Chapter 18

¹ In those days there was no king in Israel; and in those days the tribe of Dan sought for itself an inheritance to inhabit, because no inheritance had fallen to it until that day in the midst of the tribes of the children of Israel. ² And the sons of Dan sent from their families five men of valor, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to search it; and they said to them, Go and search out the land. And they came as far as the mount of Ephraim to the house of Micah and they lodged there, ³ in the house of Micah, and they recognized the voice of the young man the Levite, and turned in thither; and said to him, Who brought thee in hither? and what doest thou in this place? and what hast thou here? ⁴ And he said to them, Thus and thus did Micah to me, and he hired me, and I became his priest. ⁵ And they said to him, Inquire now of God, and we shall know whether our way will prosper, on which we are going. ⁶ And the priest said to them, Go in peace; your way in which ye go, [is] before the Lord.

ΕΝ ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις οὐκ ἦν βασιλεὺς ἐν Ἰσραήλ. καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις ἡ φυλὴ Δὰν ἐζήτει ἑαυτῇ κληρονομίαν κατοικῆσαι, ὅτι οὐκ ἐνέπεσεν αὐτῇ ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης ἐν μέσῳ φυλῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ κληρονομία. καὶ ἀπέστειλαν οἱ υἱοὶ Δὰν ἀπὸ δήμων αὐτῶν πέντε ἄνδρας υἱοὺς δυνάμεως ἀπὸ Σαραὰ καὶ ἀπὸ Ἐσθαὸλ τοῦ κατασκέψασθαι τὴν γῆν καὶ ἐξιχνιάσαι αὐτὴν καὶ εἶπαν πρὸς αὐτούς· πορεύεσθε καὶ ἐξιχνιάσατε τὴν γῆν. καὶ ἦλθον ἕως ὄρους Ἐφραὶμ ἕως οἴκου Μιχαία καὶ ηὐλίσθησαν αὐτοὶ ἐκεῖ ἐν οἴκῳ Μιχαία, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐπέγνωσαν τὴν φωνὴν τοῦ νεανίσκου τοῦ Λευίτου καὶ ἐξέκλιναν ἐκεῖ καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ· τίς ἤνεγκέ σε ὧδε, καὶ σὺ τί ποιεῖς ἐν τῷ τόπῳ τούτῳ, καὶ τί σοι ὧδε; καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτούς· οὕτω καὶ οὕτως ἐποίησέ μοι Μιχαίας καὶ ἐμισθώσατό με, καὶ ἐγενόμην αὐτῷ εἰς ἱερέα. καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ· ἐπερώτησον δὴ ἐν τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ γνωσόμεθα εἰ εὐοδωθήσεται ἡ ὁδὸς ἡμῶν, ἐν ᾗ ἡμεῖς πορευόμεθα ἐν αὐτῇ. καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ ἱερεύς· πορεύεσθε ἐν εἰρήνῃ· ἐνώπιον Κυρίου ἡ ὁδὸς ὑμῶν, ἐν ᾗ πορεύεσθε ἐν αὐτῇ.

⁷ And the five men went on, and came to Laish; and they saw the people in the midst of it dwelling securely, at ease as [is] the manner of the Sidonians, and there is no one perverting or shaming a matter in the land, no heir extorting treasures; and they are far from the Sidonians, and they have no intercourse with anyone. ⁸ And the five men came to their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol, and said to their brethren, Why sit ye here [idle]? ⁹ And they said, Arise, and let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and, behold, [it is] very good, yet ye are still: delay not to go, and to enter in to possess the land. ¹⁰ And whensoever ye shall go, ye shall come in upon a people secure, and the land [is] extensive, for God has given it into your hand; a place where there is no want of anything that the earth affords.

