Judges 18:11-28

¹¹And there departed thence of the families of Dan, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, six hundred men, girded with weapons of war.

¹²And they went up, and encamped in Kiriath-jearim in Judah; therefore it was called in that place the camp of Dan, until this day: behold, it is behind Kiriath-jearim.

¹³And they went on thence to the mount of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.

¹⁴And the five men who went to spy out the land of Laish answered, and said to their brethren, Ye know that there is in this place an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven and a molten image; and now consider what ye shall do.

¹⁵And they turned aside there, and went into the house of the young man, the Levite, even into the house of Micah, and asked him how he was.

¹⁶And the six hundred men of the sons of Dan who were girded with their weapons of war stood by the door of the gate.

¹⁷And the five men who went to spy out the land went up, and entered into the house of Micah, and the priest stood.

¹⁸And they took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image; and the priest said to them, What are ye doing?

¹⁹And they said to him, Be silent, lay thy hand upon thy mouth, and come with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be the priest of the house of one man, or to be the priest of a tribe and house for a family of Israel?

²⁰And the heart of the priest was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and the molten image, and went in the midst of the people.

²¹So they turned and departed, and put their children and their property and their baggage before them.

²²They went some distance from the house of Micah, and, behold, Micah and the men in the houses near Micah’s house, cried out, and overtook the children of Dan.

²³And the children of Dan turned their face, and said to Micah, What is the matter with thee that thou hast cried out?

²⁴And Micah said, Because ye have taken my graven image which I made, and my priest, and are gone; and what have I remaining? and what is this that ye say to me, Why criest thou?

²⁵And the children of Dan said to him, Let not thy voice be heard with us, lest angry men run upon thee, and take away thy life, and the lives of thy house.

²⁶And the children of Dan went their way; and Micah saw that they were stronger than himself, and he returned to his house.

²⁷And the children of Dan took what Micah had made, and the priest that he had, and they came to Laish, to a people quiet and secure; and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burned the city with fire.

²⁸And there was no deliverer, because the city is far from the Sidonians, and they have no intercourse with men, and it is in the valley of the house of Rehob; and they built the city, and dwelt in it.