiloh. |
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