1Não havia rei em Israel nesse tempo. A tribo de Dan estava a tentar achar um território para se estabelecer, visto que ainda não tinham expulsado as gentes que viviam na terra que lhes tinha sido consignada.2Os homens de Dan escolheram então cinco valentes soldados das cidades de Zora e Estaol, para irem observar secretamente a terra onde pensavam estabelecer-se. Chegados às colinas de Efraim ficaram na casa de Mica.3Reparando no sotaque da fala do jovem levita, tomaram-no à parte e perguntaram-lhe: “Que estás a fazer aqui? Porque vieste para cá?”4Ele contou-lhes o contrato que tinha feito com Mica e que era presentemente o seu sacerdote pessoal.5“Então”, disseram-lhe, “pergunta a Deus se a nossa incursão será bem sucedida.”6“Sim, tudo correrá bem. O SENHOR está a tomar conta de vocês.”7Assim, os cinco homens continuaram até à cidade de Laís e repararam que ali toda a gente se sentia segura e confiante. Viviam à maneira dos fenícios; era um povo próspero e pacífico, e nem sequer estava preparado para a eventualidade de algum ataque do exterior, pois naquela área não havia gente suficientemente forte. Estavam a grande distância dos sidónios, com quem se aparentavam, e tinham pouco ou nenhum contacto com as povoações vizinhas.8Dali os espias voltaram para os seus em Zora e Estaol. “O que têm para contar-nos”, perguntaram-lhes.9“Devemos atacar! Vimos uma terra que é perfeitamente o que nos convém: espaçosa, fértil, um território espantoso, um verdadeiro paraíso.10O povo nem sequer está preparado para se defender! Vamos, despachem-se! Deus já nos deu esta terra!”11Dessa forma, 600 homens armados da tribo de Dan partiram de Zora e de Estaol.12Acamparam primeiro num lugar a ocidente de Quiriate-Jearim, em Judá, que ainda hoje se chama Campo de Dan.13Continuaram depois até às colinas de Efraim. Ao passarem pela casa de Mica,14os tais cinco soldados disseram aos outros: “Há ali um santuário com um éfode, alguns terafins e ídolos de prata. Não devemos deixar de ir lá.”15-16Foi o que fizeram. Dirigiram-se àquela casa e com os 600 soldados, prontos para a batalha, do lado de fora, saudaram o jovem sacerdote.17Depois os cinco espias foram lá dentro, ao santuário, e começaram a pegar nos ídolos, no éfode e nos terafins.18“O que é que estão a fazer?”, perguntou-lhes o sacerdote, quando viu que levavam tudo com eles.19“Sossega, vem connosco. Serás sacerdote de todos nós. Não é muito melhor seres sacerdote de uma tribo inteira do que de um homem só, numa casa particular?”20O jovem sacerdote, muito satisfeito com a ideia, agarrou tudo; o éfode, os terafins e os ídolos.21Assim retomaram o caminho, colocando as crianças, o gado e os seus haveres à frente da coluna.22Quando já se encontravam a uma distância razoável da casa de Mica, viram que este mais alguns vizinhos corriam atrás deles,23gritando-lhes que parassem. “O que pretendes para vires a correr atrás da gente?”, perguntaram os de Dan.24“Vocês ainda me perguntam o que é que eu pretendo, depois de levarem todos os meus deuses, o meu sacerdote e me deixarem sem nada!”25“Tem cuidado com a maneira como falas, pode alguém com ânimo mais exaltado atirar-se a ti e matar-te.”26Os homens de Dan continuaram o seu caminho. Quanto a Mica, ao constatar que não podia enfrentá-los, pois eram muito numerosos, voltou para casa.27Os outros, na posse dos ídolos de Mica e do sacerdote, lá chegaram à cidade de Laís, que nem sequer tinha guardas; por isso, foi só entrar e começar a matança, acabando por incendiar a cidade, deixando-a em ruínas.28Não houve ninguém que pudesse auxiliar aqueles habitantes, pois estavam muito longe de Sídon e não tinham aliados na vizinhança, pois não se relacionavam com ninguém. Isso aconteceu num vale perto de Bete-Reobe. O povo de Dan reconstruiu depois a cidade e ficou a viver ali.29A localidade passou a chamar-se Dan, o nome do pai da tribo, do filho de Israel. No entanto, como já foi referido, antes chamava-se Laís.30Então instalaram os ídolos e designaram Jónatas, filho de Gerson e neto de Moisés, mais os seus filhos, para serem sacerdotes. Os membros desta família mantiveram-se como sacerdotes até à altura em que o povo da terra foi levado para o cativeiro.31Os ídolos de Mica foram adorados pela tribo de Dan todo o tempo que a casa de Deus permaneceu em Silo.
