Judges 18 ISV BSB Parallel

◄ Judges 18 ►

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Berean Study Bible

1Back in those days, Israel didn't have a king yet, and during that time the tribe of Dan had been seeking a territorial inheritance to live in, because up until that time no territory had been allotted to them as a possession among the tribes of Israel.

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.

2So the tribe of Dan sent from their families five valiant men of their number from Zorah and Eshtaol to scout the land and search through it. Following their orders, which were "Go and scout the land," they came to the mountainous region of Ephraim, arrived at Micah's home, and stayed there.

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.

3As they approached Micah's home, they recognized the voice of the young male descendant of Levi. They turned aside from there and spoke to him, asking him, "Who brought you here? What work are you doing here? And what's your business here?"

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?”

4He answered, "Micah did such and such for me, and has hired me, so I've become his priest."

4“Micah has done this and that for me,” he replied, “and he has hired me to be his priest.”

5They replied, "Go ask God, please, about whether or not we'll be successful in this journey."

5Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God to determine whether we will have a successful journey.”

6The priest responded to them, "Travel in peace. The mission that you're to accomplish is from the LORD."

6And the priest told them, “Go in peace. The LORD is watching over your journey.”

7So the five men left and went to Laish, and observed the people who were living there carefree, as Sidonians tend to do, in peace and quiet. There was no ruler in the land oppressing them for any reason. They were living far away from the Sidonians, and had no dealings with anyone.

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.

8When they returned to their relatives at Zorah and Eshtaol, their relatives asked them, "What's your report?"

8When the men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers asked them, “What did you find?”

9They replied, "Let's get going and attack them. We've scouted out the land—and look!—it's a very good one. Why should we sit still? We can't wait to go back, invade, and take over the land.

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!

10When you invade, you'll meet a carefree people living in a spacious territory. God has given it into your control—it's a place that lacks nothing on this earth!"

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.”

11So 600 descendants of Dan from Zorah and Eshtaol set out for battle, armed with military weapons.

11So six hundred Danites departed from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war.

12They went out and encamped at Kiriath-jearim in the territory of Judah. (That's why they call the place Mahaneh-dan to this day. It lies west of Kiriath-jearim.)

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.

13They proceeded from there to the mountainous region of Ephraim and arrived at Micah's house.

13And from there they traveled to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah’s house.

14Then the five men who had gone to scout out the territory of Laish told their relatives, "Are you aware that in these houses there's an ephod, some household idols, a carved image, and a cast image? You know what you need to do."

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.”

15So they turned aside from there, went to Micah's house, and greeted him.

15So they turned aside there and went to the home of the young Levite, the house of Micah, and greeted him.

16While the 600 Danite soldiers, armed with military weapons, stood guard at the entrance to the gate,

16The six hundred Danites stood at the entrance of the gate, armed with their weapons of war.

17the five men who had gone to scout out the land arrived, entered Micah's home and confiscated the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the cast image. Meanwhile, the priest stood outside by the entrance to the gate with the 600 men armed with military weapons.

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.

18After they went into Micah's home and took possession of the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the cast image, the priest challenged them. "What are you doing?" he asked them.

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?”

19They told him, "Shut up and keep quiet. Come with us and be our spiritual father and priest. It's better for you, isn't it, to be a priest to an entire tribe and family in Israel than to be priest to the home of one man?"

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?”

20The priest was happy to oblige, so he took the ephod, the household idols, and the carved image and went along with the army.

20So the priest was glad and took the ephod, the household idols, and the graven image, and went with the people.

21Then they turned around and left, sending their little ones, their livestock, and their valuables on ahead.

21Putting their small children, their livestock, and their possessions in front of them, they turned and departed.

22When they had been gone a short distance from Micah's home, some of Micah's neighbors assembled a search party and overtook the descendants of Dan.

22After they were some distance from Micah’s house, the men in the houses near Micah’s house mobilized and overtook the Danites.

23They yelled at the descendants of Dan, who turned around to face Micah and asked, "What's wrong with you? You've assembled together…?"

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?”

24Micah replied, "You took my gods that I crafted, along with the priest, and left! What do I have left? So what's with this 'What's wrong with you?'"

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?’ ”

25The descendants of Dan answered him, "You had better not talk to us about this, or else these bad guys here will attack you. You will lose your life, along with the lives of your whole household."

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.”

26Then the descendants of Dan went on their way. Because Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back home.

26So the Danites went on their way, and Micah turned to go back home, because he saw that they were too strong for him.

27But the descendants of Dan took what Micah had made, along with the priest who had worked for him, and went to Laish, to a quiet and carefree people, and killed them with swords. Then they set fire to the city.

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.

28They had no one else to deliver them, because they lived far from Sidon and had no dealings with anyone. It lay in the valley near Beth-rehob. They rebuilt the city and lived in it.

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.

29They renamed the city Dan, after the name of their ancestor Dan, who had been born in Israel. The former name of the city was Laish.

29They named it Dan, after their forefather Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city was formerly named Laish.

30The descendants of Dan set up the carved image, and Gershom's son Jonathan, a descendant of Manasseh, served along with his descendants as priests to the tribe of Dan until the land was taken captive.

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.

31Micah's carved image, that he himself had crafted, was in place during the entire time that God's tent was set up at Shiloh.

31So they set up for themselves Micah’s graven image, and it was there the whole time the house of God was in Shiloh.

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