Hello, I'm Gary Stevens, and welcome to the History in the Bible podcast.

All the history, in all the books, in all the Bibles.

Thank you. Episode 1.28.

Judging Joshua and the judges.

In the last episode of the History in the Bible podcast,

we finished with the story of the Homicidal half-wit Samson.

The next story, chapter 17 to 18, recounts the migration of the northern tribe of Dan from its initial allotment on the Mediterranean coast.

The daynights are being hard-pressed by their neighbours, the Philistines, and seek a less stressful abode.

The narrative starts off with Micahehu, the Ephraimite. He is one petty crook.

Micah admits to stealing silver from his mother. This must have been going on for years,

because she is delighted that her son has finally confessed to a crime. So happy is she

that she uses the peloin silver to make an image to God. The text emphasises that this is a statue

of Yave. Yave has no truck with idols.

Micah decides that no home is complete without a private chaplain.

He hires a Levite to be his own personal priest.

At this point, the entire tribe of Dan arrives at his door, having been evicted by the Philistines from their land on the coast.

And what a nasty bunch they are.

Quote, Judges 8.15.

So the Danites turned off there and entered the home of the young Levite at Micah's house and greeted him.

The priest was standing at the entrance of the gate and the 600 Danite men girt with their weapons

of war while those men entered Micah's house and took the sculptured image, the molten image,

and the household gods.

...