Judges 18 NKJV NIV Parallel

◄ Judges 18 ►

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1In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking an inheritance for itself to dwell in; for until that day their inheritance among the tribes of Israel had not fallen to them.

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 children of Dan sent five men of their family from their territory, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and search it. They said to them, “Go, search the land.” So they went to the mountains of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged 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.

3While they were at the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young Levite. They turned aside and said to him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What do you have 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 said to them, “Thus and so Micah did for me. He has hired me, and I have become his priest.”

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

5So they said to him, “Please inquire of God, that we may know whether the journey on which we go will be prosperous.”

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

6And the priest said to them, “Go in peace. The presence of the LORD be with you on your way.”

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

7So the five men departed and went to Laish. They saw the people who were there, how they dwelt safely, in the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure. There were no rulers in the land who might put them to shame for anything. They were far from the Sidonians, and they had no ties 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.

8Then the spies came back to their brethren at Zorah and Eshtaol, and their brethren said to them, “What is your report?”

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

9So they said, “Arise, let us go up against them. For we have seen the land, and indeed it is very good. Would you do nothing? Do not hesitate to go, and enter to possess 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 go, you will come to a secure people and a large land. For God has given it into your hands, a place where there is no lack of anything that is on the 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."

11And six hundred men of the family of the Danites went from there, from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war.

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

12Then they went up and encamped in Kirjath Jearim in Judah. (Therefore they call that place Mahaneh Dan to this day. There it is, west of Kirjath 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.

13And they passed from there to the mountains of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.

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 spy out the country of Laish answered and said to their brethren, “Do you know that there are in these houses an ephod, household idols, a carved image, and a molded image? Now therefore, consider what you should 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 there, and came to the house of the young Levite man—to the house of Micah—and greeted him.

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

16The six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate.

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

17Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land went up. Entering there, they took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molded image. The priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men who were armed with weapons of war.

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.

18When these went into Micah’s house and took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molded image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”

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?"

19And they said to him, “Be quiet, put your hand over your mouth, and come with us; be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest to the household of one man, or that you be a priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?”

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?"

20So the priest’s heart was glad; and he took the ephod, the household idols, and the carved image, and took his place among the people.

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

21Then they turned and departed, and put the little ones, the livestock, and the goods in front of them.

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

22When they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house gathered together and overtook the children 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.

23And they called out to the children of Dan. So they turned around and said to Micah, “What ails you, that you have gathered such a company?”

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?"

24So he said, “You have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and you have gone away. Now what more do I have? How can you say to me, ‘What ails 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?'"

25And the children of Dan said to him, “Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest angry men fall upon you, and you lose your life, with the lives of your 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 children of Dan went their way. And when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house.

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

27So they took the things Micah had made, and the priest who had belonged to him, and went to Laish, to a people quiet and secure; and they struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire.

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.

28There was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and they had no ties with anyone. It was in the valley that belongs to Beth Rehob. So they rebuilt the city and dwelt there.

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.

29And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel. However, the name of the city formerly was Laish.

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

30Then the children of Dan set up for themselves the carved image; and Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.

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.

31So they set up for themselves Micah’s carved image which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

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

New International Version (NIV)

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