ASV_Strong : Judges 18
1. In those days[H3117] there was no king[H4428] in Israel[H3478]: and in those days[H3117] the tribe[H7626] of the Danites[H1839] sought[H1245] them an inheritance[H5159] to dwell in[H3427]; for unto that day[H3117] their inheritance[H5159] had not fallen[H5307] unto them among[H8432] the tribes[H7626] of Israel[H3478].
2. And the children[H1121] of Dan[H1835] sent[H7971] of their family[H4940] five[H2568] men[H582] from their whole number[H7098], men[H1121] of valor[H2428], from Zorah[H6881], and from Eshtaol[H847], to spy[H7270] out the land[H776], and to search[H2713] it[H559]; and they said unto them[H3212], Go, search[H2713] the land[H776]. And they came[H935] to the hill-country[H2022] of Ephraim[H669], unto the house[H1004] of Micah[H4318], and lodged there[H3885].
3. When they were by the house[H1004] of Micah[H4318], they knew[H5234] the voice[H6963] of the young man[H5288] the Levite[H3881]; and they turned aside[H5493] thither[H559], and said unto him[H935], Who brought thee hither[H1988]? and what doest thou in this place[H6213]? and what hast thou here?
4. And he said[H559] unto them[H2090], Thus and thus[H2090] hath Micah[H4318] dealt[H6213] with me[H7936], and he hath hired me[H3548], and I am become his priest.
5. And they said[H559] unto him[H7592], Ask counsel, we pray thee[H430], of God, that we may know[H3045] whether our way[H1870] which we go[H1980] shall be prosperous[H6743].
6. And the priest[H3548] said[H559] unto them[H3212], Go in peace[H7965]: before[H5227] Jehovah[H3068] is your way[H1870] wherein ye go[H3212].
7. Then the five[H2568] men[H582] departed[H3212], and came[H935] to Laish[H3919], and saw[H7200] the people[H5971] that were therein[H7130], how they dwelt[H3427] in security[H983], after the manner[H4941] of the Sidonians[H6722], quiet[H8252] and secure[H982]; for there was none in the land[H776], possessing authority[H3423], that might put them to shame[H3637] in anything[H1697], and they were far[H7350] from the Sidonians[H6722], and had no dealings[H1697] with any man[H120].
8. And they came[H935] unto their brethren[H251] to Zorah[H6881] and Eshtaol[H847]: and their brethren[H251] said unto them[H559], What say ye?
9. And they said[H559], Arise[H6965], and let us go up[H5927] against them[H7200]; for we have seen the land[H776], and[H3966], behold, it is very good[H2896]: and are ye still[H2814]? be not slothful[H6101] to go[H3212] and to enter[H935] in to possess[H3423] the land[H776].
10. When ye go[H935], ye shall come[H935] unto a people[H5971] secure[H982], and the land[H776] is large[H7342]; for God[H430] hath given[H5414] it into your hand[H3027], a place[H4725] where there is no want[H4270] of anything[H1697] that is in the earth[H776].
11. And there set[H5265] forth from thence of the family[H4940] of the Danites[H1839], out of Zorah[H6881] and out of Eshtaol[H847], six[H8337] hundred[H3967] men[H376] girt[H2296] with weapons[H3627] of war[H4421].
12. And they went up[H5927], and encamped[H2583] in Kiriath-jearim[H7157], in Judah[H3063]: wherefore they called[H7121] that place[H4725] Mahaneh-dan[H4265], unto this day[H3117]; behold[H310], it is behind Kiriath-jearim[H7157].
13. And they passed[H5674] thence unto the hill-country[H2022] of Ephraim[H669], and came[H935] unto the house[H1004] of Micah[H4318].
14. Then answered[H6030] the five[H2568] men[H582] that went[H1980] to spy out[H7270] the country[H776] of Laish[H3919], and said[H559] unto their brethren[H251], Do ye know[H3045] that there is[H3426] in these houses[H1004] an ephod[H646], and teraphim[H8655], and a graven image[H6459], and a molten image[H4541]? now therefore consider[H3045] what ye have to do[H6213].
15. And they turned[H5493] aside thither[H935], and came to the house[H1004] of the young man[H5288] the Levite[H3881], even unto the house[H1004] of Micah[H4318], and asked him of his welfare[H7592].
