The Danites Settle in Laish 1 UDB At that time the Israelites had no king. The tribe of Dan was looking for a good place to settle down. The other Israelite tribes had been able to receive the land that had been allotted to them, but the tribe of Dan had not been able to do that. BSB BSB: In those days there was no king in Israel, and the tribe of the Danites was looking for territory to occupy. For up to that time they had not come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.
2 UDB So they chose five soldiers from their clans, men who lived in the cities of Zorah and Eshtaol, to go through the land and explore it and try to find some land where their tribe could live. They came to Micah's house in the hill country where the tribe of Ephraim lived, and they stayed there that night. BSB BSB: So the Danites sent out five men from their clans, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. “Go and explore the land,” they told them. The men entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night.
3 UDB While they were in his house, when they heard the young man who had become Micah's priest talking, they recognized him from his accent. So they went to him and asked him, "Who brought you here? What are you doing here? Why did you come here?" BSB BSB: And while they were near Micah’s house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; so they went over and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?”
4 UDB He told them the things that Micah had done for him. And he said, "Micah has hired me, and I have become his priest." BSB BSB: “Micah has done this and that for me,” he replied, “and he has hired me to be his priest.”
5 UDB So they said to him, "Please ask God if we will succeed in what we are trying to do on this journey." BSB BSB: Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God to determine whether we will have a successful journey.”
6 UDB The young man replied, "Go in the knowledge that Yahweh will be with you on this journey." BSB BSB: And the priest told them, “Go in peace. The LORD is watching over your journey.”
7 UDB Then the five men left. When they came to the city of Laish, they saw that the people there lived safely, as the people did in the city of Sidon. The people there thought that they were safe because there was no one nearby to cause trouble for them, they were far from Sidon, and they rarely had contact with any outsiders. BSB BSB: So the five men departed and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living securely, like the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting. There was nothing lacking in the land and no oppressive ruler. And they were far away from the Sidonians and had no alliance with anyone.
8 UDB When those five men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their relatives asked them "What did you find out?" BSB BSB: When the men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers asked them, “What did you find?”
9 UDB They replied, "We have found some land, and it is very good. We should go and attack the people who live there. Why are you staying here and doing nothing? Do not wait any longer! We should go immediately and take possession of that land! BSB BSB: They answered, “Come on, let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and it is very good. Why would you fail to act? Do not hesitate to go there and take possession of the land!
10 UDB When you go there, you will see that there is plenty of land, and it has everything that we will need. The people there are not expecting anyone to attack them. God is certainly giving that land to us." BSB BSB: When you enter, you will come to an unsuspecting people and a spacious land, for God has delivered it into your hand. It is a place where nothing on earth is lacking.”
11 UDB So six hundred men from the tribe of Dan left Zorah and Eshtaol, carrying their weapons. BSB BSB: So six hundred Danites departed from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war.
12 UDB On their way they set up their tents near the city of Kiriath Jearim in the area where the tribe of Judah live. That is why the area west of Kiriath Jearim was named Mahaneh Dan (or the "Camp of Dan"), and that is still its name. BSB BSB: They went up and camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. That is why the place west of Kiriath-jearim is called Mahaneh-dan to this day.
13 UDB From there, they went to the hill country where the tribe of Ephraim lived. And they arrived at Micah's house. BSB BSB: And from there they traveled to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah’s house.
The Danites Take Micah’s Idols 14 UDB The five men who had explored the land near Laish said to their fellow Israelites, "Do you know that in one of these houses there is a sacred vest, several household idols, a carved figure, and a cast metal figure? We think that you know what you should do." BSB BSB: Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish said to their brothers, “Did you know that one of these houses has an ephod, household gods, a graven image, and a molten idol? Now think about what you should do.”
15 UDB So they went to the house where the man from the tribe of Levi lived, which was the house where Micah lived, and they greeted the young man from the tribe of Levi who was Micah's priest. BSB BSB: So they turned aside there and went to the home of the young Levite, the house of Micah, and greeted him.
