Judges 18

bayyamim hahem en melekh beyisra'el uvayyamim hahem shevet haddani mevaqqesh-lo nakhalah lashevet ki lo-nafelah lo ad-hayyom hahu betokh-shivte yisra'el benakhalah

In those days there was no king in Israel, and in those days the tribe of Dan was seeking a territory in which to settle; for to that day no territory had fallen to their lot among the tribes of Israel.

vayyishlekhu vene-dan mimmishpakhtam khamisha anashim miqtsotam anashim bene-khayil mitsorah ume'eshta'ol leraggel et-ha'arets ulekhoqrah vayyomeru alehem lekhu khiqru et-ha'arets vayyavo'u har-efrayim ad-bet mikhah vayyalinu sham

The Danites sent out five of their number, from their clan seat at Zorah and Eshtaol—valiant men—to spy out the land and explore it. “Go,” they told them, “and explore the land.” When they had advanced into the hill country of Ephraim as far as the house of Micah, they stopped there for the night.

hemmah im-bet mikhah vehemmah hikkiru et-qol hanna'ar hallevi vayyasuru sham vayyomeru lo mi-hevi'akha halom umah-attah oseh bazeh umah-llekha foh

While in the vicinity of Micah’s house, they recognized the speech of the young Levite, so they went over and asked him, “Who brought you to these parts? What are you doing in this place? What is your business here?”

vayyomer alehem kazoh vekhazeh asah li mikhah vayyiskereni va'ehi-lo lekhohen

He replied, “Thus and thus Micah did for me—he hired me and I became his priest.”

vayyomeru lo she'al-na velohim venede'ah hatatsliakh darkenu asher anakhnu holekhim aleha

They said to him, “Please, inquire of God; we would like to know if the mission on which we are going will be successful.”

vayyomer lahem hakkohen lekhu leshalom nokhakh Adonai darkekhem asher telekhu-vah

“Go in peace,” the priest said to them, “GOD views with favor the mission you are going on.”

vayyelekhu khameshet ha'anashim vayyavo'u layeshah vayyiru et-ha'am asher-beqirbah yoshevet-lavetakh kemishpat tsidonim shoqet uvoteakh ve'en-makhlim davar ba'arets yoresh etser urekhoqim hemmah mitsidonim vedavar en-lahem im-adam

The five men went on and came to Laish. They observed the people in it dwelling carefree, after the manner of the Sidonians, a tranquil and unsuspecting people, with no one in the land to molest them and with no hereditary ruler. Moreover, they were distant from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anybody.

vayyavo'u el-akhehem tsorah ve'eshta'ol vayyomeru lahem akhehem mah attem

When [the spies] came back to their clans at Zorah and Eshtaol, their fellows asked them, “How did you fare?”

vayyomeru qumah vena'aleh alehem ki ra'inu et-ha'arets vehinneh tovah me'od ve'attem makhshim al-te'atselu lalekhet lavo lareshet et-ha'arets

They replied, “Let us go at once and attack them! For we found that the land was very good, and you are sitting idle! Don’t delay; go and invade the land and take possession of it,

kevo'akhem tavo'u el-am boteakh veha'arets rakhavat yadayim ki-netanah elohim beyedkhem maqom asher en-sham makhsor kol-davar asher ba'arets

for God has delivered it into your hand. When you come, you will come to an unsuspecting people; and the land is spacious and nothing on earth is lacking there.”

vayyisu misham mimmishpakhat haddani mitsorah ume'eshta'ol shesh-me'ot ish khagur kele milkhamah

They departed from there, from the clan seat of the Danites, from Zorah and Eshtaol, six hundred strong, girt with weapons of war.

vayya'alu vayyakhanu beqiryat ye'arim bihudah al-ken qare'u lammaqom hahu makhaneh-dan ad hayyom hazzeh hinneh akhare qiryat ye'arim

They went up and encamped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. That is why that place is called “the Camp of Dan” to this day; it lies west of Kiriath-jearim.

vayya'avru misham har-efrayim vayyavo'u ad-bet mikhah

From there they passed on to the hill country of Ephraim and arrived at the house of Micah.

vayya'anu khameshet ha'anashim haholekhim leraggel et-ha'arets layish vayyomeru el-akhehem hayedatem ki yesh babbattim ha'elleh efod uterafim ufesel umassekhah ve'attah de'u mah-tta'asu

Here the five men who had gone to spy out the Laish region remarked to their clans, “Do you know, there is an ephod in these houses, and oracle idols, and a sculptured image and a molten image? Now you know what you have to do.”

vayyasuru shammah vayyavo'u el-bet-hanna'ar hallevi bet mikhah vayyishalu-lo leshalom

So they turned off there and entered the home of the young Levite at Micah’s house and greeted him.

