The Dan tribe takes Micah's image
1At that time the land_of_Israel did not have a king. The Dan tribe was looking for another place where they could stay because they had not received a place of their own among the other tribes_of_Israel. 2The Dan people chose 5 important men from different families and places and sent them to spy and see where they could live. The 5 men came from the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol and they went to Mount Ephraim. One night they went to Micah's house to sleep there. 3In Micah's house they saw the young Levite and when they heard him speaking, they asked him: ‘Who brought you to this place? Why are you here? What are you doing here?’
4The young Levite told them that he worked for Micah, and he was Micah's priest. 5They said to him: ‘Please ask God if He will be with us where we go.’ 6The priest told them: ‘Yes, you can go in peace. God will show you the way that you must go.’
7The 5 men went to the town of Laish and they saw that it was a safe and quiet town, with people who were like the Sidonians. The people were not worried and they did not think that other people would attack them. They had everything they needed. They were far away from the people of Sidon. Those people could not come and help them and no one tried to attack or oppress them. 8When the 5 men went back to their people in the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol, the people asked them what they had seen.
9The 5 men said: ‘Come, we must go immediately. We saw very good land. We must go and take that land. We must not wait, and we must hurry. 10The people there think that they are safe. When we get there you will see that they do not think anyone will attack them. The land is big and it has everything we need. God wants to give you land with enough of everything.’
11Then 600 men from the Dan families went from the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol. They had weapons and they were ready to go to war.
12They went to the town of Kiriath-Jearim in the land_of_Judah and they put up their tents. That is why today people say that the name of that place is Dan's camp. It is on the western side of Kiriath-Jearim. 13From there the Dan people went to Mount Ephraim and they got to Micah's house. 14The 5 men who were spies, and who had come to look at the land, told the other soldiers: ‘There is a shoulder-cloth in one of these houses, and some images. You know what you must do. Go and take them.’
15They went to the house of the young Levite. His house was next to Micah's house and they greeted him. 16The 600 Dan soldiers stood at the door of his house. They were ready to attack. 17The 5 men who were spies went into the house, and they took the shoulder-cloth and the images. The priest came out and he stood in front of the 600 men. 18When the 5 men came out of Micah's house with the shoulder-cloth and the images, the priest asked them: ‘What are you doing?’
19They said to him: ‘Do not talk. Do not say anything. You must come with us. You must be our priest and you must teach us. It is better to be a priest for a tribe_of_Israel than to be a priest for only one man.’
20When they told the priest this, he was happy. He took the shoulder-cloth and the images and he went with the Dan people. 21The Dan people had their children, their old people, and their sheep and goats with them, and they let them walk first, then all the other people followed. 22They were far away from Micah's house when Micah asked some people to help him get his things back. They followed_and_chased the Dan people. 23When they were near the Dan people, they shouted to them. The Dan people stopped and asked: ‘What is wrong? Why are you shouting at us?’
24Micah said to them: ‘You ask me what is wrong, but you know what is wrong: You took my image and my priest and you ran away. Now I have nothing.’ 25The Dan people said to Micah: ‘Don't shout at us. Some of our men get angry very quickly. They will kill you and your family.’
26Then the Dan people went away. Micah was afraid because there were more of them than of his people. He turned_around and went back to his home.
The Dan tribe gets the town of Laish
27Then the Dan people took Micah's image and his priest and they went to the town of Laish. The people of Laish did not think that anyone would attack them. The Dan people killed them and burnt the town. 28No one came to help them because they were far from the town of Sidon and they did not have other friends. The town was in the valley near Beth-Rehob. Then the Dan people built the town again and they lived there. 29They named the town Dan. It was the name of their forefather, the son of Jacob. Before that time the name of the town was Laish.
30-31The tent of the Lord was in the town of Shiloh, but the Dan people put up the image in the town of Dan. The Levite's name was Jonathan. He was from the family of Gershom, son of Moses. Jonathan was their priest and his sons were also priests of the Dan tribe until enemies came and took all the Dan people away to another land.