καὶ ἐπορεύθησαν οἱ πέντε ἄνδρες καὶ ἦλθον εἰς Λαισά· καὶ εἶδαν τὸν λαὸν τὸν ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς καθήμενον ἐπ᾿ ἐλπίδι, ὡς κρίσις Σιδωνίων ἡσυχάζουσα, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι διατρέπων ἢ καταισχύνων λόγον ἐν τῇ γῇ, κληρονόμος ἐκπιέζων θησαυρούς, καὶ μακράν εἰσι Σιδωνίων καὶ λόγον οὐκ ἔχουσι πρὸς ἄνθρωπον. καὶ ἦλθον οἱ πέντε ἄνδρες πρὸς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτῶν εἰς Σαραὰ καὶ Ἐσθαὸλ καὶ εἶπον τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς αὐτῶν· τί ὑμεῖς κάθησθε; καὶ εἶπαν· ἀνάστητε καὶ ἀναβῶμεν ἐπ᾿ αὐτούς, ὅτι εἴδομεν τὴν γῆν καὶ ἰδοὺ ἀγαθὴ σφόδρα· καὶ ὑμεῖς ἡσυχάζετε; μὴ ὀκνήσητε τοῦ πορευθῆναι καὶ εἰσελθεῖν τοῦ κληρονομῆσαι τὴν γῆν. καὶ ἡνίκα ἐὰν ἔλθητε, εἰσελεύσεσθε πρὸς λαὸν ἐπ᾿ ἐλπίδι, καὶ ἡ γῆ πλατεῖα, ὅτι ἔδωκεν αὐτὴν ὁ Θεός ἐν χειρὶ ὑμῶν, τόπος, ὅπου οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκεῖ ὑστέρημα παντὸς ρήματος τῶν ἐν τῇ γῇ.

¹¹ And there departed thence of the families of Dan, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, six hundred men, girded with weapons of war. ¹² And 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.

Καὶ ἀπῇραν ἐκεῖθεν ἀπὸ δήμων τοῦ Δὰν ἀπὸ Σαραὰ καὶ ἀπὸ Ἐσθαὸλ ἑξακόσιοι ἄνδρες ἐζωσμένοι σκεύη παρατάξεως. καὶ ἀνέβησαν καὶ παρενέβαλον ἐν Καριαθιαρὶμ ἐν Ἰούδα· διὰ τοῦτο ἐκλήθη ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ τόπῳ Παρεμβολὴ Δὰν ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης, ἰδοὺ ὀπίσω Καριαθιαρίμ.

¹³ And they went on thence to the mount of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah. ¹⁴ And 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. ¹⁵ And 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. ¹⁶ And the six hundred men of the sons of Dan who were girded with their weapons of war stood by the door of the gate. ¹⁷ And the five men who went to spy out the land went up, and entered into the house of Micah, and the priest stood. ¹⁸ And 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? ¹⁹ And 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? ²⁰ And 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.

καὶ παρῆλθον ἐκεῖθεν ὄρος Ἐφραὶμ καὶ ἦλθον ἕως οἴκου Μιχαία. καὶ ἀπεκρίθησαν οἱ πέντε ἄνδρες οἱ πορευόμενοι κατασκέψασθαι τὴν γῆν Λαισὰ καὶ εἶπαν πρὸς τοὺς ἀδελφούς· ἔγνωτε ὅτι ἐστὶν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τούτῳ ἐφὼδ καὶ θεραφὶν καὶ γλυπτὸν καὶ χωνευτόν; καὶ νῦν γνῶτε ὅ,τι ποιήσετε. καὶ ἐξέκλιναν ἐκεῖ καὶ εἰσῆλθον εἰς τόν οἶκον τοῦ νεανίσκου τοῦ Λευίτου, εἰς τὸν οἶκον Μιχαία, καὶ ἠρώτησαν αὐτὸν εἰς εἰρήνην. καὶ οἱ ἑξακόσιοι ἄνδρες οἱ ἀνεζωσμένοι τὰ σκεύη τῆς παρατάξεως αὐτῶν ἑστῶτες παρὰ θύρας τῆς πύλης, οἱ ἐκ τῶν υἱῶν Δάν. καὶ ἀνέβησαν οἱ πέντε ἄνδρες οἱ πορευθέντες κατασκέψασθαι τὴν γῆν καὶ εἰσῆλθον ἐκεῖ εἰς οἶκον Μιχαία, καὶ ὁ ἱερεὺς ἑστώς· καὶ ἔλαβον τὸ γλυπτὸν καὶ τὸ ἐφὼδ καὶ τὸ θεραφὶν καὶ τὸ χωνευτόν. καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὁ ἱερεύς· τί ὑμεῖς ποιεῖτε; καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ· κώφευσον, ἐπίθες τὴν χεῖρά σου ἐπὶ τὸ στόμα σου καὶ δεῦρο μεθ᾿ ἡμῶν καὶ γένου ἡμῖν εἰς πατέρα καὶ εἰς ἱερέα· μὴ ἀγαθὸν εἶναί σε ἱερέα οἴκου ἀνδρὸς ἑνὸς ἢ γενέσθαι σε ἱερέα φυλῆς καὶ οἴκου εἰς δῆμον Ἰσραήλ; καὶ ἠγαθύνθη ἡ καρδία τοῦ ἱερέως, καὶ ἔλαβε τὸ ἐφὼδ καὶ τὸ θεραφὶν καὶ τὸ γλυπτὸν καὶ τὸ χωνευτὸν καὶ ἦλθεν ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ λαοῦ.

