5 Men of Valor Try to Talk Micah’s Priest into Coming with Them |
Judges 18:1-31 The Book of Judges [in Smaller Chunks] |
In those days, there was no king in Israel & the tribe of Danites [searched] for an inheritance [of land] to [live] in, [because] until then, their inheritance hadn’t been given to them [yet] among the tribes of Israel. |
The children [people] of Dan sent [from] their family, 5 men of valor from their coasts of Zorah & Eshtaol to spy out the land & [examine] it. And [the Danites] said to them, Go, search the land. When they came to Mount Ephraim to the house of Micah & they lodged there. |
When they were by the house of Micah, they [recognized] the voice of the young man, [who was] a Levite. They [went] in there & said to him, Who brought you [here?] What [do you make] in this place? What [do] you have [here]? |
He [told] them, [This is Micah’s deal] with me & [Mica has hired me & I am his priest. They said to him, We pray [that] you ask [for] counsel [from] God & whether [the journey we take] shall be prosperous. |
The priest said to them, Go in peace, before the Lord [on] your way [where you are going.] Then, the 5 men [left] & came to Laish & saw how the people [there lived safely like] the Zidonians [a.k.a. Sidonians,] quiet & secure & there was no [oppressive ruler] in the land, [who] might put them to shame [for] anything. |
They were far from the Zidonians [who] had no business with any man. They came [back] to their brethren in Zorah & Eshtaol & their brethren [asked,] What [do you have to tell us?] |
They said, Arise, so that we [can] go up against [the Zidonians in battle,] for we have seen the land & [saw] it’s very good. [Why are you waiting? Don’t] be [lazy] to go & enter to possess the land. |
When you go, you shall come to a secure people & to a large land: for the [Lord] God has given it into your hands. A place where there isn’t want for anything [on] the earth. |
And 600 [armed] men with weapons of war [from] the family of Danites went out of Zorah & Eshtaol. They went up & pitched [tents] in Judah in Kirjath Jearim, [that] they called Mahaneh Dan to this day, [which] is behind Kirjath Jearim. They passed [from there] to Mount Ephraim & came to [Micah’s] house. |
The 5 men [who had gone to spy out the land] of Laish, answered & said to their brethren, Do you know that in these houses, there is an ephod, a teraphim, a [carved] image & a [molded] image? |
Now consider what you have to do. They turned [aside] & came to the house of the young Levite man, even to the house of Micah & [greeted] him. The 600 [Danite] men, [armed] with weapons of war, stood by the gate [entrance.] |
The 5 men [who spied] out the land went up & took the [carved] image & the ephod, teraphim, the [molded] image & the priest [who] stood in the gate [entrance] with the 600 [armed] men. |
[When they] went into Micah’s house & [got] the ephod & carved image, the teraphim & the [molded] image, the priest [asked,] What [are you doing]? They said to him, Hold your peace & lay your hand [over] your mouth & go with us to be a father & a priest. |
Is it better for you to be a priest to the house of 1 man or to be a priest [for] a tribe & a family in Israel? The priest’s heart was glad & he took the ephod, teraphim & [images] & went [into] the midst of the people. |
They turned & [left] & put the little ones, cattle & carriages [in front of] them. When they were a good [distance away] from [Micah’s] house, Micah’s [neighbors] gathered together & [caught up with] the children [people] of Dan & cried [out] to [them.] |
The [Danites] turned [toward] Micah & said, What ails you, that you have come with such a [large] company? [Micah] said, You have taken away my gods [that] I made & the priest & you [have] gone away. What more [do I have left?] And [why do] you say to me, What ails You? |
And the [people] of Dan said to [Micah, Don’t] let us hear your voice among us, lest some angry [men] run [to] you & you lose your life & the lives of your household. And the [people] of Dan went their way. When Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned & went back to his house. |
[The people of Dan] took the things that Micah had made & the priest [that Micah] had & [the Danites] came to Laish, to the people [who] were quiet & secure & [struck] them with the edge of the sword & burnt the city with fire. |
It was far from Zidon [a.k.a. Sidon] & it was in the valley that lies by Beth Rehob. The [Zidonians didn’t have any ties] with [others, so] there was no [one to save them.] [The Danites] built a city & [lived in it there.] |
They called the name of the city, Dan, after Dan their [forefather, who] was born to Israel [a.k.a Jacob.] [However,] the name of the city was first Laish. |
The [people] of Dan set up the [carved] image & Jonathan, [Gershom’s] son,[who was] the son of the [tribe] of Manasseh & he & his sons were priests [for] the tribe of Dan, until the day of the captivity of the land. |
They set up Micah’s [carved] image [that] he made, [throughout] the time that the house of God was in Shiloh. |