Jueces 18
Bible in Basic English
1In those days there was no king in Israel, and in those days the Danites were looking for a heritage for themselves, to be their living-place; for up to that time no distribution of land had been made to them among the tribes of Israel.
2So the children of Dan sent five men from among their number, strong men, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to take a look at the land and make a search through it; and they said to them, Go and make a search through the land; and they came to the hill-country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, where they made a stop for the night.
3When they were near the house of Micah, hearing a voice which was not strange to them, that of the young Levite, they went out of their road to his place, and said to him, How did you come here? and what are you doing in this place? and why are you here?
4And he said to them, This is what Micah did for me, and he gave me payment and I became his priest.
5Then they said, Do get directions from God for us, to see if the journey on which we are going will have a good outcome.
6And the priest said to them, Go in peace: your way is guided by the Lord.
7Then the five men went on their way and came to Laish and saw the people who were there, living without thought of danger, like the Zidonians, quiet and safe; for they had everything on earth for their needs, and they were far from the Zidonians and had no business with Aram.
8So they came back to their brothers in Zorah and Eshtaol, and their brothers said to them, What news have you?
9And they said, Up! and let us go against Laish; for we have seen the land, and it is very good: why are you doing nothing? Do not be slow to go in and take the land for your heritage.
10When you come there you will come to a people living without thought of danger; and the land is wide, and God has given it into your hands: a place where there is everything on earth for man's needs.
11So six hundred men of the Danites from Zorah and Eshtaol went out armed with instruments of war.
12And they went up and put up their tents in Kiriath-jearim in Judah: so that place is named Mahaneh-dan to this day. It is to the west of Kiriath-jearim.
13From there they went on to the hill-country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah.
14Then the five men who had gone to make a search through the country of Laish, said to their brothers, Have you knowledge that in these houses there is an ephod and family gods and a pictured image and a metal image? So now you see what to do.
15And turning from their road they came to the house of the young Levite, the house of Micah, and said to him, Is it well with you?
16And the six hundred armed men of the Danites took their places by the doorway.
17Then the five men who had gone to make a search through the land, went in and took the pictured image and the ephod and the family gods and the metal image; and the priest was by the doorway with the six hundred armed men.
18And when they went into Micah's house and took out the pictured image and the ephod and the family gods and the metal image, the priest said to them, What are you doing?
19And they said to him, Be quiet; say nothing, and come with us and be our father and priest; is it better for you to be priest to one man's house or to be priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?
20Then the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod and the family gods and the pictured image and went with the people.
21So they went on their way again, putting the little ones and the oxen and the goods in front of them.
22When they had gone some way from the house of Micah, the men from the houses near Micah's house came together and overtook the children of Dan,
23Crying out to them. And the Danites, turning round, said to Micah, What is your trouble, that you have taken up arms?
24And he said, You have taken my gods which I made, and my priest, and have gone away; what is there for me now? Why then do you say to me, What is your trouble?
25And the children of Dan said to him, Say no more, or men of bitter spirit may make an attack on you, causing loss of your life and the lives of your people.
26Then the children of Dan went on their way; and when Micah saw that they were stronger than he, he went back to his house.
27And they took that which Micah had made, and his priest, and came to Laish, to a people living quietly and without thought of danger, and they put them to the sword without mercy, burning down their town.
28And they had no saviour, because it was far from Zidon, and they had no business with Aram; and it was in the valley which is the property of Beth-rehob. And building up the town again they took it for their living-place.
29And they gave the town the name of Dan, after Dan their father, who was the son of Israel: though the town had been named Laish at first.
30(And the children of Dan put up the pictured image for themselves; and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of the Danites till the day when the ark was taken prisoner.)
31And they put up for themselves the image which Micah had made, and it was there all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.
Reina-Valera 1909
1EN aquellos días no había rey en Israel. Y en aquellos días la tribu de Dan buscaba posesión para sí donde morase, porque hasta entonces no le había caído suerte entre las tribus de Israel por heredad.
2Y los hijos de Dan enviaron de su tribu cinco hombres de sus términos, hombres valientes, de Sora y Esthaol, para que reconociesen y explorasen bien la tierra; y dijéronles: Id y reconoced la tierra. Estos vinieron al monte de Ephraim, hasta la casa de Michâs, y allí posaron.
3Y como estaban cerca de la casa de Michâs, reconocieron la voz del joven Levita; y llegándose allá, dijéronle: ¿Quién te ha traído por acá? ¿y qué haces aquí? ¿y qué tienes tú por aquí?
