| New King James Version | NET Bible |
| 1In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking an inheritance for itself to dwell in; for until that day their inheritance among the tribes of Israel had not fallen to them. | 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 children of Dan sent five men of their family from their territory, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and search it. They said to them, “Go, search the land.” So they went to the mountains of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there. | 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. |
| 3While they were at the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young Levite. They turned aside and said to him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What do you have 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 said to them, “Thus and so Micah did for me. He has hired me, and I have become his priest.” | 4He told them what Micah had done for him, saying, "He hired me and I became his priest." |
| 5So they said to him, “Please inquire of God, that we may know whether the journey on which we go will be prosperous.” | 5They said to him, "Seek a divine oracle for us, so we can know if we will be successful on our mission." |
| 6And the priest said to them, “Go in peace. The presence of the LORD be with you on your way.” | 6The priest said to them, "Go with confidence. The LORD will be with you on your mission." |
| 7So the five men departed and went to Laish. They saw the people who were there, how they dwelt safely, in the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure. There were no rulers in the land who might put them to shame for anything. They were far from the Sidonians, and they had no ties with anyone. | 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. |
| 8Then the spies came back to their brethren at Zorah and Eshtaol, and their brethren said to them, “What is your report?” | 8When the Danites returned to their tribe in Zorah and Eshtaol, their kinsmen asked them, "How did it go?" |
| 9So they said, “Arise, let us go up against them. For we have seen the land, and indeed it is very good. Would you do nothing? Do not hesitate to go, and enter to possess the land. | 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 go, you will come to a secure people and 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.” | 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!" |
| 11And six hundred men of the family of the Danites went from there, from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war. | 11So six hundred Danites, fully armed, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. |
| 12Then they went up and encamped in Kirjath Jearim in Judah. (Therefore they call that place Mahaneh Dan to this day. There it is, west of Kirjath Jearim.) | 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.) |
| 13And they passed from there to the mountains of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah. | 13From there they traveled through the Ephraimite hill country and arrived at Micah's house. |
| 14Then the five men who had gone to spy out the country of Laish answered and said to their brethren, “Do you know that there are in these houses an ephod, household idols, a carved image, and a molded image? Now therefore, consider what you should 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 aside there, and came to the house of the young Levite man—to the house of Micah—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 men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate. | 16Meanwhile the six hundred Danites, fully armed, stood at the entrance to the gate. |
| 17Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land went up. Entering there, they took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molded image. The priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men who were armed with weapons of war. | 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 these went into Micah’s house and took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molded image, 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?" |
| 19And they said to him, “Be quiet, put your hand over your mouth, and come with us; be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest to the household of one man, or that you be a priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?” | 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?" |
| 20So the priest’s heart was glad; and he took the ephod, the household idols, and the carved image, and took his place among the people. | 20The priest was happy. He took the ephod, the personal idols, and the carved image and joined the group. |
| 21Then they turned and departed, and put the little ones, the livestock, and the goods in front of them. | 21They turned and went on their way, but they walked behind the children, the cattle, and their possessions. |
| 22When they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house gathered together and overtook the children of Dan. | 22After they had gone a good distance from Micah's house, Micah's neighbors gathered together and caught up with the Danites. |
| 23And they called out to the children of Dan. So they turned around and said to Micah, “What ails you, that you have gathered such a company?” | 23When they called out to the Danites, the Danites turned around and said to Micah, "Why have you gathered together?" |
| 24So he said, “You have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and you have gone away. Now what more do I have? How can you say to me, ‘What ails 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?'" |
| 25And the children of Dan said to him, “Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest angry men fall upon you, and you lose your life, with the lives of your household!” | 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." |
| 26Then 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. | 26The Danites went on their way; when Micah realized they were too strong to resist, he turned around and went home. |
| 27So they took the things Micah had made, and the priest who had belonged to him, and went to Laish, to a people quiet and secure; and they struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire. | 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 deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and they had no ties with anyone. It was in the valley that belongs to Beth Rehob. So they rebuilt the city and dwelt 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. |
| 29And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel. However, the name of the city formerly was Laish. | 29They named it Dan after their ancestor, who was one of Israel's sons. But the city's name used to be Laish. |
| 30Then the children of Dan set up for themselves the carved image; and Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day 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. |
| 31So they set up for themselves Micah’s carved image which he made, all the time that 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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