| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1In 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. | 1Now in those days Israel had no king. And the tribe of Dan was trying to find a place where they could settle, for they had not yet moved into the land assigned to them when the land was divided among the tribes of Israel. |
| 2So 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. | 2So the men of Dan chose from their clans five capable warriors from the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol to scout out a land for them to settle in. When these warriors arrived in the hill country of Ephraim, they came to Micah’s house and spent the night there. |
| 3And 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?” | 3While at Micah’s house, they recognized the young Levite’s accent, so they went over and asked him, “Who brought you here, and what are you doing in this place? Why are you here?” |
| 4“Micah has done this and that for me,” he replied, “and he has hired me to be his priest.” | 4He told them about his agreement with Micah and that he had been hired as Micah’s personal priest. |
| 5Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God to determine whether we will have a successful journey.” | 5Then they said, “Ask God whether or not our journey will be successful.” |
| 6And the priest told them, “Go in peace. The LORD is watching over your journey.” | 6“Go in peace,” the priest replied. “For the LORD is watching over your journey.” |
| 7So the five men departed and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living securely, like the Sidonians, tranquil 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. | 7So the five men went on to the town of Laish, where they noticed the people living carefree lives, like the Sidonians; they were peaceful and secure. The people were also wealthy because their land was very fertile. And they lived a great distance from Sidon and had no allies nearby. |
| 8When the men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers asked them, “What did you find?” | 8When the men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their relatives asked them, “What did you find?” |
| 9They 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! | 9The men replied, “Come on, let’s attack them! We have seen the land, and it is very good. What are you waiting for? Don’t hesitate to go and take possession of it. |
| 10When 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.” | 10When you get there, you will find the people living carefree lives. God has given us a spacious and fertile land, lacking in nothing!” |
| 11So six hundred Danites departed from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war. | 11So 600 men from the tribe of Dan, armed with weapons of war, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. |
| 12They 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. | 12They camped at a place west of Kiriath-jearim in Judah, which is called Mahaneh-dan to this day. |
| 13And from there they traveled to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah’s house. | 13Then they went on from there into the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah. |
| 14Then 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.” | 14The five men who had scouted out the land around Laish explained to the others, “These buildings contain a sacred ephod, as well as some household idols, a carved image, and a cast idol. What do you think you should do?” |
| 15So they turned aside there and went to the home of the young Levite, the house of Micah, and greeted him. | 15Then the five men turned off the road and went over to Micah’s house, where the young Levite lived, and greeted him kindly. |
| 16The six hundred Danites stood at the entrance of the gate, armed with their weapons of war. | 16As the 600 armed warriors from the tribe of Dan stood at the entrance of the gate, |
| 17And 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. | 17the five scouts entered the shrine and removed the carved image, the sacred ephod, the household idols, and the cast idol. Meanwhile, the priest was standing at the gate with the 600 armed warriors. |
| 18When 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?” | 18When the priest saw the men carrying all the sacred objects out of Micah’s shrine, he said, “What are you doing?” |
| 19“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?” | 19“Be quiet and come with us,” they said. “Be a father and priest to all of us. Isn’t it better to be a priest for an entire tribe and clan of Israel than for the household of just one man?” |
| 20So the priest was glad and took the ephod, the household idols, and the graven image, and went with the people. | 20The young priest was quite happy to go with them, so he took along the sacred ephod, the household idols, and the carved image. |
| 21Putting their small children, their livestock, and their possessions in front of them, they turned and departed. | 21They turned and started on their way again, placing their children, livestock, and possessions in front of them. |
| 22After they were some distance from Micah’s house, the men in the houses near Micah’s house mobilized and overtook the Danites. | 22When the people from the tribe of Dan were quite a distance from Micah’s house, the people who lived near Micah came chasing after them. |
| 23When 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?” | 23They were shouting as they caught up with them. The men of Dan turned around and said to Micah, “What’s the matter? Why have you called these men together and chased after us like this?” |
| 24He 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?’ ” | 24“What do you mean, ‘What’s the matter?’” Micah replied. “You’ve taken away all the gods I have made, and my priest, and I have nothing left!” |
| 25The 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.” | 25The men of Dan said, “Watch what you say! There are some short-tempered men around here who might get angry and kill you and your family.” |
| 26So the Danites went on their way, and Micah turned to go back home, because he saw that they were too strong for him. | 26So the men of Dan continued on their way. When Micah saw that there were too many of them for him to attack, he turned around and went home. |
| 27After they had taken Micah’s idols and his priest, they went to Laish, to a tranquil and unsuspecting people, and they struck them with their swords and burned down the city. | 27Then, with Micah’s idols and his priest, the men of Dan came to the town of Laish, whose people were peaceful and secure. They attacked with swords and burned the town to the ground. |
| 28There 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. | 28There was no one to rescue the people, for they lived a great distance from Sidon and had no allies nearby. This happened in the valley near Beth-rehob. Then the people of the tribe of Dan rebuilt the town and lived there. |
| 29They named it Dan, after their forefather Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city was formerly named Laish. | 29They renamed the town Dan after their ancestor, Israel’s son, but it had originally been called Laish. |
| 30The Danites set up idols for themselves, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land. | 30Then they set up the carved image, and they appointed Jonathan son of Gershom, son of Moses, as their priest. This family continued as priests for the tribe of Dan until the Exile. |
| 31So they set up for themselves Micah’s graven image, and it was there the whole time the house of God was in Shiloh. | 31So Micah’s carved image was worshiped by the tribe of Dan as long as the Tabernacle of God remained at Shiloh. |
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