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Judges 18:1
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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. |
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Judges 18:2 |
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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. |
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Judges 18:3 |
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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? |
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Judges 18:4 |
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And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth
Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest. |
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Judges 18:5 |
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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. |
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Judges 18:6 |
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And the priest said unto them, Go in peace:
before the LORD is your way wherein ye go. |
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Judges 18:7 |
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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. |
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Judges 18:8 |
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And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and
Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto them, What say ye? |
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Judges 18:9 |
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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. |
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Judges 18:10 |
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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. |
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Judges 18:11 |
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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. |
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Judges 18:12 |
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And they went up, and pitched in Kirjathjearim,
in Judah: wherefore they called that place Mahanehdan unto this day: behold, it
is behind Kirjathjearim. |
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Judges 18:13 |
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And they passed thence unto mount Ephraim, and
came unto the house of Micah. |
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Judges 18:14 |
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Then 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. |
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Judges 18:15 |
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And they turned thitherward, and came to the
house of the young man the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and saluted him. |
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Judges 18:16 |
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And the six hundred men appointed with their
weapons of war, which were of the children of Dan, stood by the entering of the
gate. |
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Judges 18:17 |
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And 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. |
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Judges 18:18 |
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And 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? |
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Judges 18:19 |
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And 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? |
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Judges 18:20 |
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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. |
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Judges 18:21 |
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So they turned and departed, and put the little
ones and the cattle and the carriage before them. |
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Judges 18:22 |
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And 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. |
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Judges 18:23 |
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And 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? |
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Judges 18:24 |
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And 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? |
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Judges 18:25 |
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And 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. |
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Judges 18:26 |
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And 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. |
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Judges 18:27 |
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And 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. |
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Judges 18:28 |
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And 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 Bethrehob. And they built a city, and dwelt therein. |
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Judges 18:29 |
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And 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. |
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Judges 18:30 |
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And 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. |
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Judges 18:31 |
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And they set them up Micah's graven image, which
he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh. |
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