1In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites sought an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel. 2And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their borders, men of valor, 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 by the house of Micah, they recognized {knew} the voice of the young man, the Levite; and they turned in there {thither}, and said unto him, Who brought thee here {hither}? And what makest thou in this place? And what hast thou here? 4And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest. 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. 6And the priest said unto them, Go in peace; before the LORD is your way wherein ye go. 7Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people who were therein, how they dwelt without anxiety {careless}, after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure; and there was no magistrate in the land, who might put them to shame in any thing; and they were far from the Sidonians, and had no business with any man. 8And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto them, What say ye? 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 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.

11And there went from there {thence} of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men appointed, with weapons of war. 12And they went up, and encamped {pitched} in Kiriath-jearim, in Judah; wherefore they called that place Mahaneh-dan unto this day: behold, it is behind Kiriath-jearim. 13And they passed from there {thence} unto Mount Ephraim, and came unto the house of Micah. 14Then answered the five men who went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there are {is} in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a carved {graven} image, and a melted {molten) image? Now, therefore, consider what ye have to do. 15And they turned aside there {thitherward}, and came to the house of the young man, the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and saluted him. 16And the six hundred men appointed, with their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance {entering} of the gate. 17And the five men who went to spy out the land went up, and came in there {thither}, and took the carved {graven} image, the ephod, and teraphim, and the melted {molten) image; and the priest stood in the entrance {entering} of the gate with the six hundred men who were appointed, with weapons of war. 18And these went into Micah's house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the melted image. Then said the priest unto them, What do ye? 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? 20And the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the carved image, and went in the midst of the people. 21So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the carriage before them.

22And when they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men who were in the houses near to Micah's house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan. 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? 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? 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. 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.

27And they took the things which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people who were quiet and secure; and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire. 28And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and they had no business with any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by Beth-rehob. And they built a city, and dwelt in it {therein}. 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. 30And the children of Dan set up the carved 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. 31And they set them up Micah's carved image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.