Judges 17–21

Chapter 17

There was at that time a man of mount Ephraim, whose name was Michas.

²Who said to his mother: The eleven hundred pieces of silver, which thou hadst put aside for thyself, and concerning which thou didst swear in my hearing, behold I have, and they are with me. And she said to him. Blessed be my son by the Lord.

³So he restored them to his mother, who said to him: I have consecrated and vowed this silver to the Lord, that my son may receive it at my hand, and make a graven and a molten god; so now I deliver it to thee.

⁴And he restored them to his mother: and she took two hundred pieces of silver and gave them to the silversmith, to make of them a graven and a molten god, which was in the house of Michas.

⁵And he separated also therein a little temple for the god, and made an ephod, and theraphim, that is to say, a priestly garment, and idols: and he filled the hand of one of his sons, and he became his priest.

⁶In those days there was no king in Israel, but every one did that which seemed right to himself.

⁷There was also another young man of Bethlehem Juda, of the kindred thereof: and he was a Levite, and dwelt there.

⁸Now he went out from the city of Bethlehem, and desired to sojourn wheresoever he should find it convenient for him. And when he was come to mount Ephraim, as he was on his journey, and had turned aside a little into the house of Michas,

⁹He was asked by him whence he came. And he answered: I am a Levite of Bethlehem Juda, and I am going to dwell where I can, and where I shall find a place to my advantage.

¹⁰And Michas said: Stay with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give thee every year ten pieces of silver, and a double suit of apparel, and thy victuals.

¹¹He was content, and abode with the man, and was unto him as one of his sons.

¹²And Michas filled his hand, and had the young man with him for his priest, saying:

¹³Now I know God will do me good, since I have a priest of the race of the Levites.

Chapter 18

In those days there was no king in Israel, and the tribe of Dan sought them an inheritance to dwell in: for unto that day they had not received their lot among the other tribes.

²So the children of Dan sent five most valiant men, of their stock and family, from Saraa and Esthaol, to spy out the land, and to view it diligently: and they said to them: Go, and view the land. They went on their way, and when they came to mount Ephraim, they went into the house of Michas, and rested there:

³And knowing the voice of the young man the Levite, and lodging with him, they said to him: Who brought thee hither? what dost thou here? why wouldst thou come hither?

⁴He answered them: Michas hath done such and such things for me, and hath hired me to be his priest.

⁵Then they desired him to consult the Lord, that they might know whether their journey should be prosperous, and the thing should have effect.

⁶He answered them: Go in peace: the Lord looketh on your way, and the journey that you go.

⁷So the five men going on came to Lais: and they saw how the people dwelt therein without any fear, according to the custom of the Sidonians, secure and easy, having no man at all to oppose them, being very rich, and living separated, at a distance from Sidon and from all men.

⁸And they returned to their brethren in Saraa and Esthaol, who asked them what they had done: to whom they answered:

⁹Arise, and let us go up to them: for we have seen the land which is exceeding rich and fruitful: neglect not, lose no time: let us go and possess it, there will be no difficulty.

¹⁰We shall come to a people that is secure, into a spacious country, and the Lord will deliver the place to us, in which there is no want of any thing that groweth on the earth.

¹¹There went therefore of the kindred of Dan, to wit, from Saraa and Esthaol, six hundred men, furnished with arms for war.

¹²And going up they lodged in Cariathiarim of Juda: which place from that time is called the camp of Dan, and is behind Cariathiarim.

¹³From thence they passed into mount Ephraim. And when they were come to the house of Michas,

¹⁴The five men, that before had been sent to view the land of Lais, said to the rest of their brethren: You know that in these houses there is an ephod and theraphim, and a graven and a molten god: see what you are pleased to do.

¹⁵And when they had turned a little aside, they went into the house of the young man the Levite, who was in the house of Michas: and they saluted him with words of peace.

¹⁶And the six hundred men stood before the door, appointed with their arms.

¹⁷But they that were gone into the house of the young man, went about to take away the graven god, and the ephod, and the theraphim, and the molten god, and the priest stood before the door, the six hundred valiant men waiting not far off.

¹⁸So they that were gone in took away the graven thing, the ephod, and the idols, and the molten god, And the priest said to them: What are you doing?