16 UDB The six hundred men of the tribe of Dan stood outside the gate of the house, carrying their weapons. BSB BSB: The six hundred Danites stood at the entrance of the gate, armed with their weapons of war.
17 UDB The five men who had explored the land went into Micah's house and took the carved figure, the sacred vest, the household gods, and the cast metal figure. While they did that, the six hundred men stood outside the gate, talking with the priest. BSB BSB: And the five men who had gone to spy out the land went inside and took the graven image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molten idol, while the priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred armed men.
18 UDB When the priest saw them bringing out the carved figure, the sacred vest, the household gods, and cast metal figure, he said to them, "What are you doing?" BSB BSB: When they entered Micah’s house and took the graven image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molten idol, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”
19 UDB They replied, "Be quiet! Do not say anything! You come with us and be like a father to us and a priest for us. Is it better for you to stay here and be a priest for the people in the house of one man, or to be a priest for a clan and a priest for a whole tribe of Israelites?" BSB BSB: “Be quiet,” they told him. “Put your hand over your mouth and 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 a priest for a tribe and family in Israel?”
20 UDB The priest liked what they were suggesting. So he took the sacred vest and the household gods and the carved figure, and he prepared to go with the people. BSB BSB: So the priest was glad and took the ephod, the household idols, and the graven image, and went with the people.
21 UDB All the men made their wives and little children, their animals, and everything else that they owned to travel just in front of themselves. BSB BSB: Putting their small children, their livestock, and their possessions in front of them, they turned and departed.
22 UDB After they had gone a little distance from Micah's house, Micah saw what was happening. He quickly summoned the men who lived near him, and they ran and caught up with the men from the tribe of Dan. BSB BSB: After they were some distance from Micah’s house, the men in the houses near Micah’s house mobilized and overtook the Danites.
23 UDB They shouted at them. The men of the tribe of Dan turned around and said to Micah, "What is the problem? Why have you gathered these men to pursue us?" BSB BSB: When they called out after them, the Danites turned to face them and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you that you have called out such a company?”
24 UDB Micah shouted, "You took the silver idols that were made for me! You also took my priest! I do not have anything left! So why do you ask me, 'What is the problem?'" BSB BSB: He replied, “You took the gods I had made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you say to me, ‘What is the matter with you?’”
25 UDB The men from the tribe of Dan replied, "You had better not say anything about this matter. Some of our men might become angry and attack you, killing you and your family!" BSB BSB: The Danites said to him, “Do not raise your voice against us, or angry men will attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives.”
26 UDB Then the men from the tribe of Dan continued walking. Micah realized that there was a very large group of them so that it would be useless for him to try to fight them. So he turned around and went home. BSB BSB: So the Danites went on their way, and Micah turned to go back home, because he saw that they were too strong for him.
27 UDB The men of the tribe of Dan were carrying the things that had been made for Micah, and they also took his priest, and they continued traveling to Laish. They attacked the people who were peacefully living there and killed them with their swords. Then they burned everything in the city. BSB BSB: After they had taken Micah’s idols and his priest, they went to Laish, to a quiet and unsuspecting people, and they struck them with their swords and burned down the city.
28 UDB There was no group of people to rescue the people of Laish. Laish was far from Sidon, so the people who lived there could not help the people of Laish. And the people of Laish had no other allies. Laish was in a valley near the town of Beth Rehob. The people of the tribe of Dan rebuilt the city and started to live there. BSB BSB: There was no one to deliver them, because the city was far from Sidon and had no alliance with anyone; it was in a valley near Beth-rehob. And the Danites rebuilt the city and lived there.
31 UDB After the people of the tribe of Dan set up the carved figure that had been made for Micah, it stayed there as long as the house of God was in Shiloh. BSB BSB: So they set up for themselves Micah’s graven image, and it was there the whole time the house of God was in Shiloh.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.