Judges Chapter 18

Danites take the Levite and the idol.

In those days there was no king in Israel, and in those days the tribe of the people of Dan was seeking for itself an inheritance to dwell in,

for until then no inheritance among the tribes of Israel had fallen to them.

So the people of Dan sent five able men from the whole number of their tribe, from Zora and

from Eshtail, to spy out the land and to explore it. And they said to them, go and explore the land.

And they came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah,

and lodged there. When they were by the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young

Levite. And they turned aside and said to him, who brought you here? What are you doing in this place?

What is your business here? And he said to them, this is how Micah dealt with me he has hired me and i have become his

priest and they said to him inquire of god please that we may know whether the journey on which

we are setting out will succeed and the priest said to them go in peace the journey on which you go is

under the eye of the lord then the five men departed and departed and came to Laish and saw the people who were there,

how they lived in security after the manner of the Sedonians, quiet and unsuspecting,

lacking nothing that is in the earth and possessing wealth,

and how they were far from the Sedonians and had no dealings with anyone.

And when they came to their brothers at Zora and Eschiel, their brothers said to them, What do you report? They said, arise and let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very good. And will you do nothing? Do not be slow to go to enter and and possess the land. As soon as you go, you will come to an unsuspecting people. The land is spacious, for God has given it into your hands, a place where there is no lack of anything that is in the earth.

So 600 men of the tribe of Dan armed with weapons of war, set out for Zora and Eshtiel, and went up and encamped

at Kiryath Yerim in Judah. On this account, that place is called Mahanadan, to this day. Behold,

it is west of Kiryath Yerim, and they passed out from there to the hill country of Ephraim

and came to the house of Micah. Then the five men who had gone to scout

out the country of Laish said to their brothers, do you know that in these houses there are an

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