Judges 18:14-31

14Then the five men who went to spy out the country of Laish 1said to their kinsmen, “Do you know that there are in these houses 2an ephod and 3household idols, and a carved image and a cast metal image? Now then, consider what you should do.” 15So they turned aside there and came to the house of the young man, the Levite, to the house of Micah, and asked 4him how he was doing. 16Meanwhile, the six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the sons of Dan, were positioned at the entrance of the gate. 17Now the five men who went to spy out the land went up and entered there; they took 5the carved image, the ephod, the 6household idols, and the cast metal image, while the priest was standing at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men armed with weapons of war. 18When these men entered Micah’s house and took the carved image, the ephod, 7household idols, and the cast metal image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” 19And they said to him, “Be silent, 8put your hand over your mouth, and go with us, and be to us 9a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be a priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?” 20The priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod, the 10household idols, and the carved image, and went among the people.

21Then they turned and left, and put the children, the livestock, and the valuables in front of them. 22When they had distanced themselves from Micah’s house, the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house assembled by command and overtook the sons of Dan. 23Then they called out to the sons of Dan, who turned 11around and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you, that you have assembled together?” 24And he said, “You have taken my gods which I made, and the priest, and have gone away; what more do I have? So how can you say to me, ‘What is the matter with you?’” 25Then the sons of Dan said to him, “Do not let your voice be heard among us, or else 12fierce men will attack you, and you will 13lose your life and the lives of your household.” 26So the sons of Dan went on their way; and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house.

27Then they took what Micah had made and the priest who had belonged to him, and came to 14Laish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, and struck them with the edge of the sword; and they burned the city with fire. 28And there was no one to save them, because it was far from Sidon and they had no dealings with anyone, and it was in the valley which is near 15Beth-rehob. So they rebuilt the city and lived in it. 29And 16they named the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father who was born to Israel; however, the name of the city was previously Laish. 30The sons of Dan set up for themselves 17the carved image; and Jonathan, the son of 18Gershom, the son of 19Manasseh, 20he and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land. 31So they set up for themselves Micah’s carved image which he had made, all the time that the 21house of God was in Shiloh.