The Skeptics Annotated Bible (247 page)

31 Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.

17
And there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose name was Micah.

2 And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou cursedst, and spakest of also in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my son.

3 And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it unto thee.

4 Yet he restored the money unto his mother; and his mother took two hundred shekels of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image: and they were in the house of Micah.

5 And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

6 In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

7 And there was a young man out of Beth-lehem-judah of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.

8 And the man departed out of the city from Beth-lehem-judah to sojourn where he could find a place: and he came to mount Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.

9 And Micah said unto him, Whence comest thou? And he said unto him, I am a Levite of Beth-lehem-judah, and I go to sojourn where I may find a place.

10 And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten shekels of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals. So the Levite went in.

11 And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was unto him as one of his sons.

12 And Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.

13 Then said Micah, Now know I that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.

(18.1-27)
The Massacre of the Peaceful, Unsuspecting People
The story begins with the tribe of Dan (one of the 12 tribes of Israel) looking for a nice place to live. So they sent out five men to find some land.

18
In 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.

(18.1)
“The Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in.”

2
And 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.

(18.2)
“And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts … to spy out the land, and to search it.”

(18.3-6) On their way, they stopped at a Micah’s house and asked his priest to ask God where they should go to find some land. The priest told them to just go looking for it, and that God would be with them wherever they went.

3
When 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?

(18.3)
“When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite: and they turned in thither.”

4 And
he said unto them
, Thus and thus dealeth
Micah
with me, and
hath hired me, and I am his priest.

(18.4)
“He said unto them … Micah … hath hired me, and I am his priest.”

5 And
they said unto him, Ask counsel
, we pray thee,
of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.

(18.5)
“They said unto him, Ask counsel … of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.”

6 And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before
the LORD is your way wherein ye go.

(18.6)
“The LORD is your way wherein ye go.”

7 Then 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.

(18.7) So they left there and came to a place called Laish, where the people lived peaceful, secure, carefree lives.

(18.7)
“The five men … came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt careless, … quiet and secure.”

(18.8-10) Then the five men returned and told the other Danites to attack Laish, saying that God had given it into their hands.

8 And
they came unto their brethren
to Zorah and Eshtaol:
and their brethren said unto them, What say ye?

(18.8) “
They came unto their brethren … and their brethren said unto them, What say ye?”

9
And 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.

(18.9)
“And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good … go, and … possess the land.”

10
When 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.

(18.10)
“When 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.”

11 And
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.

(18.11) So the Danites round up 600 soldiers and march off toward Laish.