16. And the six[H8337] hundred[H3967] men[H376] girt[H2296] with their weapons[H3627] of war[H4421], who were of the children[H1121] of Dan[H1835], stood[H5324] by the entrance[H6607] of the gate[H8179].
17. And the five[H2568] men[H582] that went[H1980] to spy out[H7270] the land[H776] went up[H5927], and came in[H935] thither[H3947], and took the graven image[H6459], and the ephod[H646], and the teraphim[H8655], and the molten image[H4541]: and the priest[H3548] stood[H5324] by the entrance[H6607] of the gate[H8179] with the six[H8337] hundred[H3967] men[H376] girt[H2296] with weapons[H3627] of war[H4421].
18. And when these went[H935] into Micah[H4318]'s house[H1004], and fetched[H3947] the graven image[H6459], the ephod[H646], and the teraphim[H8655], and the molten image[H4541], the priest[H3548] said[H559] unto them[H6213], What do ye?
19. And they said[H559] unto him[H2790], Hold thy peace, lay[H7760] thy hand[H3027] upon thy mouth[H6310], and go[H3212] with us[H1961], and be to us a father[H1] and a priest[H3548]: is it better[H2896] for thee to be priest[H3548] unto the house[H1004] of one[H259] man[H376], or to be priest[H3548] unto a tribe[H7626] and a family[H4940] in Israel[H3478]?
20. And the priest[H3548]'s heart[H3820] was glad[H3190], and he took[H3947] the ephod[H646], and the teraphim[H8655], and the graven image[H6459], and went in[H935] the midst[H7130] of the people[H5971].
21. So they turned[H6437] and departed[H3212], and put[H7760] the little ones[H2945] and the cattle[H4735] and the goods[H3520] before them[H6440].
22. When they were a good way[H7368] from the house[H1004] of Micah[H4318], the men[H582] that were in the houses[H1004] near to Micah[H4318]'s house[H1004] were gathered together[H2199], and overtook[H1692] the children[H1121] of Dan[H1835].
23. And they cried[H7121] unto the children[H1121] of Dan[H1835]. And they turned[H5437] their faces[H6440], and said[H559] unto Micah[H4318], What aileth thee[H2199], that thou comest with such a company?
24. And he said[H559], ye have taken away[H3947] my gods[H430] which I made[H6213], and the priest[H3548], and are gone away[H3212], and what have I more[H559]? and how then say ye unto me, What aileth thee?
25. And the children[H1121] of Dan[H1835] said[H559] unto him[H6963], Let not thy voice be heard[H8085] among us[H4751], lest angry fellows[H582] fall[H6293] upon you[H622], and thou lose thy life[H5315], with the lives[H5315] of thy household[H1004].
26. And the children[H1121] of Dan[H1835] went[H3212] their way[H1870]: and when Micah[H4318] saw[H7200] that they were too strong[H2389] for him[H6437], he turned and went back[H7725] unto his house[H1004].
27. And they took[H3947] that which Micah[H4318] had made[H6213], and the priest[H3548] whom he had[H935], and came unto Laish[H3919], unto a people[H5971] quiet[H8252] and secure[H982], and smote[H5221] them with the edge[H6310] of the sword[H2719]; and they burnt[H8313] the city[H5892] with fire[H784].
28. And there was no deliverer[H5337], because it was far[H7350] from Sidon[H6721], and they had no dealings[H1697] with any man[H120]; and it was in the valley[H6010] that lieth by Beth-rehob[H1050]. And they built[H1129] the city[H5892], and dwelt therein[H3427].
29. And they called[H7121] the name[H8034] of the city[H5892] Dan[H1835], after the name[H8034] of Dan[H1835] their father[H1], who was born[H3205] unto Israel[H3478]: howbeit[H199] the name[H8034] of the city[H5892] was Laish[H3919] at the first[H7223].
30. And the children[H1121] of Dan[H1835] set up[H6965] for themselves the graven image[H6459]: and Jonathan[H3083], the son[H1121] of Gershom[H1647], the son[H1121] of Moses[H4519], he and his sons[H1121] were priests[H3548] to the tribe[H7626] of the Danites[H1839] until the day[H3117] of the captivity[H1540] of the land[H776].
31. So they set them up[H7760] Micah[H4318]'s graven image[H6459] which he made[H6213], all the time[H3117] that the house[H1004] of God[H430] was in Shiloh[H7887].
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