Micah’s Idols

17 There was a man named Micah that lived in the hill country of Ephraim. ²Micah said to his mother, “Do you remember that someone stole 28 pounds* of silver from you. I heard you say a curse about that. Well, I have the silver. I took it.” His mother said, “The Lord bless you, my son.” ³Micah gave the 28 pounds* of silver back to his mother. Then she said, “I will give this silver as a special gift to the Lord. I will give it to my son so he can make a statue and cover it with the silver. So now, son, I give the silver back to you.” ⁴But Micah gave the silver back to his mother. So she took about 5 pounds* of the silver and gave them to a silversmith.* The silversmith used the silver to make a statue covered with silver. The statue was put in Micah’s house. ⁵Micah had a temple for worshiping idols. He made an ephod* and some house idols. Then Micah chose one of his sons to be his priest. (⁶At that time, the people of Israel did not have a king. So each person did what he himself thought was right.) ⁷There was a young man that was a Levite.* He was from the city of Bethlehem, Judah. He had been living among the family group of Judah. ⁸That young man left Bethlehem, Judah. He was looking for another place to live. As he was traveling, he came to Micah’s house. Micah’s house was in the hill country of the land of Ephraim. ⁹Micah asked him, “Where have you come from?” The young man answered, “I am a Levite* from the city of Bethlehem, Judah. I am looking for a place to live.” ¹⁰Then Micah said to him, “Live with me. Be my father and my priest. I will give you 4 ounces* of silver each year. I will also give you clothes and food.” The Levite* did what Micah asked. ¹¹The young Levite agreed to live with Micah. The young man became like one of Micah’s own sons. ¹²Micah chose him to be his priest. So the young man became a priest and lived in Micah’s house. ¹³And Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me. I know this because I have a man from the family group of Levi to be my priest.”

28 pounds Literally, “1,100 {shekels}.” 5 pounds Literally, “200 {shekels}.” silversmith A person that makes things from silver. ephod We do not know exactly what this was. It may have been a special vest or coat, like the High Priest of Israel wore (see Exodus 28). Or it may have been an idol. Levite A person from the tribe of Levi. The Levites helped the priests in the temple and also worked for the civil government. 4 ounces Literally, “10 {shekels}.”

