Judges:18

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* In 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 there had nothing been allotted unto them among the tribes of Israel for an inheritance . * And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their whole number , 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 '; and they came to the hill-country of Ephraim , unto the house of Micah , and lodged there . * When they were by the house of Micah , they knew the voice of the young man the Levite ; and they turned aside thither , and said unto him : 'Who brought thee hither ? and what doest thou in this place ? and what hast thou here ?' * And he said unto them : 'Thus and thus hath Micah dealt with me , and he hath hired me , and I am become his priest .' * And they said unto him : 'Ask counsel , we pray thee , of God , that we may know whether our way which we are going shall be prosperous .' * And the priest said unto them : 'Go in peace ; before the LORD is your way wherein ye go .' * Then the five men departed , and came to Laish , and saw the people that were therein , how they dwelt in security , after the manner of the Zidonians , quiet and secure ; for there was none in the land , possessing authority , that might put them to shame in any thing , and they were far from the Zidonians , and had no dealings with any man . * And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol ; and their brethren said unto them : 'What say ye ?' * And they said : 'Arise , and let us 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 in to possess the land . * When ye go , ye shall come unto a people secure , and the land is large ; for God hath given it into your hand ; a place where there is no want ; it hath every thing that is in the earth .' * And there set forth from thence of the family of the Danites , out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol , six hundred men girt with weapons of war . * And they went up , and encamped in Kiriath-jearim , in Judah ; wherefore that place was called Mahaneh-dan unto this day ; behold , it is behind Kiriath-jearim . * And they passed thence unto the hill-country of Ephraim , and came unto the house of Micah . * Then 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 .' * And they turned aside thither , and came to the house of the young man the Levite , even unto the house of Micah , and asked him of his welfare . * And the six hundred men girt with their weapons of war , who were of the children of Dan , stood by the entrance of the gate . * And 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 by the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men girt with weapons of war . * And when these went into Micah 's house , and fetched the graven image of the ephod , and the teraphim , and the molten image , the priest said unto them : 'What do ye ?' * And they said unto him : 'Hold thy peace , lay thy hand upon thy mouth , and go with us , and be to us a father and a priest ; is it better for thee to be priest unto the house of one man , or to be priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel ?' * And 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 . * So they turned and departed , and put the little ones and the cattle and the goods before them . * 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 Daniel . * And they cried unto the children of Daniel . And they turned their faces , and said unto Micah : 'What aileth thee , that thou comest with such a company ?' * And he said : 'Ye have taken away my god which I made , and the priest , and are gone away , and what have I more ? and how then say ye unto me : What aileth thee ?' * And the children of Dan said unto him : 'Let not thy voice be heard among us , lest angry fellows fall upon you , and thou lose thy life , with the lives of thy household .' * And 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 . * And they took that which Micah had made , and the priest whom he had , and came unto Laish , unto a people quiet and secure , and smote them with the edge of the sword ; and they burnt the city with fire . * And there was no deliverer , because it was far from Zidon , and they had no dealings with any man ; and it was in the valley that lieth by Beth-rehob . And they built the city , and dwelt therein . * And 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 . * And the children of Dan set up for themselves the graven image ; and Jonathan , the son of Gershom , the son of Manasseh , he and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land . * So 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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