The Judges & Ruth

As to the man Micah, he hath a house of gods, and he maketh an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrateth the hand of one of his sons, and he is to him for a priest;

in those days there is no king in Israel, each that which is right in his own eyes doth.

And there is a young man of Beth-Lehem-Judah, of the family of Judah, and he is a Levite, and he is a sojourner there.

And the man goeth out of the city, out of Beth-Lehem-Judah, to sojourn where he doth find, and cometh to the hill-country of Ephraim, unto the house of Micah, to work his way.

And Micah saith to him, `Whence comest thou?' and he saith unto him, `A Levite am I, of Beth-Lehem-Judah, and I am going to sojourn where I do find.'

And Micah saith to him, `Dwell with me, and be to me for a father and for a priest, and I give to thee ten silverlings for the days, and a suit of garments, and thy sustenance;' and the Levite goeth in .

And the Levite is willing to dwell with the man, and the young man is to him as one of his sons.

And Micah consecrateth the hand of the Levite, and the young man is to him for a priest, and he is in the house of Micah,

and Micah saith, `Now I have known that Jehovah doth good to me, for the Levite hath been to me for a priest.'

In those days there is no king in Israel, and in those days the tribe of the Danite is seeking for itself an inheritance to inhabit, for that hath not fallen to it unto that day in the midst of the tribes of Israel by inheritance.

And the sons of Dan send, out of their family, five men of them, men, sons of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to traverse the land, and to search it, and they say unto them, `Go, search the land;' and they come into the hill-country of Ephraim, unto the house of Micah, and lodge there.

They are with the household of Micah, and they have discerned the voice of the young man, the Levite, and turn aside there, and say to him, `Who hath brought thee hither? and what art thou doing in this place? and what to thee here?'

And he saith unto them, `Thus and thus hath Micah done to me; and he hireth me, and I am to him for a priest.'

And they say to him, `Ask, we pray thee, at God, and we know whether our way is prosperous on which we are going.'

And the priest saith to them, `Go in peace; over-against Jehovah is your way in which ye go.'

And the five men go, and come in to Laish, and see the people which is in its midst, dwelling confidently, according to the custom of Zidonians, quiet and confident; and there is none putting to shame in the land in any thing, possessing restraint, and they are far off from the Zidonians, and have no word with any man.

And they come in unto their brethren, at Zorah and Eshtaol, and their brethren say to them, `What--ye?'

And they say, `Rise, and we go up against them, for we have seen the land, and lo, very good; and ye are keeping silent! be not slothful to go--to enter to possess the land.

When ye go, ye come in unto a people confident, and the land is large on both hands, for God hath given it into your hand, a place where there is no lack of anything which is in the land.'

And there journey thence, of the family of the Danite, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, six hundred men girded with weapons of war.

And they go up and encamp in Kirjath-Jearim, in Judah, therefore they have called that place, `Camp of Dan,' till this day; lo, behind Kirjath-Jearim.

And they pass over thence to the hill-country of Ephraim, and come in unto the house of Micah.

And the five men, those going to traverse the land of Laish, answer and say unto their brethren, `Have ye known that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and graven image, and molten image? and now, know what ye do.'

And they turn aside thither, and come in unto the house of the young man the Levite, the house of Micah, and ask of him of welfare, --

(and the six hundred men girded with their weapons of war, who are of the sons of Dan, are standing at the opening of the gate), --