4. And he said unto them, Thus and thus Micah has done with me and has hired me that I may be his priest.
5. And they said unto him, Ask counsel now, therefore, of God, that we may know whether he shall prosper our journey which we do.
6. And the priest replied unto them, Go in peace. Your journey which ye do is before the Lord.
7. Then the five men departed and came to Laish and saw that the people that dwelt there were secure, idle, and confident after the manner of the Zidonians; and there was no one in that land that might hinder them in any way from possessing that land; furthermore they were far from the Zidonians and had no business with anyone.
8. And they returned unto their brethren in Zorah and Eshtaol, and their brethren said unto them, What say ye?
9. And they said, Arise, let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good; and are ye to remain still? Do not be slothful to go and to enter to possess the land.
10. When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure and to a large land, for God has given it into your hands, a place where there is no want of any thing that is in the earth.
11. And there went from there of the family of Dan, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men armed with weapons of war.
12. And they went up and pitched camp in Kirjathjearim in Judah; therefore, they called that place the camp of Dan unto this day; it is behind Kirjathjearim.
13. And they passed from there unto Mount Ephraim and came unto the house of Micah.
14. Then the five men that had gone to spy out the land of Laish 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.
15. And they turned in there and came to the house of the young man, the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and greeted him. {Heb. asked him of peace}
16. And the six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the sons of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate.
17. And the five men that went to spy out the land went up and went in there and took the graven image and the ephod, and the teraphim and the molten image while the priest stood in the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men that were armed with weapons of war.
18. So they entered into Micah’s house and took the graven image the ephod and the teraphim and the molten image. Then the priest said unto them, What are you doing?
19. And they said unto him, Silence, lay thy hand upon thy mouth and go with us to be our father and 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 of Israel?
20. And 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.