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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Judges 18 NIV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/judges/18.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/judges/18-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NIV</a> > Judges 18</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../judges/17.htm" title="Judges 17">◄</a> Judges 18 <a href="../judges/19.htm" title="Judges 19">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New International Version</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/niv/esv/judges/18.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="sectionhead">The Danites Settle in Laish</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>In those days Israel had no king.</p><p class="reg">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. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>So 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.”</p><p class="reg">So they entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>When 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?”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>He told them what Micah had done for him, and said, “He has hired me and I am his priest.”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God to learn whether our journey will be successful.”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>The priest answered them, “Go in peace. Your journey has the <span class="name">Lord</span>’s approval.”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>So 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. <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.">a</a></sup></span> Also, they lived a long way from the Sidonians and had no relationship with anyone else. <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts with the Arameans">b</a></sup></span> </p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>When they returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their fellow Danites asked them, “How did you find things?”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>They 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. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>When 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.”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>Then six hundred men of the Danites, armed for battle, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>On their way they set up camp near Kiriath Jearim in Judah. This is why the place west of Kiriath Jearim is called Mahaneh Dan <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Mahaneh Dan means Dan's camp.">c</a></sup></span> to this day. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>From there they went on to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah’s house.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>Then 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.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>So they turned in there and went to the house of the young Levite at Micah’s place and greeted him. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>The six hundred Danites, armed for battle, stood at the entrance of the gate. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>The 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.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>When 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?”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>They 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?” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>The priest was very pleased. He took the ephod, the household gods and the idol and went along with the people. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>Putting their little children, their livestock and their possessions in front of them, they turned away and left.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>When they had gone some distance from Micah’s house, the men who lived near Micah were called together and overtook the Danites. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>As 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?”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span>He 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?’ ”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span>The 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.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-26.htm"><b>26</b></a></span>So the Danites went their way, and Micah, seeing that they were too strong for him, turned around and went back home.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-27.htm"><b>27</b></a></span>Then 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. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-28.htm"><b>28</b></a></span>There 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.</p><p class="reg">The Danites rebuilt the city and settled there. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-29.htm"><b>29</b></a></span>They named it Dan after their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city used to be called Laish. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-30.htm"><b>30</b></a></span>There the Danites set up for themselves the idol, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Many Hebrew manuscripts, some Septuagint manuscripts and Vulgate; many other Hebrew manuscripts and some other Septuagint manuscripts Manasseh">d</a></sup></span> and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the captivity of the land. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/18-31.htm"><b>31</b></a></span>They continued to use the idol Micah had made, all the time the house of God was in Shiloh.</p><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><A name="footnotes"></a><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">a</span> <span class="fnverse">7</span> <span class="footnotebot">The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.</span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">b</span> <span class="fnverse">7</span> <span class="footnotebot">Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts <i>with the Arameans</i></span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">c</span> <span class="fnverse">12</span> <span class="footnotebot"><i>Mahaneh Dan</i> means <i>Dan’s camp.</i></span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">d</span> <span class="fnverse">30</span> <span class="footnotebot">Many Hebrew manuscripts, some Septuagint manuscripts and Vulgate; many other Hebrew manuscripts and some other Septuagint manuscripts <i>Manasseh</i></span><br><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center"><p class="ntext"><a href="http://niv.scripturetext.com/version.htm">New International Version</a> (NIV)</p><p class="ntext2">Holy Bible, New International Version&reg, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by <a href="http://biblica.com">Biblica, Inc.</a>® Used by permission. 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