4Y él les respondió: De esta y de esta manera ha hecho conmigo Michâs, y me ha tomado para que sea su sacerdote.
5Y ellos le dijeron: Pregunta pues ahora á Dios, para que sepamos si ha de prosperar nuestro viaje que hacemos.
6Y el sacerdote les respondió: Id en paz, que vuestro viaje que hacéis es delante de Jehová.
7Entonces aquellos cinco hombres se partieron, y vinieron á Lais: y vieron que el pueblo que habitaba en ella estaba seguro, ocioso y confiado, conforme á la costumbre de los de Sidón; no había nadie en aquella región que los perturbase en cosa alguna para poseer aquel estado; demás de esto, estaban lejos de los Sidonios, y no tenían negocios con nadie.
8Volviendo pues ellos á sus hermanos en Sora y Esthaol, sus hermanos les dijeron: ¿Qué hay? y ellos respondieron:
9Levantaos, subamos contra ellos; porque nosotros hemos explorado la región, y hemos visto que es muy buena: ¿y vosotros os estáis quedos? no seáis perezosos en poneros en marcha para ir á poseer la tierra.
10Cuando allá llegareis, vendréis á una gente segura, y á una tierra de ancho asiento; pues que Dios la ha entregado en vuestras manos; lugar donde no hay falta de cosa que sea en la tierra.
11Y partiendo los de Dan de allí, de Sora y de Esthaol, seiscientos hombres armados de armas de guerra,
12Fueron y asentaron campo en Chîriath-jearim, en Judá; de donde aquel lugar fué llamado el campo de Dan, hasta hoy: está detrás de Chîriath-jearim.
13Y pasando de allí al monte de Ephraim, vinieron hasta la casa de Michâs.
14Entonces aquellos cinco hombres que habían ido á reconocer la tierra de Lais, dijeron á sus hermanos: ¿No sabéis como en estas casas hay ephod y teraphim, é imagen de talla y de fundición? Mirad pues lo que habéis de hacer.
15Y llegándose allá, vinieron á la casa del joven Levita en casa de Michâs, y preguntáronle cómo estaba.
16Y los seiscientos hombres, que eran de los hijos de Dan, estaban armados de sus armas de guerra á la entrada de la puerta.
17Y subiendo los cinco hombres que habían ido á reconocer la tierra, entraron allá, y tomaron la imagen de talla, y el ephod, y el teraphim, y la imagen de fundición, mientras estaba el sacerdote á la entrada de la puerta con los seiscientos hombres armados de armas de guerra.
18Entrando pues aquellos en la casa de Michâs, tomaron la imagen de talla, el ephod, y el teraphim, y la imagen de fundición. Y el sacerdote les dijo: ¿Qué hacéis vosotros?
19Y ellos le respondieron: Calla, pon la mano sobre tu boca, y vente con nosotros, para que seas nuestro padre y sacerdote. ¿Es mejor que seas tú sacerdote en casa de un hombre solo, que de una tribu y familia de Israel?
20Y alegróse el corazón del sacerdote; el cual tomando el ephod y el teraphim, y la imagen, vínose entre la gente.
21Y ellos tornaron, y fuéronse; y pusieron los niños, y el ganado y el bagaje, delante de sí.
22Y cuando ya se habían alejado de la casa de Michâs, los hombres que habitaban en las casas cercanas á la casa de Michâs, se juntaron, y siguieron á los hijos de Dan.
23Y dando voces á los de Dan, éstos volvieron sus rostros, y dijeron á Michâs: ¿Qué tienes que has juntado gente?
24Y él respondió: Mis dioses que yo hice, que lleváis juntamente con el sacerdote, y os vais: ¿qué más me queda? ¿y á qué propósito me decís: Qué tienes?
25Y los hijos de Dan le dijeron: No des voces tras nosotros, no sea que los de ánimo colérico os acometan, y pierdas también tu vida, y la vida de los tuyos.
26Y yéndose los hijos de Dan su camino, y viendo Michâs que eran más fuertes que él, volvióse y regresó á su casa.
27Y ellos llevando las cosas que había hecho Michâs, juntamente con el sacerdote que tenía, llegaron á Lais, al pueblo reposado y seguro; y metiéronlos á cuchillo, y abrasaron la ciudad con fuego.
28Y no hubo quien los defendiese, porque estaban lejos de Sidón, y no tenían comercio con nadie. Y la ciudad estaba en el valle que hay en Beth-rehob. Luego reedificaron la ciudad, y habitaron en ella.
29Y llamaron el nombre de aquella ciudad Dan, conforme al nombre de Dan su padre, hijo de Israel, bien que antes se llamaba la ciudad Lais.
