| New International Version | King James Bible |
| 1In those days Israel had no king. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking a place of their own where they might settle, because they had not yet come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. | 1In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel. |
| 2So the Danites sent five of their leading men from Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out the land and explore it. These men represented all the Danites. They told them, "Go, explore the land." So they entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night. | 2And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts, men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land: who when they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there. |
| 3When they were near Micah's house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; so they turned in there and asked him, "Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?" | 3When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite: and they turned in thither, and said unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what makest thou in this place? and what hast thou here? |
| 4He told them what Micah had done for him, and said, "He has hired me and I am his priest." | 4And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest. |
| 5Then they said to him, "Please inquire of God to learn whether our journey will be successful." | 5And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous. |
| 6The priest answered them, "Go in peace. Your journey has the LORD's approval." | 6And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the LORD is your way wherein ye go. |
| 7So the five men left and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living in safety, like the Sidonians, at peace and secure. And since their land lacked nothing, they were prosperous. Also, they lived a long way from the Sidonians and had no relationship with anyone else. | 7Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and there was no magistrate in the land, that might put them to shame in any thing; and they were far from the Zidonians, and had no business with any man. |
| 8When they returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their fellow Danites asked them, "How did you find things?" | 8And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto them, What say ye? |
| 9They answered, "Come on, let's attack them! We have seen the land, and it is very good. Aren't you going to do something? Don't hesitate to go there and take it over. | 9And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess the land. |
| 10When you get there, you will find an unsuspecting people and a spacious land that God has put into your hands, a land that lacks nothing whatever." | 10When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure, and to a large land: for God hath given it into your hands; a place where there is no want of any thing that is in the earth. |
| 11Then six hundred men of the Danites, armed for battle, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. | 11And there went from thence of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men appointed with weapons of war. |
| 12On their way they set up camp near Kiriath Jearim in Judah. This is why the place west of Kiriath Jearim is called Mahaneh Dan to this day. | 12And they went up, and pitched in Kirjathjearim, in Judah: wherefore they called that place Mahanehdan unto this day: behold, it is behind Kirjathjearim. |
| 13From there they went on to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah's house. | 13And they passed thence unto mount Ephraim, and came unto the house of Micah. |
| 14Then the five men who had spied out the land of Laish said to their fellow Danites, "Do you know that one of these houses has an ephod, some household gods and an image overlaid with silver? Now you know what to do." | 14Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have to do. |
| 15So they turned in there and went to the house of the young Levite at Micah's place and greeted him. | 15And they turned thitherward, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and saluted him. |
| 16The six hundred Danites, armed for battle, stood at the entrance of the gate. | 16And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, which were of the children of Dan, stood by the entering of the gate. |
| 17The five men who had spied out the land went inside and took the idol, the ephod and the household gods while the priest and the six hundred armed men stood at the entrance of the gate. | 17And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war. |
| 18When the five men went into Micah's house and took the idol, the ephod and the household gods, the priest said to them, "What are you doing?" | 18And these went into Micah's house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto them, What do ye? |
| 19They answered him, "Be quiet! Don't say a word. Come with us, and be our father and priest. Isn't it better that you serve a tribe and clan in Israel as priest rather than just one man's household?" | 19And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel? |
| 20The priest was very pleased. He took the ephod, the household gods and the idol and went along with the people. | 20And the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people. |
| 21Putting their little children, their livestock and their possessions in front of them, they turned away and left. | 21So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the carriage before them. |
| 22When they had gone some distance from Micah's house, the men who lived near Micah were called together and overtook the Danites. | 22And when they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that were in the houses near to Micah's house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan. |
| 23As they shouted after them, the Danites turned and said to Micah, "What's the matter with you that you called out your men to fight?" | 23And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company? |
| 24He replied, "You took the gods I made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you ask, 'What's the matter with you?'" | 24And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and ye are gone away: and what have I more? and what is this that ye say unto me, What aileth thee? |
| 25The Danites answered, "Don't argue with us, or some of the men may get angry and attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives." | 25And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows run upon thee, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household. |
| 26So the Danites went their way, and Micah, seeing that they were too strong for him, turned around and went back home. | 26And the children of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house. |
| 27Then they took what Micah had made, and his priest, and went on to Laish, against a people at peace and secure. They attacked them with the sword and burned down their city. | 27And they took the things which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people that were at quiet and secure: and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire. |
| 28There was no one to rescue them because they lived a long way from Sidon and had no relationship with anyone else. The city was in a valley near Beth Rehob. The Danites rebuilt the city and settled there. | 28And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Zidon, and they had no business with any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by Bethrehob. And they built a city, and dwelt therein. |
| 29They named it Dan after their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel--though the city used to be called Laish. | 29And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel: howbeit the name of the city was Laish at the first. |
| 30There the Danites set up for themselves the idol, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the captivity of the land. | 30And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land. |
| 31They continued to use the idol Micah had made, all the time the house of God was in Shiloh. | 31And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh. |
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