Judges:18

---

Seeker Overlay ON

* In those days there was no king in Israel ; and in those days the tribe of Dan sought for itself an inheritance to inhabit , because no inheritance had fallen to it until that day in the midst of the tribes of the children of Israel . * And the sons of Dan sent from their families five men of valour , from Saraa and from Esthaol , to spy out the land and to (note :)Or , survey or examine it (:note ) search it ; and they said to them , Go and search out the land . And they came as far as the mount of Ephraim to the house of Michaias and they lodged there , * in the house of Michaias , and they recognised the voice of the young man the Levite , and turned in thither ; and said to him , Who brought thee in hither ? and what doest thou in this place ? and what hast thou here ? * And he said to them , Thus and thus did Michaias to me , and he hired me , and I became his priest . * And they said to him , Enquire now of God , and we shall know whether our way will prosper , on which we are going . * And the priest said to them , Go in peace ; your way in which ye go , is before the Lord . * And the five men went on , and came to Laisa ; and they saw the people in the midst of it dwelling securely , at ease as is the manner of the Sidonians , and there is no one (note :)Here probably diatrepwn and ekpiezwn both come under the Hebrew Mylkm and ekpiezwn and yhsaurouv both under rue (:note ) perverting or shaming a matter in the land , no heir extorting treasures ; and they are far from the Sidonians , and they have no intercourse with any one . * And the five men came to their brethren to Saraa and Esthaol , and said to their brethren , Why sit ye here idle ? * And they said , Arise , and let us go up against them , for we have seen the land , and , behold , it is very good , yet ye are still : delay not to go , an to enter in to possess the land . * And whensoever ye shall go , ye shall come in upon a people secure , and the land is extensive , for God has given it into your hand ; a place where there is no want of (note :)Gr . of the things in the land or earth (:note ) anything that the earth affords . * And there departed thence of the families of Dan , from Saraa and from Esthaol , six hundred men , girded with weapons of war . * And they went up , and encamped in Cariathiarim in Juda ; therefore it was called in that place the camp of Dan , until this day : behold , it is behind Cariathiarim . * And they went on thence to the mount of Ephraim , and came to the house of Michaias . * And the five men who went to spy out the land of Laisa answered , and said to their brethren , Ye know that there is in this place an ephod , and theraphin , and a graven and a molten image ; and now consider what ye shall do . * And they turned aside there , and went into the house of the young man , the Levite , even into the house of Michaias , and asked him (note :)Gr . as to or concerning peace (:note ) how he was . * And the six hundred men of the sons of Dan who were girded with their weapons of war (note :)Lit . standing (:note ) stood by the door of the gate . * And the five men who went to spy out the land went up , and entered into the house of Michaias , and the priest (note :)Lit . standing (:note ) stood . * And they took the graven image , and the ephod , and the theraphin , and the molten image ; and the priest said to them , What are ye doing ? * And they said to him , Be silent , lay thine hand upon thy mouth , and come with us , and be to us a father and a priest : is it better for thee to be the priest of the house of one man , or to be the priest of a tribe and house for a family of Israel ? * And the heart of the priest was glad , and he took the ephod , and the theraphin , and the graven image , and the molten image , and went in the midst of the people . * So they turned and departed , and put their children and their property and their baggage before them . * they went some distance from the house of Michaias , and , behold , Michaias and the men in the houses near Michaias ’ house , cried out , and overtook the children of Daniel . * And the children of Dan turned their face , and said to Michaias , What is the matter with thee that thou hast cried out ? * And Michaias said , Because ye have taken my graven image which I made , and my priest , and are gone ; and what have I remaining ? and what is this that ye say to me , Why criest thou ? * And the children of Dan said to him , Let not thy voice be heard with us , lest angry men run upon thee , and (note :)Lid . add (:note ) take away thy life , and the lives of thy house . * And the children of Dan went their way ; and Michaias saw that they were stronger than himself , and he returned to his house . * And the children of Dan took what Michaias had made , and the priest that he had , and they came to Laisa , to a people quiet and secure ; and they smote them with the edge of the sword , and burnt the city with fire . * And there was no deliverer , because the city is far from the Sidonians , and they have no intercourse with men , and it is in the valley of the house of Raab ; and they built the city , and dwelt in it . * And they called the name of the city Dan , after the name of Dan their father , who was born to Israel ; and the name of the city was (note :)Hebrews . Ulamlaish , or Laish of old (:note ) Ulamais before . * And the children of Dan set up the graven image for themselves ; and Jonathan son of Gerson son of Manasse , he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan till the time of the carrying away of the (note :)Gr . land (:note ) nation . * And they set up for themselves the graven image which Michaias made , all the days that the house of God was in Selom ; and it was so in those days that there was no king in Israel .

---