1In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the people of Dan was seeking for itself an inheritance to dwell in, for until then no inheritance among the tribes of Israel had fallen to them. (Js 19:47; Jz 1:34; Jz 17:6; Jz 21:25)2So the people of Dan sent five able men from the whole number of their tribe, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to explore it. And they said to them, “Go and explore the land.” And they came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there. (Nm 13:17; Js 2:1; Js 24:33; Jz 13:25; Jz 17:1; Jz 17:8; Jz 18:8; Jz 18:11)3When they were by the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young Levite. And they turned aside and said to him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is your business here?”4And he said to them, “This is how Micah dealt with me: he has hired me, and I have become his priest.” (Jz 17:10)5And they said to him, “Inquire of God, please, that we may know whether the journey on which we are setting out will succeed.” (Nm 27:21)6And the priest said to them, “Go in peace. The journey on which you go is under the eye of the Lord.” (1 Sm 1:17; 1 Rs 22:6)7Then the five men departed and came to Laish and saw the people who were there, how they lived in security, after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting, lacking[1] nothing that is in the earth and possessing wealth, and how they were far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone. (Js 19:47; Jz 18:10; Jz 18:27; Jz 18:28)8And when they came to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers said to them, “What do you report?” (Jz 18:2; Jz 18:11)9They said, “Arise, and let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very good. And will you do nothing? Do not be slow to go, to enter in and possess the land. (Nm 13:20; Js 2:23; Js 18:3; 1 Rs 22:3)10As soon as you go, you will come to an unsuspecting people. The land is spacious, for God has given it into your hands, a place where there is no lack of anything that is in the earth.” (Dt 8:9; Jz 18:7; Jz 18:27; Jz 19:19)11So 600 men of the tribe of Dan, armed with weapons of war, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol, (Jz 18:16)12and went up and encamped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. On this account that place is called Mahaneh-dan[2] to this day; behold, it is west of Kiriath-jearim. (Js 15:60; Jz 13:25)13And they passed on from there to the hill country of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah. (Jz 18:2)14Then the five men who had gone to scout out the country of Laish said to their brothers, “Do you know that in these houses there are an ephod, household gods, a carved image, and a metal image? Now therefore consider what you will do.” (Jz 17:4)15And they turned aside there and came to the house of the young Levite, at the home of Micah, and asked him about his welfare. (Gn 43:27)16Now the 600 men of the Danites, armed with their weapons of war, stood by the entrance of the gate. (Jz 18:11)17And the five men who had gone to scout out the land went up and entered and took the carved image, the ephod, the household gods, and the metal image, while the priest stood by the entrance of the gate with the 600 men armed with weapons of war. (Jz 17:4; Jz 18:2; Jz 18:14)18And when these went into Micah’s house and took the carved image, the ephod, the household gods, and the metal image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” (Jz 18:17)19And they said to him, “Keep quiet; put your hand on your mouth and come with us and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and clan in Israel?” (Jz 17:10; Jó 21:5; Jó 29:9; Jó 40:4; Pv 30:32; Mq 7:16)20And the priest’s heart was glad. He took the ephod and the household gods and the carved image and went along with the people.21So they turned and departed, putting the little ones and the livestock and the goods in front of them. (1 Sm 17:22; Is 10:28)22When they had gone a distance from the home of Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house were called out, and they overtook the people of Dan.23And they shouted to the people of Dan, who turned around and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you, that you come with such a company?”24And he said, “You take my gods that I made and the priest, and go away, and what have I left? How then do you ask me, ‘What is the matter with you?’” (Gn 31:30)25And the people of Dan said to him, “Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows fall upon you, and you lose your life with the lives of your household.”26Then the people of Dan went their way. And when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his home.27But the people of Dan took what Micah had made, and the priest who belonged to him, and they came to Laish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, and struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire. (Js 19:47; Jz 18:7; Jz 18:10)28And there was no deliverer because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with anyone. It was in the valley that belongs to Beth-rehob. Then they rebuilt the city and lived in it. (Nm 13:21; Js 19:28; Jz 18:7; 2 Sm 10:6)29And they named the city Dan, after the name of Dan their ancestor, who was born to Israel; but the name of the city was Laish at the first. (Gn 14:14; Jz 18:7; Jz 20:1; 1 Rs 12:29; 1 Rs 15:20)30And the people of Dan set up the carved image for themselves, and Jonathan the son of Gershom, son of Moses,[3] and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land. (Ex 2:22; Ex 18:3; Jz 13:1; Jz 17:12; 1 Sm 4:2; 1 Sm 4:10; Sl 78:60)31So they set up Micah’s carved image that he made, as long as the house of God was at Shiloh. (Js 18:1; 1 Sm 1:3)