Judges 18 ISV NIV Parallel

◄ Judges 18 ►

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1Back in those days, Israel didn't have a king yet, and during that time the tribe of Dan had been seeking a territorial inheritance to live in, because up until that time no territory had been allotted to them as a possession among the tribes of Israel.

1In those days Israel had no king. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking a place of their own where they might settle, because they had not yet come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.

2So the tribe of Dan sent from their families five valiant men of their number from Zorah and Eshtaol to scout the land and search through it. Following their orders, which were "Go and scout the land," they came to the mountainous region of Ephraim, arrived at Micah's home, and stayed there.

2So the Danites sent five of their leading men from Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out the land and explore it. These men represented all the Danites. They told them, "Go, explore the land." So they entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night.

3As they approached Micah's home, they recognized the voice of the young male descendant of Levi. They turned aside from there and spoke to him, asking him, "Who brought you here? What work are you doing here? And what's your business here?"

3When they were near Micah's house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; so they turned in there and asked him, "Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?"

4He answered, "Micah did such and such for me, and has hired me, so I've become his priest."

4He told them what Micah had done for him, and said, "He has hired me and I am his priest."

5They replied, "Go ask God, please, about whether or not we'll be successful in this journey."

5Then they said to him, "Please inquire of God to learn whether our journey will be successful."

6The priest responded to them, "Travel in peace. The mission that you're to accomplish is from the LORD."

6The priest answered them, "Go in peace. Your journey has the LORD's approval."

7So the five men left and went to Laish, and observed the people who were living there carefree, as Sidonians tend to do, in peace and quiet. There was no ruler in the land oppressing them for any reason. They were living far away from the Sidonians, and had no dealings with anyone.

7So the five men left and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living in safety, like the Sidonians, at peace and secure. And since their land lacked nothing, they were prosperous. Also, they lived a long way from the Sidonians and had no relationship with anyone else.

8When they returned to their relatives at Zorah and Eshtaol, their relatives asked them, "What's your report?"

8When they returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their fellow Danites asked them, "How did you find things?"

9They replied, "Let's get going and attack them. We've scouted out the land—and look!—it's a very good one. Why should we sit still? We can't wait to go back, invade, and take over the land.

9They answered, "Come on, let's attack them! We have seen the land, and it is very good. Aren't you going to do something? Don't hesitate to go there and take it over.

10When you invade, you'll meet a carefree people living in a spacious territory. God has given it into your control—it's a place that lacks nothing on this earth!"

10When you get there, you will find an unsuspecting people and a spacious land that God has put into your hands, a land that lacks nothing whatever."

11So 600 descendants of Dan from Zorah and Eshtaol set out for battle, armed with military weapons.

11Then six hundred men of the Danites, armed for battle, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol.

12They went out and encamped at Kiriath-jearim in the territory of Judah. (That's why they call the place Mahaneh-dan to this day. It lies west of Kiriath-jearim.)

12On their way they set up camp near Kiriath Jearim in Judah. This is why the place west of Kiriath Jearim is called Mahaneh Dan to this day.

13They proceeded from there to the mountainous region of Ephraim and arrived at Micah's house.

13From there they went on to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah's house.

14Then the five men who had gone to scout out the territory of Laish told their relatives, "Are you aware that in these houses there's an ephod, some household idols, a carved image, and a cast image? You know what you need to do."

14Then the five men who had spied out the land of Laish said to their fellow Danites, "Do you know that one of these houses has an ephod, some household gods and an image overlaid with silver? Now you know what to do."

15So they turned aside from there, went to Micah's house, and greeted him.

15So they turned in there and went to the house of the young Levite at Micah's place and greeted him.

16While the 600 Danite soldiers, armed with military weapons, stood guard at the entrance to the gate,

16The six hundred Danites, armed for battle, stood at the entrance of the gate.

17the five men who had gone to scout out the land arrived, entered Micah's home and confiscated the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the cast image. Meanwhile, the priest stood outside by the entrance to the gate with the 600 men armed with military weapons.

17The five men who had spied out the land went inside and took the idol, the ephod and the household gods while the priest and the six hundred armed men stood at the entrance of the gate.

18After they went into Micah's home and took possession of the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the cast image, the priest challenged them. "What are you doing?" he asked them.

18When the five men went into Micah's house and took the idol, the ephod and the household gods, the priest said to them, "What are you doing?"

19They told him, "Shut up and keep quiet. Come with us and be our spiritual father and priest. It's better for you, isn't it, to be a priest to an entire tribe and family in Israel than to be priest to the home of one man?"

19They answered him, "Be quiet! Don't say a word. Come with us, and be our father and priest. Isn't it better that you serve a tribe and clan in Israel as priest rather than just one man's household?"

20The priest was happy to oblige, so he took the ephod, the household idols, and the carved image and went along with the army.

20The priest was very pleased. He took the ephod, the household gods and the idol and went along with the people.

21Then they turned around and left, sending their little ones, their livestock, and their valuables on ahead.

21Putting their little children, their livestock and their possessions in front of them, they turned away and left.

22When they had been gone a short distance from Micah's home, some of Micah's neighbors assembled a search party and overtook the descendants of Dan.

22When they had gone some distance from Micah's house, the men who lived near Micah were called together and overtook the Danites.

23They yelled at the descendants of Dan, who turned around to face Micah and asked, "What's wrong with you? You've assembled together…?"

23As they shouted after them, the Danites turned and said to Micah, "What's the matter with you that you called out your men to fight?"

24Micah replied, "You took my gods that I crafted, along with the priest, and left! What do I have left? So what's with this 'What's wrong with you?'"

24He replied, "You took the gods I made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you ask, 'What's the matter with you?'"

25The descendants of Dan answered him, "You had better not talk to us about this, or else these bad guys here will attack you. You will lose your life, along with the lives of your whole household."

25The Danites answered, "Don't argue with us, or some of the men may get angry and attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives."

26Then the descendants of Dan went on their way. Because Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back home.

26So the Danites went their way, and Micah, seeing that they were too strong for him, turned around and went back home.

27But the descendants of Dan took what Micah had made, along with the priest who had worked for him, and went to Laish, to a quiet and carefree people, and killed them with swords. Then they set fire to the city.

27Then they took what Micah had made, and his priest, and went on to Laish, against a people at peace and secure. They attacked them with the sword and burned down their city.

28They had no one else to deliver them, because they lived far from Sidon and had no dealings with anyone. It lay in the valley near Beth-rehob. They rebuilt the city and lived in it.

28There was no one to rescue them because they lived a long way from Sidon and had no relationship with anyone else. The city was in a valley near Beth Rehob. The Danites rebuilt the city and settled there.

29They renamed the city Dan, after the name of their ancestor Dan, who had been born in Israel. The former name of the city was Laish.

29They named it Dan after their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel--though the city used to be called Laish.

30The descendants of Dan set up the carved image, and Gershom's son Jonathan, a descendant of Manasseh, served along with his descendants as priests to the tribe of Dan until the land was taken captive.

30There the Danites set up for themselves the idol, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the captivity of the land.

31Micah's carved image, that he himself had crafted, was in place during the entire time that God's tent was set up at Shiloh.

31They continued to use the idol Micah had made, all the time the house of God was in Shiloh.

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