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14 The five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish[a] said to their kinsmen,[b] “Do you realize that inside these houses are an ephod, some personal idols, a carved image, and a metal image? Decide now what you want to do.” 15 They stopped[c] there, went inside the young Levite’s house (which belonged to Micah),[d] and asked him how he was doing.[e] 16 Meanwhile the 600 Danites, fully armed, stood at the entrance to the gate.[f] 17 The five men who had gone to spy out the land broke in and stole[g] the carved image, the ephod, the personal idols, and the metal image, while the priest was standing at the entrance to the gate with the 600 fully armed men.[h] 18 When these men broke into Micah’s house and stole[i] the carved image, the ephod, the personal idols, and the metal image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” 19 They said to him, “Shut up! Put your hand over your mouth and come with us! You can be our adviser[j] and priest. Wouldn’t it be better to be a priest for a whole Israelite tribe than for just one man’s family?”[k] 20 The priest was happy. He took the ephod, the personal idols, and the carved image and joined the group.[l]

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Footnotes

  1. Judges 18:14 tc Codex Alexandrinus (A) of the LXX lacks the phrase “of Laish.”
  2. Judges 18:14 tn Heb “brothers.”
  3. Judges 18:15 tn Heb “turned aside.”
  4. Judges 18:15 tn Heb “Micah’s house.”
  5. Judges 18:15 tn Heb “they asked him concerning peace.”
  6. Judges 18:16 tn Heb “And the 600 men, equipped with the weapons of war…from the sons of Dan.”
  7. Judges 18:17 tn Heb “went up, went in there, took.”
  8. Judges 18:17 tn Heb “600 men, equipped with the weapons of war.”
  9. Judges 18:18 tn Heb “These went into Micah’s house and took.”
  10. Judges 18:19 tn See the note on the word “adviser” in 17:10.
  11. Judges 18:19 tn Heb “Is it better for you to be priest for the house of one man or for you to be priest for a tribe, for a clan in Israel?”
  12. Judges 18:20 tn Heb “and went into the midst of the people.”