| New Living Translation | NET Bible |
| 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. | 1In those days Israel had no king. And in those days the Danite tribe was looking for a place to settle, because at that time they did not yet have a place to call their own among the tribes of Israel. |
| 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. | 2The Danites sent out from their whole tribe five representatives, capable men from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. They said to them, "Go, explore the land." They came to the Ephraimite hill country and spent the night at Micah's house. |
| 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?” | 3As they approached Micah's house, they recognized the accent of the young Levite. So they stopped there and said to him, "Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is your business here?" |
| 4He told them about his agreement with Micah and that he had been hired as Micah’s personal priest. | 4He told them what Micah had done for him, saying, "He hired me and I became his priest." |
| 5Then they said, “Ask God whether or not our journey will be successful.” | 5They said to him, "Seek a divine oracle for us, so we can know if we will be successful on our mission." |
| 6“Go in peace,” the priest replied. “For the LORD is watching over your journey.” | 6The priest said to them, "Go with confidence. The LORD will be with you on your mission." |
| 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. | 7So the five men journeyed on and arrived in Laish. They noticed that the people there were living securely, like the Sidonians do, undisturbed and unsuspecting. No conqueror was troubling them in any way. They lived far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone. |
| 8When the men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their relatives asked them, “What did you find?” | 8When the Danites returned to their tribe in Zorah and Eshtaol, their kinsmen asked them, "How did it go?" |
| 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. | 9They said, "Come on, let's attack them, for we saw their land and it is very good. You seem lethargic, but don't hesitate to invade and conquer the land. |
| 10When you get there, you will find the people living carefree lives. God has given us a spacious and fertile land, lacking in nothing!” | 10When you invade, you will encounter unsuspecting people. The land is wide! God is handing it over to you--a place that lacks nothing on earth!" |
| 11So 600 men from the tribe of Dan, armed with weapons of war, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. | 11So six hundred Danites, fully armed, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. |
| 12They camped at a place west of Kiriath-jearim in Judah, which is called Mahaneh-dan to this day. | 12They went up and camped in Kiriath Jearim in Judah. (To this day that place is called Camp of Dan. It is west of Kiriath Jearim.) |
| 13Then they went on from there into the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah. | 13From there they traveled through the Ephraimite hill country and arrived at Micah's house. |
| 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?” | 14The five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish said to their kinsmen, "Do you realize that inside these houses are an ephod, some personal idols, a carved image, and a metal image? Decide now what you want to do." |
| 15Then the five men turned off the road and went over to Micah’s house, where the young Levite lived, and greeted him kindly. | 15They stopped there, went inside the young Levite's house (which belonged to Micah), and asked him how he was doing. |
| 16As the 600 armed warriors from the tribe of Dan stood at the entrance of the gate, | 16Meanwhile the six hundred Danites, fully armed, stood at the entrance to the gate. |
| 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. | 17The five men who had gone to spy out the land broke in and stole the carved image, the ephod, the personal idols, and the metal image, while the priest was standing at the entrance to the gate with the six hundred fully armed men. |
| 18When the priest saw the men carrying all the sacred objects out of Micah’s shrine, he said, “What are you doing?” | 18When these men broke into Micah's house and stole the carved image, the ephod, the personal idols, and the metal image, the priest said to them, "What are you doing?" |
| 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?” | 19They said to him, "Shut up! Put your hand over your mouth and come with us! You can be our adviser and priest. Wouldn't it be better to be a priest for a whole Israelite tribe than for just one man's family?" |
| 20The young priest was quite happy to go with them, so he took along the sacred ephod, the household idols, and the carved image. | 20The priest was happy. He took the ephod, the personal idols, and the carved image and joined the group. |
| 21They turned and started on their way again, placing their children, livestock, and possessions in front of them. | 21They turned and went on their way, but they walked behind the children, the cattle, and their possessions. |
| 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. | 22After they had gone a good distance from Micah's house, Micah's neighbors gathered together and caught up with the Danites. |
| 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?” | 23When they called out to the Danites, the Danites turned around and said to Micah, "Why have you gathered together?" |
| 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!” | 24He said, "You stole my gods that I made, as well as this priest, and then went away. What do I have left? How can you have the audacity to say to me, 'What do you want?'" |
| 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.” | 25The Danites said to him, "Don't say another word to us, or some very angry men will attack you, and you and your family will die." |
| 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. | 26The Danites went on their way; when Micah realized they were too strong to resist, he turned around and went home. |
| 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. | 27Now the Danites took what Micah had made, as well as his priest, and came to Laish, where the people were undisturbed and unsuspecting. They struck them down with the sword and burned the city. |
| 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. | 28No one came to the rescue because the city was far from Sidon and they had no dealings with anyone. The city was in a valley near Beth Rehob. The Danites rebuilt the city and occupied it. |
| 29They renamed the town Dan after their ancestor, Israel’s son, but it had originally been called Laish. | 29They named it Dan after their ancestor, who was one of Israel's sons. But the city's name used to be Laish. |
| 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. | 30The Danites worshiped the carved image. Jonathan, descendant of Gershom, son of Moses, and his descendants served as priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the exile. |
| 31So Micah’s carved image was worshiped by the tribe of Dan as long as the Tabernacle of God remained at Shiloh. | 31They worshiped Micah's carved image the whole time God's authorized shrine was in Shiloh. |
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