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 their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel.
And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their whole number, men of valor, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land. And they came to the hill-country of Ephraim, unto the house of Micah, and lodged there.
When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite; and they turned aside thither, and said unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what doest thou in this place? and what hast thou here?
And he said unto them, Thus and thus hath Micah dealt with me, and he hath hired me, and I am become his priest.
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.
And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before Jehovah is your way wherein ye go.
Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt in security, after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure; for there was none in the land, possessing {Hebrew: power of restraint.}authority, {Or, that might do any hurt}that might put them to shame in anything, and they were far from the Sidonians, and had no dealings with any man.
And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto them, What say ye?
And they said, Arise, and let us 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 in to possess the land.
When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure, and the land is large; for God hath given it into your hand, a place where there is no want of anything that is in the earth.
And there set forth from thence of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men girt with weapons of war.
And they went up, and encamped in Kiriath-jearim, in Judah: wherefore they called that place Mahaneh-dan, unto this day; behold, it is behind Kiriath-jearim.
And they passed thence unto the hill-country of Ephraim, and came unto the house of Micah.
Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have to do.
And they turned aside thither, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and asked him of his welfare.
And the six hundred men girt with their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate.
And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood by the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men girt with weapons of war.
And when these went into Micah's house, and fetched the graven image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image, the priest said unto them, What do ye?
And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thy hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be priest unto the house of one man, or to be priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel?
And the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.
So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the goods before them.
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.
And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, {Hebrew: that thou art gathered together.}that thou comest with such a company?
And he said, ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and are gone away, and what have I more? and how then say ye unto me, What aileth thee?
And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest {Hebrew: bitter of soul.}angry fellows fall upon you, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household.
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.
And they took that which Micah had made, and the priest whom he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people quiet and secure, and smote them with the edge of the sword; and they burnt the city with fire.
And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by Beth-rehob. And they built the city, and dwelt therein.
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 Laish at the first.
And the children of Dan set up for themselves the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of {Another reading is, Manasseh.}Moses, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land.
So they set them up Micah's graven image which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.
Querverweise zu Richter 18,30 Ri 18,30
Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah; and Jehovah delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.
Ye shall make you no idols, neither shall ye rear you up a graven image, or {Or, an obelisk}a pillar, neither shall ye place any figured stone in your land, to bow down {Or, thereon}unto it: for I am Jehovah your God.
And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when {Or, the battle was spread}they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines; and they slew of the {Hebrew: array.}army in the field about four thousand men.
If there be found in the midst of thee, within any of thy gates which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that doeth that which is evil in the sight of Jehovah thy God, in transgressing his covenant,
and hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, or the sun, or the moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded;
and it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it; then shalt thou inquire diligently; and, behold, if it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel,
then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, who hath done this evil thing, unto thy gates, even the man or the woman; and thou shalt stone them to death with stones.
At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is to die be put to death; at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
The hand of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So thou shalt put away the evil from the midst of thee.
And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath Jehovah smitten us to-day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of Shiloh unto us, that it may come among us, and save us out of the hand of our enemies.
Cursed be the man that maketh a graven or molten image, an abomination unto Jehovah, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and setteth it up in secret. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.
And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man to his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.
And Jehovah said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and play the harlot after the strange gods of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.
And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.
For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do that which is evil in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.
So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh,The tent which he placed among men;
And delivered his strength into captivity,And his glory into the adversary's hand.
He gave his people over also unto the sword,And was wroth with his inheritance.
The seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families.
And the border of their inheritance was Zorah, and Eshtaol, and Ir-shemesh,
and Shaalabbin, and Aijalon, and Ithlah,
and Elon, and Timnah, and Ekron,
and Eltekeh, and Gibbethon, and Baalath,
and Jehud, and Bene-berak, and Gath-rimmon,
and Me-jarkon, and Rakkon, with the border over against {Hebrew: Japho.}Joppa.
And the border of the children of Dan went out {Or, from them, and &c.}beyond them; for the children of Dan went up and fought against {In Judges 18:29, Laish.}Leshem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and dwelt therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father.
This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families, these cities with their villages.
For they provoked him to anger with their high places,And moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
When God heard this, he was wroth,And greatly abhorred Israel;
So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh,The tent which he placed among men;
And delivered his strength into captivity,And his glory into the adversary's hand.