30Y los hijos de Dan se levantaron imagen de talla; y Jonathán, hijo de Gersón, hijo de Manasés, él y sus hijos fueron sacerdotes en la tribu de Dan, hasta el día de la transmigración de la tierra.
31Y levantáronse la imagen de Michâs, la cual él había hecho, todo el tiempo que la casa de Dios estuvo en Silo.
King James Version
1In 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 all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel.
2And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts, men of valour, 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.
3When 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?
4And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest.
5And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.
6And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the LORD is your way wherein ye go.
7Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and there was no magistrate in the land, that might put them to shame in any thing; and they were far from the Zidonians, and had no business with any man.
8And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto them, What say ye?
9And 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.
10When 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.
11And 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.
12And they went up, and pitched in Kirjath-jearim, in Judah: wherefore they called that place Mahaneh-dan unto this day: behold, it is behind Kirjath-jearim.
13And they passed thence unto mount Ephraim, and came unto the house of Micah.
14Then 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.
15And they turned thitherward, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and saluted him.
16And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, which were of the children of Dan, stood by the entering of the gate.
17And 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 in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war.
18And 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?
19And 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?
20And 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.
21So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the carriage before them.
22And 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.
23And 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?
24And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and ye are gone away: and what have I more? and what is this that ye say unto me, What aileth thee?
25And 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.
26And 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.
27And they took the things which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people that were at quiet and secure: and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire.
28And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Zidon, and they had no business with any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by Beth-rehob. And they built a city, and dwelt therein.
29And 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.
30And 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.
31And they set them up Micah’s graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.
World English Bible
1In 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.
2The children of Dan sent five men of their family from their whole number, men of valor, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to search it. They said to them, “Go, explore the land!” They came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there.
3When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite; so they went over there and said to him, “Who brought you here? What do you do in this place? What do you have here?”
4He said to them, “Thus and thus has Micah dealt with me, and he has hired me, and I have become his priest.”
5They said to him, “Please ask counsel of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.”
6The priest said to them, “Go in peace. Your way in which you go is before the LORD.”
7Then the five men departed and came to Laish and saw the people who were there, how they lived in safety, in the way of the Sidonians, quiet and secure; for there was no one in the land possessing authority, that might put them to shame in anything, and they were far from the Sidonians, and had no dealings with anyone else.
8They came to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol; and their brothers asked them, “What do you say?”
9They said, “Arise, and let’s go up against them; for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very good. Do you stand still? Don’t be slothful to go and to enter in to possess the land.
10When you go, you will come to an unsuspecting people, and the land is large; for God has given it into your hand, a place where there is no lack of anything that is in the earth.”
11The family of the Danites set out from Zorah and Eshtaol with six hundred men armed with weapons of war.
12They went up and encamped in Kiriath Jearim in Judah. Therefore they call that place Mahaneh Dan to this day. Behold, it is behind Kiriath Jearim.
13They passed from there to the hill country of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.
14Then the five men who went to spy out the country of Laish answered and said to their brothers, “Do you know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a carved image, and a molten image? Now therefore consider what you have to do.”
15They went over there and came to the house of the young Levite man, even to the house of Micah, and asked him how he was doing.
16The six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate.
17The five men who went to spy out the land went up, and came in there, and took the engraved image, the ephod, the teraphim, and the molten image; and the priest stood by the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men armed with weapons of war.
18When these went into Micah’s house, and took the engraved image, the ephod, the teraphim, and the molten image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”
19They said to him, “Hold your peace, put your hand on your mouth, and go with us. Be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?”
20The priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod, the teraphim, and the engraved image, and went with the people.
21So they turned and departed, and put the little ones, the livestock, and the goods before them.
22When they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house gathered together and overtook the children of Dan.
23As they called to the children of Dan, they turned their faces, and said to Micah, “What ails you, that you come with such a company?”
24He said, “You have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and have gone away! What more do I have? How can you ask me, ‘What ails you?’”
25The children of Dan said to him, “Don’t let your voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows fall on you, and you lose your life, with the lives of your household.”
26The children of Dan went their way; and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house.
27They took that which Micah had made, and the priest whom he had, and came to Laish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, and struck them with the edge of the sword; then they burned the city with fire.
28There was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with anyone else; and it was in the valley that lies by Beth Rehob. They built the city and lived in it.
29They called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel; however the name of the city used to be Laish.
30The children of Dan set up for themselves the engraved image; and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land.
31So they set up for themselves Micah’s engraved image which he made, and it remained all the time that God’s house was in Shiloh.