Discovery BoxJudges 18:14-20 
Context18:14 The five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish 1 said to their kinsmen, 2 “Do you realize that inside these houses are an ephod, some personal idols, a carved image, and a metal image? Decide now what you want to do.” 18:15 They stopped 3 there, went inside the young Levite’s house (which belonged to Micah), 4 and asked him how he was doing. 5 18:16 Meanwhile the six hundred Danites, fully armed, stood at the entrance to the gate. 6 18:17 The five men who had gone to spy out the land broke in and stole 7 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. 8 18:18 When these men broke into Micah’s house and stole 9 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 10 and priest. Wouldn’t it be better to be a priest for a whole Israelite tribe than for just one man’s family?” 11 18:20 The priest was happy. He took the ephod, the personal idols, and the carved image and joined the group. 12
1 tc Codex Alexandrinus (A) of the LXX lacks the phrase “of Laish.”
2 tn Heb “brothers.”
3 tn Heb “turned aside.”
4 tn Heb “Micah’s house.”
5 tn Heb “they asked him concerning peace.”
6 tn Heb “And the six hundred men, equipped with the weapons of war…from the sons of Dan.”
7 tn Heb “went up, went in there, took.”
8 tn Heb “six hundred men, equipped with the weapons of war.”
9 tn Heb “These went into Micah’s house and took.”
10 tn See the note on the word “adviser” in 17:10.
11 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?”
12 tn Heb “and went into the midst of the people.”
