Judges 18 - 21st Century King James Version (KJ21)

18 In those days there was no king in Israel; and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought for themselves an inheritance to dwell in, for until 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 borders, 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,” who, when they came to Mount Ephraim 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. Your way wherein ye go is before the Lord.”

7 Then the five men departed and came to Laish, and saw the people who were therein, how they dwelt free from care, after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure. And there was no magistrate in the land who might put them to shame in any thing, and they were far from the Sidonians and had no business with any man.

8 And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol; 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 Eshtaol, six hundred men appointed with weapons of war.

12 And they went up and pitched camp in Kirjathjearim in Judah. Therefore they called that place Mahanehdan unto this day; behold, it is behind Kirjathjearim.

13 And they passed from thence unto Mount Ephraim and came unto the house of Micah.

14 Then answered the five men who 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.”

15 And they turned in that direction, 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, who were of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate.

17 And the five men who 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 in the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men who were appointed with weapons of war.

18 And these went into Micah’s house and fetched the carved image, the ephod and the teraphim 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 ephod and the teraphim 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 their baggage in front of them.

22 And when they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men who 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 have 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 whom he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people who were at 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 it was far from Sidon, and they had no business with any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by Bethrehob. 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. However, the name of the city was Laish at the first.

30 And the children of Dan set up the graven image; and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.

31 And they set up for themselves Micah’s graven image which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

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Judges 18 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

18 In those days there is no king in Israel, and in those days the tribe of the Danite is seeking for itself an inheritance to inhabit, for [that] hath not fallen to it unto that day in the midst of the tribes of Israel by inheritance. 2 And the sons of Dan send, out of their family, five men of the...
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Judges 18 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

18 In those days was no king in Israel; and the lineage of Dan sought (a) possession to itself, to dwell therein; for till to that day it had not taken heritage among other lineages. (In those days there was no king in Israel; and the tribe of Dan sought a possession for themselves to live in; for u...
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Judges 18 - World English Bible (WEB)

18 In those days there was no king in Israel. In those days the tribe of the Danites sought an inheritance to dwell in; for to that day, their inheritance had not fallen to them among the tribes of Israel. 2 The children of Dan sent five men of their family from their whole number, men of valor, fr...
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Judges 18 - The Voice (VOICE)

18 During this period, Israel had no king, and the tribe of Dan was searching for a territory they could call their own because at that time they had not been assigned land among the other peoples of Israel. 2 So the people of Dan chose five brave men from out of the entire tribe, men from the town...
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Judges 18 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

The Danites Seek a New Home18 In those days there was no king in Israel, and in those days the tribe of Dan was seeking an inheritance for itself to settle in, for to that day no territory had fallen to them for an inheritance in the midst of the tribes of Israel. 2 So the children of Dan sent five...
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Judges 18 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

The Migration of Dan18 In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking for itself an inheritance to dwell in; for until then no inheritance among the tribes of Israel had fallen to them. 2 So the Danites sent five able men from the whole number of t...
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Judges 18 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

The Migration of Dan18 In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking for itself an inheritance to dwell in; for until then no inheritance among the tribes of Israel had fallen to them. 2 So the Danites sent five able men from the whole number of t...
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Judges 18 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

The Migration of Dan18 In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking for itself a territory to live in; for until then no territory among the tribes of Israel had been allotted to them. 2 So the Danites sent five valiant men from the whole number ...
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Judges 18 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

The Migration of Dan18 In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking for itself a territory to live in, for until then no territory among the tribes of Israel had been allotted to them.(A)2 So the Danites sent five valiant men from the whole number...
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Judges 18 - New Living Translation (NLT)

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Judges 18 - New Life Version (NLV)

Micah and the Danites18 There was no king of Israel in those days. At that time the family of the Danites was looking for their own land to live in. For no land had been given to them yet among the families of Israel. 2 So the people of Dan sent five men from all those in their family. They were me...
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Judges 18 - New King James Version (NKJV)

The Danites Adopt Micah’s Idolatry18 In (A)those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days (B)the tribe of the Danites was seeking an inheritance for itself to dwell in; for until that day their inheritance among the tribes of Israel had not fallen to them. 2 So the children of Dan sent f...
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Judges 18 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

The Danites settle in Laish18 In those days Israel had no king.And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking a place of their own where they might settle, because they had not yet come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. 2 So the Danites sent five of their leading men from Zora...
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Judges 18 - New International Version (NIV)

The Danites Settle in Laish18 In those days Israel had no king.(A)And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking a place of their own where they might settle, because they had not yet come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.(B) 2 So the Danites(C) sent five of their leading men(D...
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Judges 18 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

The People of Dan Make Their Homes in Laish18 In those days Israel didn’t have a king.And in those days the tribe of Dan was looking for a place where they could make their homes. They hadn’t been able to take over their own share of land among the tribes of Israel. 2 So the people of Dan sent out ...
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Judges 18 - New English Translation (NET)

The Tribe of Dan Finds an Inheritance18 In those days Israel had no king. And in those days the Danite tribe was looking for a place[a] to settle, because at that time they did not yet have a place to call their own among the tribes of Israel.[b] 2 The Danites sent out from their whole tribe five r...
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