Dan Captures the City of Laish

18 At that time, the people of Israel did not have a king. And at that time, the family group of Dan was still looking for a place to live. They did not have their own land yet. The other family groups of Israel already had their land. But the family group of Dan had not taken their land yet. ²So the family group of Dan sent five soldiers to look for some land. They went to search for a good place to live. Those five men were from the cities of Zorah and Eshtaol. They were chosen because they were from all the families of Dan. They were told, “Go, look for some land.” The five men came to the hill country of Ephraim. They came to Micah’s house and spent the night there. ³When the five men came close to Micah’s house, they heard the voice of the young Levite* man. They recognized his voice, so they stopped at Micah’s house. They asked the young man, “Who brought you to this place? What are you doing here? What is your business here?” ⁴The young man told them about the things Micah had done for him. “Micah hired me,” the young man said. “I am his priest.” ⁵So they said to him, “Please ask God something for us. We want to know something: Will our search for a place to live be successful?” ⁶The priest said to the five men, “Yes. Go in peace. The Lord will lead you on your way.” ⁷So the five men left. They came to the city of Laish. They saw that the people of that city lived in safety. They were ruled by the people of Sidon. Everything was peaceful and quiet. The people had plenty of everything. And they didn’t have any enemies nearby to hurt them. Also, they lived a long way from the city of Sidon and they did not have any agreements with the people of Aram.* ⁸The five men went back to the cities of Zorah and Eshtaol. Their relatives asked them, “What did you learn?” ⁹The five men answered, “We have found some land, and it is very good. We should attack them. Don’t wait! Let’s go and take that land! ¹⁰When you come to that place, you will see that there is plenty of land. There is plenty of everything there. You will also see that the people are not expecting an attack. Surely God has given that land to us.” ¹¹So 600 men from the family group of Dan left the cities of Zorah and Eshtaol. They were ready for war. ¹²On their way to the city of Laish, they stopped near the city of Kiriath Jearim in the land of Judah. They set up a camp there. That is why the place west of Kiriath Jearim is named Mahaneh Dan* to this very day. ¹³From that place, the 600 men traveled on to the hill country of Ephraim. Then they came to Micah’s house. ¹⁴So the five men that had explored the land around Laish spoke. They said to their relatives, “There is an ephod* in one of these houses. And there are also household gods, a carved statue, and a silver idol. You know what to do—{go get them}.” ¹⁵So they stopped at Micah’s house, where the young Levite man lived. They asked the young man how he was. ¹⁶The 600 men from the family group of Dan stood at the entrance of the gate. They all had their weapons and were ready for war. ^17–18The five spies went into the house. The priest stood just outside by the gate with the 600 men that were ready for war. The men took the carved idol, the ephod, the house idols, and the silver idol. The young Levite priest said, “What are you doing?” ¹⁹The five men answered, “Be quiet! Don’t say a word. Come with us. Be our father and our priest. You must choose. Is it better for you to be a priest for just one man? Or is it better for you to be a priest for a whole family group of Israelite people?” ²⁰This made the Levite man happy. So he took the ephod*, the house idols, and the idol. He went with those men from the family group of Dan. ²¹Then the 600 men from the family group of Dan, with the Levite priest, turned and left Micah’s house. They put their little children, their animals, and all their things in front of them. ²²The men from the family group of Dan went a long way from that place. But the people living near Micah met together. Then they began chasing the men of Dan and caught up with them. ²³The men with Micah were shouting at the men of Dan. The men of Dan turned around. They said to Micah, “What’s the problem? Why are you shouting?” ²⁴Micah answered, “You men from Dan took my idols. I made those idols for myself. You have also taken my priest. What do I have left now? How can you ask me, ‘What’s the problem?’” ²⁵The men from the family group of Dan answered, “You had better not argue with us. Some of our men have hot tempers. If you shout at us, those men might attack you. You and your families might get killed.” ²⁶Then the men of Dan turned around and went on their way. Micah knew that those men were too strong for him. So he went back home. ²⁷So the men of Dan took the idols that Micah made. They also took the priest that had been with Micah. Then they came to Laish. They attacked the people living in Laish. Those people were at peace. They were not expecting an attack. The men of Dan killed those people with their swords. Then they burned the city. ²⁸The people living in Laish did not have anyone to rescue them. They lived too far from the city of Sidon for those people to help. And the people of Laish did not have any agreements with the people of Aram—so those people did not help them. The city of Laish was in a valley which belonged to the town of Beth Rehob. The people from Dan built a new city in that place. And that city became their home. ²⁹The people of Dan gave that city a new name. That city had been called Laish, but they changed the name to Dan. They named the city after their ancestor* Dan, one of the sons of Israel. ³⁰The people of the family group of Dan set up the idol in the city of Dan. They made Jonathan son of Gershom their priest. Gershom was the son of Moses.* Jonathan and his sons were priests for the family group of Dan until the time when the Israelite people were taken into captivity. ³¹The people of Dan set up for themselves the idol that Micah had made. That idol was there {in the city of Dan} the whole time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

Levite A person from the tribe of Levi. The Levites helped the priests in the temple and also worked for the civil government. they did not have ... Aram Or, “they did not have any dealings with people.” Mahaneh Dan This name means “The Camp of Dan.” ephod We do not know exactly what this was. It may have been a special vest or coat, like the High Priest of Israel wore (see Exodus 28). Or it may have been an idol. ancestor Literally, “father.” This means a person that people are descended from. Moses Or, “Manasseh.”

