Judges 18:17-24

18:17 The five men who had gone to spy out the land broke in and stole ¹  the carved image, the ephod, the personal idols, and the metal image, while the priest was standing at the entrance to the gate with the six hundred fully armed men. ²  18:18 When these men broke into Micah’s house and stole ³  the carved image, the ephod, the personal idols, and the metal image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” 18:19 They said to him, “Shut up! Put your hand over your mouth and come with us! You can be our adviser ⁴  and priest. Wouldn’t it be better to be a priest for a whole Israelite tribe than for just one man’s family?” ⁵  18:20 The priest was happy. He took the ephod, the personal idols, and the carved image and joined the group. ⁶ 

18:21 They turned and went on their way, but they walked behind the children, the cattle, and their possessions. ⁷  18:22 After they had gone a good distance from Micah’s house, Micah’s neighbors ⁸  gathered together and caught up with the Danites. 18:23 When they called out to the Danites, the Danites ⁹  turned around and said to Micah, “Why have you gathered together?” 18:24 He said, “You stole my gods that I made, as well as this priest, and then went away. What do I have left? How can you have the audacity to say to me, ‘What do you want?’” ¹⁰ 

---

¹ tn Heb “went up, went in there, took.”

² tn Heb “six hundred men, equipped with the weapons of war.”

³ tn Heb “These went into Micah’s house and took.”

⁴ tn See the note on the word “adviser” in 17:10.

⁵ tn Heb “Is it better for you to be priest for the house of one man or for you to be priest for a tribe, for a clan in Israel?”

⁶ tn Heb “and went into the midst of the people.”

⁷ tn Heb “They turned and went and put the children, the cattle, and the possessions in front of them.”

⁸ tn Heb “the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house.”

⁹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Danites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁰ tn Heb “What is this you say to me, ‘What to you?’”