Holy Bible
(King James Version)
Judges:
Chapter 18
1. IN
those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of
the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day
all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of
Israel.
2. And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their
coasts, men of valour, from Zorah, and from Esh-ta-ol, to spy out the
land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land:
who when they came to mount E-phra-im, to the house of Micah, they
lodged there.
3. When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the
young man the Levite: and they turned in thither, and said unto him, Who
brought thee hither? and what makest thou in this place? and what hast
thou here?
4. And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath
hired me, and I am his priest.
5. And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we
may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.
6. And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the LORD is
your way wherein ye go.
7. Then the five men departed, and came to La-ish, and saw the people
that were therein, how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the
Zi-do-ni-ans, quiet and secure; and there was no magistrate in the land,
that might put them to shame in any thing; and they were far from the
Zidonians, and had no business with any man.
8. And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Esh-ta-ol: and their
brethren said unto them, What say ye?
9. And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we have
seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not
slothful to go, and to enter to possess the land.
10. When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure, and to a large land:
for God hath given it into your hands; a place where there is no want of
any thing that is in the earth.
11. And there went from thence of the family of the Danites, out of
Zorah and out of Esh-ta-ol, six hundred men appointed with weapons of
war.
12. And they went up, and pitched in Kir-jath-je-a-rim, in Judah:
wherefore they called that place Ma-ha-neh-dan unto this day: behold, it
is behind Kir-jath-jearim.
13. And they passed thence unto mount E-phra-im, and came unto the house
of Micah.
14. Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of La-ish,
and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses
an e-phod, and ter-a-phim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now
therefore consider what ye have to do.
15. And they turned thitherward, and came to the house of the young man
the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and saluted him.
16. And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, which
were of the children of Dan, stood by the entering of the gate.
17. And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in
thither, and took the graven image, and the e-phod, and the ter-a-phim,
and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entering of the gate
with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war.
18. And these went into Micah's house, and fetched the carved image, the
e-phod, and the ter-a-phim, and the molten image. Then said the
priest unto them, What do ye?
19. And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy
mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better
for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a
priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel?
20. And the priest's heart was glad, and he took the e-phod, and the
ter-a-phim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.
21. So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle
and the carriage before them.
22. And when they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that
were in the houses near to Micah's house were gathered together, and
overtook the children of Dan.
23. And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their
faces, and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such
a company?
24. And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the
priest, and ye are gone away: and what have I more? and what is this
that ye say unto me, What aileth thee?
25. And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard
among us, lest angry fellows run upon thee, and thou lose thy life, with
the lives of thy household.
26. And the children of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw that they
were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house.
27. And they took the things which Micah had made, and the priest which
he had, and came unto La-ish, unto a people that were at quiet and
secure: and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the
city with fire.
28. And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Zidon, and they
had no business with any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by
Beth-re-hob. And they built a city, and dwelt therein.
29. And they called the name of the city Dan. after the name of Dan
their father, who was born unto Israel: howbeit the name of the city was
La-ish at the first.
30. And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the
son of Gershom, the son of Ma-nas-seh, he and his sons were priests to
the tribe of Dan unto the day of the captivity of the land.
31. And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he made, all the
time that the house of God was in Shiloh.
Apr. 2 Daily
reading schedule.. go to Luke
7
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