Judges 18:7-28

⁷Then the five men departed, and came to La'ish, and saw the people who were there, how they dwelt in security, after the manner of the Sido'nians, quiet and unsuspecting, lacking nothing that is in the earth, and possessing wealth, and how they were far from the Sido'nians and had no dealings with any one. ⁸And when they came to their brethren at Zorah and Esh'ta-ol, their brethren said to them, "What do you report?" ⁹They said, "Arise, and let us go up against them; for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very fertile. And will you do nothing? Do not be slow to go, and enter in and possess the land. ¹⁰When you go, you will come to an unsuspecting people. The land is broad; yea, God has given it into your hands, a place where there is no lack of anything that is in the earth."

¹¹And six hundred men of the tribe of Dan, armed with weapons of war, set forth from Zorah and Esh'ta-ol, ¹²and went up and encamped at Kir'iath-je'arim in Judah. On this account that place is called Ma'haneh-dan to this day; behold, it is west of Kir'iath-je'arim. ¹³And they passed on from there to the hill country of E'phraim, and came to the house of Micah.

¹⁴Then the five men who had gone to spy out the country of La'ish said to their brethren, "Do you know that in these houses there are an ephod, teraphim, a graven image, and a molten image? Now therefore consider what you will do." ¹⁵And they turned aside thither, and came to the house of the young Levite, at the home of Micah, and asked him of his welfare. ¹⁶Now the six hundred men of the Danites, armed with their weapons of war, stood by the entrance of the gate; ¹⁷and the five men who had gone to spy out the land went up, and entered and took the graven image, the ephod, the teraphim, and the molten image, while the priest stood by the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men armed with weapons of war. ¹⁸And when these went into Micah's house and took the graven image, the ephod, the teraphim, and the molten image, the priest said to them, "What are you doing?" ¹⁹And they said to him, "Keep quiet, put your hand upon your mouth, and come with us, and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and family in Israel?" ²⁰And the priest's heart was glad; he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.

²¹So they turned and departed, putting the little ones and the cattle and the goods in front of them. ²²When they were a good way from the home of Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah's house were called out, and they overtook the Danites. ²³And they shouted to the Danites, who turned round and said to Micah, "What ails you that you come with such a company?" ²⁴And he said, "You take my gods which I made, and the priest, and go away, and what have I left? How then do you ask me, `What ails you?'" ²⁵And the Danites said to him, "Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows fall upon you, and you lose your life with the lives of your household." ²⁶Then the Danites went their way; and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his home.

²⁷And taking what Micah had made, and the priest who belonged to him, the Danites came to La'ish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, and smote them with the edge of the sword, and burned the city with fire. ²⁸And there was no deliverer because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with any one. It was in the valley which belongs to Beth-rehob. And they rebuilt the city, and dwelt in it.