1 In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of Dan sought for himself a possession to dwell in, because it had not fallen to him until that day in the midst of tribes of Israel in a possession. 2 And sons of Dan sent from their family five men from among themselves, men, sons of valor from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to search it. And they said to them, “Go and search the land.” And they came unto mount Ephraim unto Micah's house and lodged there.
3 They were with Micah's house, and they recognized the voice of the Levite boy and turned aside there. And they said to him, “Who brought you here, and what are you doing in this place; and what do you have here?” 4 And he said to them, “Like this and like this Micah did for me. And he has hired me, and I am for him for a priest.” 5 And they said to him, “Please ask in Gods, so we may know if we will prosper, our way on which we are going.” 6 And the priest said to them, “Go in peace before Yehvah, your way that you go in it.”
7 And the five men went and came to Lion. i And they saw the people who were in it's midst dwelling securely as judgment of Sidonians, quiet and secure. And there was none humiliating a thing in the land, possessing restraint. And they were far from Sidonians, and they had not a thing with man. 8 And they came to their brethren at Zorah and Eshtaol, and their brethren said to them, “How are you?” ii
9 And they said, “Arise and let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and behold, very good. And you are hesitating? iii Do not be sluggish to go, to enter to possess the land. 10 When you go, you will come to a people secure, and the land spacious on both hands. iv For Gods, he has given it in your hand, a place where there is no lack of anything that is on the earth.” 11 And they journeyed from there, from the family of Dan, from Zorah and Eshtaol, six hundred men girded with weapons of war.
12 And they went up and camped in Town of Forests v in Judah. Therefore, they call that place Camp of Dan unto this day. Behold, it is after Town of Forests. 13 And they passed from there to mount Ephraim and came to Micah's house. 14 And the five men who had gone to spy out the land of Lion answered and said to their brethren, “Did you know there are in these houses an ephod and idols vi and a carved image and molded image? And now, know what you should do.”
15 And they turned aside there and went into the house of the Levite boy, Micah's house, and they asked him how he was doing. vii 16 And the six hundred men who were from sons of Dan were girded with their weapons of war standing at the entrance of the gate. 17 And the five men who had gone to spy out the land went in there to take the carved image and the ephod and the idols vi and the molded image. And the priest was standing at the entrance of the gate, and the six hundred men who were girded with the weapons of war. 18 And these went into Micah's house and took carved image viii and the ephod and the idols and the molded image. And the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”
19 And they said to him, “Be quiet. Put your hand upon your mouth and go with us, and be for us for a father and for a priest. Is it good, you being a priest for one man's house, or you being a priest for a tribe and for a family in Israel?” 20 And the priest's heart was good, and he took the ephod and the idols and the carved image and went in the midst of the people. 21 And they turned and went and put the children and the livestock and the valuables ix before them.
22 They were far from Micah's house, and the men in the houses who were with Micah's house assembled and overtook sons of Dan. 23 And they called out to sons of Dan. And their faces turned around, and they said to Micah, “What is to you that you have assembled?” 24 And he said, “My Gods that I made and the priest you have taken, and you have gone. And what do I still have? And what is this? You say to me, 'What is to you?'” 25 And sons of Dan said to him, “Do not let your voice be heard with us, lest bitter of soul men meet you, and you remove your soul and your house's soul.” 26 And sons of Dan went their way. And Micah saw that they were stronger than he, and he turned and returned to his house.
27 And they took what Micah made and the priest that was his and came against Lion, a people quiet and secure. And they struck them with a mouth of a sword and burned the city in the fire. 28 And there was no deliverer, for it was far from Sidon, and they had nothing with Adam. x And she xi was in the valley that belonged to House of Rechob. xii And they built the city and dwelt in it. 29 And they called the name of the city Dan in name of Dan their father who was born to Israel. And yet, Lion was the name of the city formerly.
30 And sons of Dan raised up for themselves the carved image. And Jonathan, xiii son of Gershom, son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests for the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land. 31 And they set up for themselves Micah's carved image that he made all the days the house of the Gods was in Shiloh.
Translated by Darwin Fish. See original pdf.
- לעיייש) layish) “Lion”; NKJV, etc. “Laish” - for a location, found also in Judges 18:14, 27, 29; 1 Samuel 25:44; 2 Samuel 3:15. For use for the term “Lion” (the animal), see Job 4:11; Proverbs 30:30; Isaiah 30:6. ^
- ם תם אע ה מי) mâh 'attem) “How are you?”; YLT “What –ye?”; KJV “What say ye?”; NAS “What do you report?”; NKJV
“What is your report?” - It is more literally as YLT or “What are you?” or “How are you?” ^ - מעחהשיים) machsiym) "hesitating"; NABRE "hesitate"; Green "silent"; YLT "keeping silent"; NKJV "do nothing?"; NAS "sit still?"; KJV "still?" - mostly used for "silent," but context here dictates non-activity, as in 1 Kings 22:3 and Psalm 107:29 - found also in 1 Kings 22:3 ("hesitate"); 2 Kings 2:3, 5 ("keep silent"); 7:9 ("remain silent"); Nehemiah 8:11 ("quieted"); Psalm 28:1 ("silent"); 39:2(H3, "silence"); 107:29 ("still"); Ecclesiastes 3:7 ("silence"); Isaiah 42:14 ("held my peace"); 57:11 ("held my peace"); 62:1 ("hold my peace"), 6 ("silent"); 64:12(H11, "hold Your peace"); 65:6 ("silence"). ^
- ים דע יי) yâdayim) “both hands” YLT, Green – NKJV, KJV, NAS do not translate. ^
- ם רי יהעי יעת רה קי) qiryat ye`âriym) “Town of Forests” - see footnote for Joshua 9:17. ^
- תהריפיים) terâphiym) “idols” - see footnote for Genesis 31:19. ^ ^
- לום שי לה) leshâlom) "how he was doing" – more literally, "to peace" – see footnote for Genesis 43:27. ^
- ל סם פם) pesel) "carved image" with no definite article ("the"). The rest in this list have the definite article ("the"). ^
- ה בודי כה) kevuddâh) "valuables" NAS; "baggage" YLT; "goods" NKJV; "carriage" KJV – only here. ^
- ם די אי') âdâm) "Adam" = mankind – context here dictating they had no ties with other men. ^
- “she” refers to the city. ^
- ב רה) rechov) "Rechob" – see footnote for Numbers 13:21. ^
- ן תי יההוני) yehonâtân) "Jonathan" means "Yah has given" – There are about 16 people with this name in the OT. It is also spelled, ן תי יוני) yonâtân) e.g. 1 Samuel 13:2; etc.. ^
And there was a man from mount Ephraim, and his name was Micaiah. -- "Micaiah"; CJB "Mikhay’hu"; NKJV, etc. "Micah" – this is his name in Judges 17:1, 4. Elsewhere in chapter 17 and 18 it is ה יכי מי) miykhâh) “Micah.” See footnote for Judges 17:5. “Micaiah” (יההו יכי מי] miykhâyhu]) is also found in 1 Kings 22:8-9, 13-15, 24-26, 28 (“Micaiah” NKJV); 2 Chronicles 13:2 (“Michaiah” NKJV); 17:7; 18:7; 8, 12-13, 23-25, 27 ; Jeremiah 36:11, 13 מיכייההו) mikhâyhu, NKJV “Michaiah”).