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1 At that time Israel didn't have a king. The tribe of Dan was looking for territory where they could live, because up until then they hadn't gained possession of the land granted to them among the tribes of Israel. 2 So the Danites chose from among them five leading men from Zorah and Eshtaol to scout out the land and explore it.
“Go and explore the land,” they told them. When the men came to the hill country of Ephraim, they arrived at Micah's house where they spent the night. 3 While they were there, they recognized the young Levite's accent, so they went to him and asked him, “So who brought you here, and what are you doing in this place? Why are you here?”
4 “Micah arranged things for me, and he hired me as his priest,” he told them.
5 “Please ask the Lord for us so we can find out if our journey will be successful,” they asked him.
6 “Go in peace,” the priest replied. “The journey you are taking is being observed by the Lord.”* Note that the priest is not declaring success or otherwise. Literally he says that the journey “is in front of the Lord,” which can mean either that the Lord is leading, or that the Lord is scrutinizing their actions. The quick response by the priest also leads to the suspicion that he did not really spend much time asking the Lord for an answer,
7 The five men left and went to the town of Laish. They observed that the people there lived in safety, and followed the customs of the Sidonians. The people were unsuspecting and confident of their security, at home in a productive land. They didn't have a strong ruler, they lived a long way from the Sidonians, and had no other allies to help them.† “To help them.” Supplied for clarity. The spies would obviously be concerned about who might come to the aid of this town if it weas attacked. The distance from Sidon and the lack of apparent alliances gave them encouragement that an attack would be successful. In addition, the lack of a “strong ruler” (literally, “a possessor of restraint”) meant that the town's defense would not be under a powerful military commander.
8 The men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their relatives asked them, “What did you…?”
9 “Come on, let's go and attack them!” the men interrupted. “We've surveyed the land, and it's excellent! Aren't you going to do something? Don't put off going there and occupying the land! 10 When you get there you'll find the people are unsuspecting and the land is extensive. God has given you a place where there's no shortage of anything!”
11 So six hundred Danite armed men left Zorah and Eshtaol, ready to attack. 12 En route they camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. That's why the place west of Kiriath-jearim is called the Camp of Dan to this very day. 13 Then they left from there and went into the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah's house.
14 Then the five men who had gone to scout out the land of Laish told the other tribesmen, “Do you realize that here in these houses there's an ephod, household gods, and a carved idol, an image made with molten silver? So you know what you should do.” 15 The five men left the road and went to where the young Levite was living in Micah's home to ask how he was. 16 The six hundred Danite armed men stood at the entrance by the gate. 17 The five men went inside and took the carved idol, the ephod, the household idols, and the image made with molten silver. The priest was standing by the gate with the six hundred armed men.
18 When the priest saw them taking all the religious objects‡ The text repeats the items listed in verse 17. from Micah's home, he asked them, “What are you doing?”
19 “Be quiet! Don't say anything! Come with us, and you can be our ‘father’ and priest. Wouldn't it be better for you if instead of being a priest for just one man's household that you were the priest of an Israelite tribe and family?”
20 This seemed like a good idea to the priest and he left with them. Carrying the ephod, the household idols, and the image made with molten silver, he marched with the people all around him. 21 They continued their journey, putting their children, livestock, and possessions ahead of them.
22 The Danites were already quite a way from Micah's home when men from Micah's village caught up with them, 23 shouting at them. The Danites turned around to face them and asked Micah, “What's the matter with you? Why call out these men to come after us?”
24 “You stole the gods I made, and my priest too, and then left. What have you left me with? How can you ask me, ‘What's the matter with you?’ ”
25 “Don't complain to us!” Danites replied. “Otherwise some hot-tempered people here might attack you and you and your family will lose your lives!” 26 The Danites carried on their way. Micah saw that they were too strong for him to fight so he turned around and went back home.
27 So the Danites took with them the idols that Micah had made, as well as his priest. They attacked Laish with its peaceful and unsuspecting people, killed them with swords, and burned down the town. 28 No one could save them because they were a long way from Sidon and had no other allies to help them. The town was in the valley belonging to Beth-rehob. The Danites rebuilt the city and lived there. 29 They renamed the city Dan after their forefather, the son of Israel. Laish was its former name. 30 The Danites erected the carved idol to worship, and Jonathan, son of Gershom, son of Moses, and his sons became priests for the tribe of Dan until the time when the people went into captivity from the land. 31 They worshiped the carved idol that Micah had made the whole time God's Temple§ Though no specific reference is made to a Temple being built at Shiloh, it is believed a more permanent structure was in place there, otherwise the location would have been referred to as the “Tent of Meeting.” The account in the beginning of 1 Samuel supports this view. was at Shiloh.
*18:6 Note that the priest is not declaring success or otherwise. Literally he says that the journey “is in front of the Lord,” which can mean either that the Lord is leading, or that the Lord is scrutinizing their actions. The quick response by the priest also leads to the suspicion that he did not really spend much time asking the Lord for an answer,
†18:7 “To help them.” Supplied for clarity. The spies would obviously be concerned about who might come to the aid of this town if it weas attacked. The distance from Sidon and the lack of apparent alliances gave them encouragement that an attack would be successful. In addition, the lack of a “strong ruler” (literally, “a possessor of restraint”) meant that the town's defense would not be under a powerful military commander.
‡18:18 The text repeats the items listed in verse 17.
§18:31 Though no specific reference is made to a Temple being built at Shiloh, it is believed a more permanent structure was in place there, otherwise the location would have been referred to as the “Tent of Meeting.” The account in the beginning of 1 Samuel supports this view.