1In those days, there was no king in Israel. At that time, the tribe of the Danites was looking for land to settle in because, up until then, they had not received their inheritance among the tribes of Israel.
2The children of Dan sent five brave men from their whole tribe, from Zorah and Eshtaol, to explore and investigate the land. They told them, "Go and scout out the land!" They came to the hill country of Ephraim, to Micah's house, and stayed there.
3When they were near Micah's house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite. So they turned aside there and asked him, "Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What do you have here?"
4He told them, "Micah has done such-and-such for me; he hired me, and I have become his priest."
5They said to him, "Please ask God for guidance so we can know if our journey will be successful."
6The priest told them, "Go in peace. Yahweh is with you on your journey."
7Then the five men left and came to Laish. They saw how the people living there were safe, like the Sidonians, quiet and secure. There was no one in the land with authority to humiliate them in any way. They were also far from the Sidonians and had no contact with anyone else.
8They returned to their relatives in Zorah and Eshtaol. Their relatives asked them, "What did you find?"
9They said, "Let's go and attack them! We've seen the land, and it's really good. Why are you all just standing around? Don't be lazy about going to take and own the land."
10When you go, you will find people who aren't expecting trouble, and the land is spacious. God has given it to you, a place where there's no shortage of anything on earth."
11The Danite family left Zorah and Eshtaol with 600 men armed for war.
12They went up and set up camp in Kiriath Jearim, in Judah. That's why they called that place Mahaneh Dan, which it's still called today. It's located just beyond Kiriath Jearim.
13From there, they traveled to the hill country of Ephraim and arrived at Micah's house.
14Then the five men who had scouted the land of Laish spoke up and said to their brothers, "Do you know that these houses contain a sacred vest, household idols, a carved image, and a metal idol? Now, think about what you should do."
15They turned aside there and went to the house of the young Levite, Micah's house, and asked him how he was doing.
16The 600 men from the tribe of Dan, armed with their weapons, stood by the entrance of the gate.
17The five men who had scouted the land went in and took the carved image, the sacred vest, the household idols, and the metal idol; meanwhile, the priest stood by the entrance of the gate with the 600 armed men.
18When these men entered Micah's house and took the carved image, the sacred vest, the household idols, and the metal idol, the priest asked them, "What are you doing?"
19They told him, "Be quiet, put your hand over your mouth, come with us, and be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest for just one man's house, or to be a priest for an entire tribe and family in Israel?"
20The priest was pleased. He took the sacred vest, the household idols, and the carved image, and went with the people.
21So they turned and left, putting their children, livestock, and belongings in front of them.
22When they were a good distance from Micah's house, the men from the houses near Micah's gathered together and caught up with the Danites.
23As they shouted at the Danites, the Danites turned around and asked Micah, "What's wrong? Why are you coming with such a group?"
24He replied, "You've taken my gods, which I made, and you've taken my priest, and then you left! What else do I have? How can you ask me, 'What's wrong?'"
25The Danites told him, "Don't let us hear any more from you, or angry men might attack you, and you and everyone in your household will lose their lives."
26The Danites continued on their way. When Micah realized they were too strong for him, he turned around and went back to his house.
27They took what Micah had made, and the priest he had, and came to Laish—to a peaceful and unsuspecting people. They killed them with their swords and then burned the city down.
28There was no one to rescue them, because the city was far from Sidon, and they had no ties with anyone else. It was in the valley by Beth Rehob. The Danites rebuilt the city and lived in it.
29They named the city Dan, after their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel. However, the city's original name was Laish.
30The people of Dan set up an idol for themselves. Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons served as priests for the tribe of Dan until the people of the land were taken captive.
31So they kept the idol made by Micah, and it remained there as long as God's house was in Shiloh.