A Levite Man and His Woman Servant

19 At that time, the people of Israel did not have a king. There was a Levite* man that lived far back in the hill country of Ephraim. That man had a woman as a servant that was like a wife to him. That woman servant* was from the city of Bethlehem in the country of Judah. ²But his woman servant had an argument with the Levite man. She left him and went back to her father’s house in Bethlehem, Judah. She stayed there for four months. ³Then her husband went after her. He wanted to speak kindly to her so that she would come back to him. He took with him his servant and two donkeys. The Levite man came to her father’s house. Her father saw the Levite man and came out to greet him. The father was very happy. ⁴The woman’s father led the Levite man into his house. The Levite’s father-in-law invited him to stay. So the Levite man stayed for three days. He ate, drank, and slept in his father-in-law’s house. ⁵On the fourth day, they got up early in the morning. The Levite* man was getting ready to leave. But the young woman’s father said to his son-in-law, “Eat something first. After you eat, then you can go.” ⁶So the Levite man and his father-in-law sat down to eat and drink together. After that, the young woman’s father said to the Levite man, “Please stay tonight. Relax and enjoy yourself. Wait until this afternoon to leave.” So the two men ate together. ⁷The Levite got up to leave, but his father-in-law persuaded him to stay the night again. ⁸Then, on the fifth day, the Levite* man got up early in the morning. He was ready to leave. But the woman’s father said to his son-in-law, “Eat something first. Relax and stay until this afternoon.” So they both ate together again. ⁹Then the Levite* man, his woman servant,* and his servant got up to leave. But the young woman’s father said, “It is almost dark. The day is almost gone. So stay the night here and enjoy yourself. Tomorrow morning you can get up early and go on your way.” ¹⁰But the Levite* man did not want to stay another night. He took his two donkeys and his woman servant.* He traveled as far as the city of Jebus. (Jebus is another name for Jerusalem). ¹¹The day was almost over. They were near the city of Jebus. So the servant said to his master, the Levite man, “Let’s stop at this Jebusite city. Let’s stay the night here.” ¹²But his master, the Levite* man, said, “No. We won’t go inside a strange city. Those people are not Israelite people. We will go to the city of Gibeah.”* ¹³The Levite man said, “Come on. Let’s try to make it to Gibeah or Ramah. We can stay the night in one of those cities.” ¹⁴So the Levite* man and the people with him traveled on. The sun was going down just as they entered the city of Gibeah. Gibeah is in the area that belongs to the family group of Benjamin. ¹⁵So they stopped at Gibeah. They planned to stay the night in that city. They came to the city square* in the city and sat down there. But no one invited them home to stay the night. ¹⁶That evening an old man came into the city from the fields. His home was in the hill country of Ephraim. But now he was living in the city of Gibeah. (The men of Gibeah were from the family group of Benjamin.) ¹⁷The old man saw the traveler (the Levite man), in the public square. The old man asked, “Where are you going? Where did you come from?” ¹⁸The Levite* man answered, “We are traveling from the city Bethlehem, Judah. We are going home. I am from far back in the hill country of Ephraim. I have been to Bethlehem, Judah. And now, I am going to my house.* ¹⁹We already have straw and food for our donkeys. There is also bread and wine for me, the young woman and my servant. We don’t need anything.” ²⁰The old man said, “You are welcome to stay at my house. I will give you anything you need. Only, don’t stay the night in the public square!” ²¹Then the old man took the Levite* man and the people with him to his house. He fed their donkeys. They washed their feet. Then they had something to eat and drink. ²²While the Levite* man and those that were with him were enjoying themselves, some of the men from that city surrounded the house. They were very bad men. They began beating on the door. They shouted at the old man that owned the house. They said, “Bring out the man that came to your house. We want to have sex with him.” ²³The old man went outside and spoke to those bad men. He said, “No, my friends, don’t do such bad things! That man is a guest in my house.* Don’t do this terrible sin. ²⁴Look, here is my daughter. She has never had sex before. I will bring her out to you now. You can use her any way you want. But don’t do such a terrible sin against this man.” ²⁵But those bad men would not listen to the old man. So the Levite* man took his woman servant* and put her outside with those evil men. Those evil men hurt her and raped her all night long. Then, at dawn, they let her go. ²⁶At dawn, the woman came back to the house where her master was staying. She fell down at the front door. She lay there until it was daylight. ²⁷The Levite* man got up early the next morning. He wanted to go home. He opened the door to go outside. And a hand fell across the threshold of the door. There was his woman servant.* She had fallen down against the door. ²⁸The Levite man said to her, “Get up, let’s go!” But she did not answer—{she was dead}. The Levite* man put his woman servant* on his donkey and went home. ²⁹When he arrived at his house, he took a knife and cut his woman servant into 12 parts. Then he sent those 12 parts of the woman to all the areas where the people of Israel lived. ³⁰Everyone that saw this said, “Nothing like this has ever happened in Israel before. We haven’t seen anything like this from the time we came out of Egypt. Discuss this and tell us what to do.”

Levite A person from the tribe of Levi. The Levites helped the priests in the temple and also worked for the civil government. woman servant Or, “concubine,” a slave woman who was like a wife to a man. Gibeah Gibeah was a few miles north of Jebus. square A public place near the city gates. The people of the city had meetings there, and visitors often camped there. my house This is from the ancient Greek translation. The Hebrew has, “the Lord’s house.” That man … my house At this time, it was a custom that if you invited people to be your guests, then you had to protect and care for those people.