⁷ The five men left and came to Laish. They saw that the people who were there were living securely, in the same way as the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting. There was nothing lacking^[a] in the land and no oppressive ruler. They were far from the Sidonians, having no alliance with anyone.^[b]

⁸ When the men went back to their relatives at Zorah and Eshtaol,^(A) their relatives asked them, “What did you find out?”

⁹ They answered, “Come on, let’s attack them, for we have seen the land, and it is very good. Why wait? Don’t hesitate to go and invade and take possession of the land! ¹⁰ When you get there, you will come to an unsuspecting people and a spacious land, for God has handed it over to you. It is a place where nothing on earth is lacking.”^(B)

¹⁰ “‘This is what the Lord God says: On that day, thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will devise an evil plan. ¹¹ You will say, “I will advance against a land of open villages; I will come against a tranquil people who are living securely,^(A) all of them living without walls and without bars or gates”^(B)—

⁷ Aren’t these the words that the Lord proclaimed through the earlier prophets when Jerusalem was inhabited and secure,^[a] along with its surrounding cities, and when the southern region and the Judean foothills were inhabited?”