1 In that era there was no king in Israel, and the Danite tribe {shevet hadani: descendants of Dan} was looking for its own inheritance {nachalah: allotted portion} to live in, because up to that time no inheritance had been assigned to them among the tribes of Israel.
2 So the sons of Dan sent five men from their clan, from their outer districts—men of valor {chayil: military strength} from Zorah and from Eshtaol—to spy out the land {eretz: territorial possession} and investigate it. They told them, “Go, examine the land.” They came to the hill-country of Ephraim, reached the house of Micah, and stayed the night there.
3 They were near the house of Micah, and they recognized the voice of the young Levite {levi: member of the Levitical tribe}; so they turned aside there and said to him, “Who has brought you here, and what are you doing in this place {bazeh: in this situation}? And what is there for you here?”
4 And he said to them, “Such and such has Micah {Mikhah: like God} done for me; he has hired me, and I have become his priest {kohen: sacred minister}.”
5 And they said to him, “Please inquire of God {Elohim, Supreme Guide} for us, so that we may know whether our way {derekh: chosen path} on which we are going will succeed.”
6 And the priest {kohen: temple minister} said to them, “Go in peace. The road you are taking lies before the LORD {YHWH, Divine Overseer}.”
7 The five men departed and came to Laish. They saw the people living securely there, as in Sidon’s custom {mishpat: customary practice}—quiet and unsuspecting; they lacked nothing that was in the land and possessed wealth. They were distant from the Sidonians and had no dealings {davar: interactions} with anyone.
8 And they came to their brothers {acheihem: clan members} in Zorah and Eshtaol, and their brothers said to them, “What {mah: what is the report} do you bring?”
9 They said, “Get up and let us move against them, for we have inspected the land and found it to be exceptionally good. Why are you standing idle? Do not be lazy {te‘atzlu: slothful stance} to go in, enter, and take possession of the land {ha’aretz: promised territory}.”
10 When you enter, you will come upon a trusting people and a land is wide {rachavat yadayim: broad expanse}, for God {Elohim, Land Giver} has put it into your hands—a place where nothing of all that is in the land is lacking.
11 And they set out from there, from the clan of the Danite {dani: descendant of Dan}, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, six hundred men armed with gear {kelei: battle equipment}.
12 And they went up and encamped in Kiriath Jearim in Judah; therefore they called that place Mahaneh Dan {machaneh-Dan: tribal encampment} until this day. Behold, it lies behind {acharei: west of} Kiriath Jearim.
13 And they passed on from there into the hill country {har: elevated region} of Ephraim, and came as far as the house {beit: dwelling-place} of Micah.
14 Then the five men {khā-mē-šet hā-ʾă-nā-šîm: designated scouts} who had gone to spy out the land of Laish spoke to their brothers, “You should know that these houses contain an ephod {ʾē-p̄ôd: priestly garment}, teraphim, a carved image, and a cast image. Now then, decide what you will do.”
15 So they turned aside there and came to the house of the young man, the Levite {levi: member of the Levitical tribe}, at the house of Micah, and they asked him about his well-being {leshalom: peace and welfare}.
16 And six hundred men from the tribe of Dan {mibnei-Dan: tribal designation}, girded {chagurim: equipped for war} with their weapons, stood at the entrance of the gate.
17 And five of the men who went to spy out the land went up; they came there and took the carved image {pesel: carved image}, the ephod, the teraphim, and the cast image. Then the priest {kohen: sacred servant} stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred armed men.
18 And these men entered the house of Micah and took the idol {pesel: carved image}, the ephod, the teraphim, and the cast image. Then the priest {kohen: religious official} said to them, “What are you doing?”
19 And they said to him, “Be silent; put your hand upon your mouth, come with us, and be for us a father {av: spiritual guide} and a priest {kohen: cultic minister}. Is it better for you to serve as priest for the house of one man, or to serve as priest for a tribe and clan in Israel?”
20 And the priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod {ephod: priestly garment}, the teraphim, and the idol; then he entered the midst {midst: central gathering} of the people.
21 And they turned and went, and they placed the dependent children {ṭap: dependents} and the livestock {miqneh: cattle} and the valuables in front of them.
22 When they had moved away from the house of Micah, the men who dwelt in the dwellings {batim: houses} near Micah’s household cried out, and they overtook the sons of Dan {benei Dan: tribe of Israel}.
23 And they called {qara: summoned by voice} to the sons of Dan, and they turned their faces, and said to Micah, “What is it with you that you have cried out {nizaqta: urgent cry}?”
24 He said, “You carried off the gods {elohai: objects of worship} I made, and also the priest {hakohein: religious official}, and you left. What is left for me? How can you say to me, ‘What is the matter with you?’”
25 The sons of Dan said to him, “Do not let your voice{qolekha: outcry} be heard among us, or embittered souls may rush upon you, and you will lose your life and the life of your household{betekha: family unit}.”
26 So the sons of Dan {benei-dan: tribal clan} went on their way, and when Micah saw that they were stronger {chazaqim: greater strength} than he was, he turned and returned to his house.
27 They seized what Micah had made and his priest, and moved against Laish, a people who were quiet {shoqet: undisturbed} and secure {uvoteaḥ: confident}. They struck them down with the sword and set the city on fire.
28 There was no rescuer {matzil: deliverer}, because it was far from Sidon and they had no business {davar: engagement} with any man. It was in the valley near Beth Rehob. Afterward they rebuilt the city and lived there.
29 They named the city Dan {Dan: ancestral eponym}, after Dan their father who was born to Israel; but the city had previously been called Laish {Laish: former designation}.
30 And the sons of Dan set up the idol for themselves, and Jonathan son of Gershom, son of Manasseh, together with his sons, served as priests {kohanim: cultic servants} for the tribe of Dan until the day {yom: appointed period} of the land’s captivity.
31 And they set up for themselves the idol {pesel: carved image} of Micah, which he had made, all the days of the existence of the house of God {Elohim: Sanctuary Presence} in Shiloh.