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

καὶ ἐπέστρεψαν καὶ ἀπῆλθαν· καὶ ἔθηκαν τὰ τέκνα καὶ τὴν κτῆσιν καὶ τὸ βάρος ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν.

²² They 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. ²³ And the children of Dan turned their face, and said to Micah, What is the matter with thee that thou hast cried out? ²⁴ And 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? ²⁵ And 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. ²⁶ And the children of Dan went their way; and Micah saw that they were stronger than himself, and he returned to his house.

αὐτοὶ ἐμάκρυναν ἀπὸ οἴκου Μιχαία καὶ ἰδοὺ Μιχαίας καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες οἱ ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις ταῖς μετὰ οἴκου Μιχαία ἐβόησαν καὶ κατελάβοντο τοὺς υἱοὺς Δάν. καὶ ἐπέστρεψαν οἱ υἱοὶ Δὰν τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν καὶ εἶπαν τῷ Μιχαίᾳ· τί ἐστί σοι, ὅτι ἐβόησας; καὶ εἶπε Μιχαίας· ὅτι τὸ γλυπτόν μου, ὃ ἐποίησα, ἐλάβετε καὶ τὸν ἱερέα καὶ ἐπορεύθητε· καὶ τί μοι ἔτι; καὶ τί τοῦτο λέγετε πρός με· τί κράζεις; καὶ εἶπαν πρὸς αὐτὸν οἱ υἱοὶ Δάν· μὴ ἀκουσθήτω δὴ φωνή σου μεθ᾿ ἡμῶν, μή ποτε συναντήσωσιν ἡμῖν ἄνδρες πικροὶ ψυχῇ καὶ προσθήσουσι ψυχήν σου καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ οἴκου σου. καὶ ἐπορεύθησαν οἱ υἱοὶ Δὰν εἰς ὁδὸν αὐτῶν· καὶ εἶδε Μιχαίας ὅτι δυνατώτεροί εἰσιν ὑπὲρ αὐτόν, καὶ ἐπέστρεψεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ.

²⁷ And 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. ²⁸ And 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. ²⁹ And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel; and the name of the city was Laish before.

καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ Δὰν ἔλαβον ὃ ἐποίησε Μιχαίας, καὶ τὸν ἱερέα, ὃς ἦν αὐτῷ, καὶ ἦλθον ἐπὶ Λαισά, ἐπὶ λαὸν ἡσυχάζοντα καὶ πεποιθότα ἐπ᾿ ἐλπίδι καὶ ἐπάταξαν αὐτοὺς ἐν στόματι ρομφαίας καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἐνέπρησαν ἐν πυρί· καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ ρυόμενος, ὅτι μακράν ἐστιν ἀπὸ Σιδωνίων, καὶ λόγος οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῖς μετὰ ἀνθρώπου, καὶ αὐτὴ ἐν τῇ κοιλάδι τοῦ οἴκου Ραάβ. καὶ ᾠκοδόμησαν τὴν πόλιν καὶ κατεσκήνωσαν ἐν αὐτῇ καὶ ἐκάλεσαν τὸ ὄνομα τῆς πόλεως Δὰν ἐν ὀνόματι Δὰν πατρὸς αὐτῶν, ὃς ἐτέχθη τῷ Ἰσραήλ· καὶ ἦν Οὐλαμαΐς ὄνομα τῆς πόλεως τὸ πρότερον.

³⁰ And the children of Dan set up the graven image for themselves; and Jonathan son of Gershom son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan till the time of the carrying away of the nation. ³¹ And they set up for themselves the graven image which Micah made, all the days that the house of God was in Shiloh; and it was so in those days [that] there was no king in Israel.

καὶ ἔστησαν ἑαυτοῖς οἱ υἱοὶ Δὰν τὸ γλυπτόν· καὶ Ἰωνάθαν υἱὸς Γηρσὼν υἱὸς Μανασσῆ, αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ ἦσαν ἱερεῖς τῇ φυλῇ Δὰν ἕως ἡμέρας τῆς ἀποικίας τῆς γῆς. καὶ ἔθηκαν ἑαυτοῖς τὸ γλυπτόν, ὃ ἐποίησε Μιχαίας πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας, ἃς ἦν ὁ οἶκος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν Σηλώμ.