¹⁹And they said to him: Hold thy peace, and put thy finger on thy mouth, and come with us, that we may have thee for a father, and a priest. Whether is better for thee, to be a priest in the house of one man, or in a tribe and family in Israel?

²⁰When he heard this, he agreed to their words, and took the ephod, and the idols, and the graven god, and departed with them.

²¹And when they were going forward, and had put before them the children and the cattle, and all that was valuable,

²²And were now at a distance from the house of Michas, the men that dwelt in the houses of Michas gathering together followed them,

²³And began to shout out after them. They looked back, and said to Michas: What aileth thee? Why dost thou cry?

²⁴And he answered: You have taken away my gods which I have made me, and the priest, and all that I have, and do you say: What aileth thee?

²⁵And the children of Dan said to him: See thou say no more to us, lest men enraged come upon thee, and thou perish with all thy house.

²⁶And so they went on the journey they had begun. But Michas seeing that they were stronger than he, returned to his house.

²⁷And the six hundred men took the priest, and the things we spoke of before, and came to Lais, to a people that was quiet and secure, and smote them with the edge of the sword: and the city they burnt with fire,

²⁸There being no man at all who brought them any succour, because they dwelt far from Sidon, and had no society or business with any man. And the city was in the land of Rohob: and they rebuilt it, and dwelt therein,

²⁹Calling the name of the city Dan, after the name of their father, who was the son of Israel, which before was called Lais.

³⁰And they set up to themselves the graven idol, and Jonathan the son of Gersam, the son of Moses, he and his sons were priests in the tribe of Dan, until the day of their captivity.

³¹And the idol of Michas remained with them all the time that the house of God was in Silo. In those days there was no king in Israel.

Chapter 19

There was a certain Levite, who dwelt on the side of mount Ephraim, who took a wife of Bethlehem Juda:

²And she left him, and returned to her father’s house in Bethlehem, and abode with him four months.

³And her husband followed her, willing to be reconciled with her, and to speak kindly to her, and to bring her back with him, having with him a servant and two asses: and she received him, and brought him into her father’s house. And when his father in law had heard this, and had seen him, he met him with joy,

⁴And embraced the man. And the son in law tarried in the house of his father in law three days, eating with him and drinking familiarly.

⁵But on the fourth day, arising early in the morning, he desired to depart. But his father in law kept him, and said to him: Taste first a little bread, and strengthen thy stomach, and so thou shalt depart.

⁶And they sat down together, and ate and drank. And the father of the young woman said to his son in law: I beseech thee to stay here to day, and let us make merry together.

⁷But he rising up, began to be for departing. And nevertheless his father in law earnestly pressed him, and made him stay with him.

⁸But when morning was come, the Levite prepared to go on his journey. And his father in law said to him again: I beseech thee to take a little meat, and strengthening thyself, till the day be farther advanced, afterwards thou mayest depart. And they ate together.

⁹And the young man arose to set forward with his wife and servant. And his father in law spoke to him again: Consider that the day is declining, and draweth toward evening: tarry with me to day also, and spend the day in mirth, and to morrow thou shalt depart, that thou mayest go into thy house.

¹⁰His son in law would not consent to his words: but forthwith went forward, and came over against Jebus, which by another name is called Jerusalem, leading with him two asses loaden, and his concubine.

¹¹And now they were come near Jebus, and the day was far spent: and the servant said to his master: Come, I beseech thee, let us turn into the city of the Jebusites, and lodge there.

¹²His master answered him: I will not go into the town of another nation, who are not of the children of Israel, but I will pass over to Gabaa:

¹³And when I shall come thither, we will lodge there, or at least in the city of Rama.

¹⁴So they passed by Jebus, and went on their journey, and the sun went down upon them when they were by Gabaa, which is in the tribe of Benjamin:

¹⁵And they turned into it to lodge there. And when they were come in, they sat in the street of the city, for no man would receive them to lodge.

¹⁶And behold they saw an old man, returning out of the field and from his work in the evening, and he also was of mount Ephraim, and dwelt as a stranger in Gabaa; but the men of that country were the children of Jemini.

¹⁷And the old man lifting up his eyes, saw the man sitting with his bundles in the street of the city, and said to…