veshesh-me'ot ish khagurim kele milkhamtam nitsavim petakh hasha'ar asher mibbene-dan

The six hundred Danites, girt with their weapons of war, stood at the entrance of the gate,

vayya'alu khameshet ha'anashim haholekhim leraggel et-ha'arets ba'u shammah laqekhu et-happesel ve'et-ha'efod ve'et-hatterafim ve'et-hammassekhah vehakkohen nitsav petakh hasha'ar veshesh-me'ot ha'ish hekhagur kele hammilkhamah

while the five who had gone to spy out the land went inside and took the sculptured image, the ephod, the oracle idols, and the molten image. The priest was standing at the entrance of the gate, and the six hundred men girt with their weapons of war,

ve'elleh ba'u bet mikhah vayyiqkhu et-pesel ha'efod ve'et-hatterafim ve'et-hammassekhah vayyomer alehem hakkohen mah attem osim

while the others entered Micah’s house and took the sculptured image, the molten image, the ephod, and the oracle idols. The priest said to them, “What are you doing?”

vayyomeru lo hakharesh sim-yadekha al-pikha velekh immanu vehyeh-lanu le'av ulekhohen hatov heyotekha khohen levet ish ekhad o heyotekha khohen leshevet ulemishpakhah beyisra'el

But they said to him, “Be quiet; put your hand on your mouth! Come with us and be our father and priest. Would you rather be priest to one man’s household, or be priest to a tribe and clan in Israel?”

vayyitav lev hakkohen vayyiqqakh et-ha'efod ve'et-hatterafim ve'et-happasel vayyavo beqerev ha'am

The priest was delighted. He took the ephod, the oracle idols, and the sculptured image, and he joined the people.

vayyifnu vayyelekhu vayyasimu et-hattaf ve'et-hammiqneh ve'et-hakkevuddah lifnehem

They set out again, placing the children, the cattle, and their household goods in front.

hemmah hirkhiqu mibbet mikhah veha'anashim asher babbattim asher im-bet mikhah nizaqu vayyadbiqu et-bene-dan

They had already gone some distance from Micah’s house, when Micah’s neighbors mustered and caught up with the Danites.

vayyiqre'u el-bene-dan vayyassebbu penehem vayyomeru lemikhah mah-llekha ki nizaqeta

They called out to the Danites, who turned around and said to Micah, “What’s the matter? Why have you mustered?”

vayyomer et-elohay asher-asiti leqakhtem ve'et-hakkohen vattelekhu umah-lli od umah-zzeh tomeru elay mah-llakh

He said, “You have taken my priest and the gods that I made, and walked off! What do I have left? How can you ask, ‘What’s the matter’?”

vayyomeru elayw bene-dan al-tashma qolekha immanu pen-yifge'u vakhem anashim mare nefesh ve'asaftah nafshekha venefesh betekha

But the Danites replied, “Don’t do any shouting at us, or some desperate party might attack you, and you and your family would lose your lives.”

vayyelekhu vene-dan ledarkam vayyar mikhah ki-khazaqim hemmah mimmennu vayyifen vayyashov el-beto

So Micah, realizing that they were stronger than he, turned back and went home; and the Danites went on their way,

vehemmah laqekhu et asher-asah mikhah ve'et-hakkohen asher hayah-lo vayyavo'u al-layish al-am shoqet uvoteakh vayyakku otam lefi-kharev ve'et-ha'ir sarefu va'esh

taking the things Micah had made and the priest he had acquired. They proceeded to Laish, a people tranquil and unsuspecting, and they put them to the sword and burned down the town.

ve'en matsil ki rekhoqah-hi mitsidon vedavar en-lahem im-adam vehi ba'emeq asher levet-rekhov vayyivnu et-ha'ir vayyeshevu vah

There was none to come to the rescue, for it was distant from Sidon and they had no dealings with anyone; it lay in the valley of Beth-rehob. They rebuilt the town and settled there,

vayyiqre'u shem-ha'ir dan beshem dan avihem asher yullad leyisra'el ve'ulam layish shem-ha'ir larishonah

and they named the town Dan, after their ancestor Dan who was Israel’s son. Originally, however, the name of the town was Laish.

vayyaqimu lahem bene-dan et-happasel vihonatan ben-gereshom ben-menasheh hu uvanayw hayu khohanim leshevet haddani ad-yom gelot ha'arets

The Danites set up the sculptured image for themselves; and Jonathan son of Gershom son of Manasseh, and his descendants, served as priests to the Danite tribe until the land went into exile.

vayyasimu lahem et-pesel mikhah asher asah kol-yeme heyot bet-ha'elohim beshiloh

They maintained the sculptured image that Micah had made throughout the time that the House of God stood at Shiloh.