The Danites Settle in Laish

1At that tyme was there no kynge in Israel. And ye trybe of ye Danites soughte them an enheritaunce to dwell in, for vnto that daie there was no enheritaunce fallen vnto them amonge the trybes of Israel. 2And the childre of Dan sent out of their kynreds fyue captaynes (which were men of armes) from Zarga and Esthaol, to spye and search out the londe. And they sayde vnto them: Go youre waie, and search out the londe. And they came vp to mount Ephraim in to ye house of Micha, and taried there all nighte. 3And whyle they were there wt Michas hussholde, they knewe ye voyce of the yonge man the Leuite, and sayde vnto him: Who broughte ye hither? What makest thou here? and why woldest thou come hither? 4He answered the: Thus & thus hath Micha done vnto me, & hath hyred me to be his prest. 5They sayde vnto him: O axe at God, yt we maye perceaue, whether oure iourney which we go, shal prospere well or not. 6The prest answered them: Go youre waye in peace, youre iourney yt ye go, is before the LORDE.

7Then the fyue men wente their waye, & came vnto Lais, and sawe that the people which was therin, dwelt sure, euen as ye Sidonians, at rest, and carelesse, and that there was no lorde in the londe to vexe them, and were farre from the Sidonias, and had nothinge to do with eny man. 8And they came to their brethre to Zarga and Esthaol. And their brethren saide vnto them: How is it wt you? 9They sayde: Arise, let vs go vp vnto them, for we haue sene the londe, yt it is a very good londe: make haist therfore, & be not slacke to go, that ye maye come to take possession of the londe. 10Whan ye come, ye shall come to a carelesse people, and the londe is wyde: for God hath delyuered this place in to yor hande, where nothinge wanteth of all yt is vpon earth.

11Then wente there thence out of the kynreds of Dan from Zarga and Esthaol, sixe hundreth men ready wapened to ye battayll, 12and wente vp, and pitched at Kiriath Iearim in Iuda: therfore called they the same place, ye hoost of Dan, vnto this daye, which is behinde Kiriath Iearim. 13And fro thence they wete vp vnto mout Ephraim, and came to the house of Micha.

The Danites Take Micah’s Idols

14Then answered the fyue men that wete out to spye the londe of Lais, & sayde vnto their brethren: Knowe ye not that in these houses there is an ouerbody cote, Idols, & molten ymages? Now maye ye loke what ye haue to do. 15They departed thence, and came to the house of the yonge man the Leuite in Michas house, and saluted him fredly. 16But the sixe hundreth men, which were of ye children of Dan, stode ready harnessed before ye gate. 17And the fyue men that were gone out to spye ye londe, wete vp, and came thither, and toke the ymage, the ouerbody cote, & the molten Idols. In the meane whyle stode ye prest at the gate, with the sixe hundreth readye harnessed. 18Now wha these were come in to Michas house, and toke the ymage, the ouerbody cote, and the molten Idols, the prest sayde vnto them: What do ye? 19They answered him: Holde thy peace, and laye thine hande vpon thy mouth, and go with vs, yt thou mayest be oure father & prest. Is it better for the to be prest in one mans house, then amonge a whole trybe & kynred in Israel? 20This pleased the prest well, & he toke both the ouerbody cote, and the Idols, and the ymage, and came in amonge the people.

21And whan they turned them and wente thence, they sent their children, and catell, and soch precious thynges as they had, before them. 22Whan they were come farre now from the house of Micha, the men yt were in Michas houses gathered the together by Michas house, & folowed ye childre of Dan, and cried vpon the childre of Dan. 23They turned their faces aboute, and sayde vnto Micha: What ayleth the, yt thou makest soch a crienge? 24He answered: Ye haue taken awaye my goddes, and the prest, & are goinge yor waie, and what haue I behynde? What is here? And yet ye saye vnto me: What ayleth the? 25But the childre of Dan saide vnto him: Let not thy voyce be herde amoge vs, that some wrothfull me thrust not at the, and so yi soule and the soule of yi house be destroyed. 26So the childre of Dan wete on their waye. And Micha, whan he sawe yt they were to stronge for him, turned backe, and came agayne to his house.

27But they toke that Micha had made, & the prest whom he had, & came vnto Lais, to a quyete carelesse people, and slewe them with the edge of the swerde, and burnt the cite with fyre, 28and there was no man to delyuer them: for they laye farre fro Sidon, and had to do with no man. And they laye in the valley, which is besyde Beth Rehob. Then buylded they the cite, & dwelt therin, 29& called it Dan, after name of their father Dan, whom Israel begat. And ye cite was called Lais afore tyme. 30And the children of Dan set vp the ymage for them, and Ionathan ye sonne of Gerson the sonne of Manasse, & his sonnes were prestes amoge the trybe of ye Danites, vnto the tyme yt they were led awaye captyue out of the londe. 31And thus they set amonge the the ymage of Micha, which he had made, as loge as ye house of God was at Silo.