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chapter 18
1
In
those days there was no king in Israel, and the tribe of Dan sought them an
inheritance to dwell in: for unto that day they had not received their lot
among the other tribes.
2 So the children of Dan sent five most valiant men of
their stock and family from Saraa and Esthaol, to spy out the land, and to view
it diligently: and they said to them: Go, and view the land. They went on their
way, and when they came to mount Ephraim, they went into the house of Michas,
and rested there:
3 And knowing the voice of the young man the Levite,
and lodging with him, they said to him: Who brought thee hither? what dost thou
here? why wouldst thou come hither?
4 He answered them: Michas hath done such and such
things for me, and hath hired me to be his priest.
5 Then they desired him to consult the Lord, that they
might know whether their journey should be prosperous, and the thing should
have effect.
6 He answered them: Go in peace, the Lord looketh on
your way, and the journey that you go.
7 So the five men going on came to Lais: and they saw
how the people dwelt therein without any fear, according to the custom of the
Sidonians, secure and easy, having no man at all to oppose them, being very
rich, and living separated, at a distance from Sidon and from all men.
8 And they returned to their brethren in Saraa and
Esthaol, who asked them what they had done? to whom they answered:
9 Arise, and let us go up to them: for we have seen the
land which is exceeding rich and fruitful: neglect not, lose no time: let us go
and possess it, there will be no difficulty.
10 We shall come to a people that is secure, into a
spacious country, and the Lord will deliver the place to us, in which there is
no want of any thing that groweth on the earth.
11 There went therefore of the kindred of Dan, to wit,
from Saraa and Esthaol, six hundred men, furnished with arms for war,
12 And going up they lodged in Cariathiarim of Juda:
which place from that time is called the camp of Dan, and is behind
Cariathiarim.
13 From thence they passed into mount Ephraim. And when
they were come to the house of Michas,
14 The five men, that before had been sent to view the
land of Lais, said to the rest of their brethren: You know that in these houses
there is an ephod, and theraphim, and a graven, and a molten god: see what you
are pleased to do.
15 And when they had turned a little aside, they went
into the house of the young man the Levite, who was in the house of Michas: and
they saluted him with words of peace.
16 And the six hundred men stood before the door,
appointed with their arms.
17 But they that were gone into the house of the young
man, went about to take away the graven god, and the ephod, and the theraphim,
and the molten god, and the priest stood before the door, the six hundred
valiant men waiting not far off.
18 So they that were gone in took away the graven
thing, the ephod, and the idols, and the molten god. And the priest said to
them: What are you doing?
19 And they said to him: Hold thy peace and put thy
finger on thy mouth and come with us, that we may have thee for a father, and a
priest. Whether is better for thee, to be a priest in the house of one man, or
in a tribe and family in Israel?
20 When he had heard this, he agreed to their words,
and took the ephod, and the idols, and the graven god, and departed with them.
21 And when they were going forward, and had put before
them the children and the cattle and all that was valuable,
22 And were now at a distance from the house of Michas,
the men that dwelt in the houses of Michas gathering together followed them,
23 And began to shout out after them. They looked back,
and said to Michas: What aileth thee? Why dost thou cry?
24 And he answered: You have taken away my gods which I
have made me and the priest, and all that I have, and do you say: What aileth
thee?
25 And the children of Dan said to him: See thou say no
more to us, lest men enraged come upon thee, and thou perish with all thy
house.
26 And so they went on the journey they had begun. But
Michas seeing that they were stronger than he, returned to his house.
27 And the six hundred men took the priest, and the
things we spoke of before, and came to Lais to a people that was quiet and
secure, and smote them with the edge of the sword: and the city was burnt with
fire,
28 There being no man at all who brought them any
succour, because they dwelt far from Sidon, and had no society or business with
any man. And the city was in the land of Rohob: and they rebuilt it and dwelt
therein.
29 Calling the name of the city Dan after the name of
their father, who was the son of Israel, which before was called Lais.
30 And they set up to themselves the graven idol, and
Jonathan the son of Gersam the son of Moses, he and his sons were priests in
the tribe of Dan, until the day of their captivity.
31 And the idol of Michas remained with them all the
time that the house of God was in Silo. In those days there was no king in
Israel.
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