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Thursday, August 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Read the Bible

The Darby Translation

Judges 18:20

Then 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.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Dishonesty;   Jonathan;   Teraphim;   Theft and Thieves;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Dan, the Tribe of;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Dan;   Teraphim;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ephod;   Micah;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Idol;   Thummim;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Gershom;   Rachel;   Teraphim;   Urim and Thummim;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Archaeology and Biblical Study;   Inquire of God;   Teraphim;   Tribes of Israel, the;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Dan;   Ephod;   Israel;   Jonathan;   Micah, Micaiah;   Priests and Levites;   Samson;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ephod;   Jonathan ;   Teraphim;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Jonathan;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Dan;   Ephod;   Teraphim;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - God;   Images;   Jonathan (1);   Micah (1);   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Dan;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So the priest was pleased and took his ephod, household idols, and carved image, and went with the people.
Hebrew Names Version
The Kohen's heart was glad, and he took the efod, and the terafim, and the engraved image, and went in the midst of the people.
King James Version
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.
Lexham English Bible
The priest accepted the offer, and he took the ephod, teraphim, and molten image and went along with the people.
English Standard Version
And the priest's heart was glad. He took the ephod and the household gods and the carved image and went along with the people.
New Century Version
This made the priest happy. So he took the holy vest, the household idols, and the idol and went with the Danites.
New English Translation
The priest was happy. He took the ephod, the personal idols, and the carved image and joined the group.
Amplified Bible
The priest's heart was glad [to hear that], and he took the ephod, the teraphim, and the image, and went among the people.
New American Standard Bible
The priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, the household idols, and the carved image, and went among the people.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the Priestes heart was glad, and hee tooke the Ephod and the Teraphim, and the grauen image, and went among the people.
Legacy Standard Bible
But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
Contemporary English Version
The priest really liked that idea. So he took the vest and the idols and joined the others
Complete Jewish Bible
This made the cohen feel very good; so he took the ritual vest, the household gods and the image and went off with the people.
Easy-to-Read Version
This made the Levite happy. So he took the ephod, the household idols, and the idol. He went with the men from the tribe of Dan.
George Lamsa Translation
And the priests heart was glad, and he took the graven image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and went with the people.
Good News Translation
This made the priest very happy, so he took the sacred objects and went along with them.
Literal Translation
And the heart of the priest was glad. And he took the ephod, and the household idols, and the graven image, and went among the people.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
This pleased the prest well, & he toke both the ouerbody cote, and the Idols, and the ymage, and came in amonge the people.
American Standard Version
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.
Bible in Basic English
Then the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod and the family gods and the pictured image and went with the people.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the priestes hearte was glad, and toke the Ephod, and Theraphim, and the grauen image, and went in the middest of the people.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
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.
King James Version (1611)
And the Priests heart was glad, and he tooke the Ephod, and the Teraphim, and the grauen image, and went in the middest of the people.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the heart of the priest was glad, and he took the ephod, and the theraphin, and the graven image, and the molten image, and went in the midst of the people.
English Revised Version
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.
Berean Standard Bible
So the priest was glad and took the ephod, the household idols, and the graven image, and went with the people.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne he hadde herd this, he assentide to `the wordis of hem, and he took the ephod, and ydols, and the grauun ymage, and yede forth with hem.
Young's Literal Translation
And the heart of the priest is glad, and he taketh the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and goeth into the midst of the people,
Update Bible Version
And the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the talismans, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.
Webster's Bible Translation
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.
World English Bible
The priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the engraved image, and went in the midst of the people.
New King James Version
So the priest's heart was glad; and he took the ephod, the household idols, and the carved image, and took his place among the people.
New Living Translation
The young priest was quite happy to go with them, so he took along the sacred ephod, the household idols, and the carved image.
New Life Bible
The religious leader felt glad in his heart. He took the holy vest, the house gods and objects made to look like gods. And he went among the people.
New Revised Standard
Then the priest accepted the offer. He took the ephod, the teraphim, and the idol, and went along with the people.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then was the heart of the priest glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, - and came into the midst of the people.
Douay-Rheims Bible
When he heard this, he agreed to their words, and took the ephod, and the idols, and the graven god, and departed with them.
Revised Standard Version
And the priest's heart was glad; he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.
THE MESSAGE
The priest jumped at the chance. He took the ephod, the teraphim-idols, and the idol and fell in with the troops.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
The priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod and household idols and the graven image and went among the people.

Contextual Overview

14 Then the five men that had gone to spy out the country of Laish spoke and said to their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? And now ye know what to do. 15 And they turned thither, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, the house of Micah, and inquired after his welfare. 16 And the six hundred men of the children of Dan, girded with their weapons of war, stood at the entrance of the gate. 17 And the five men that had gone to spy out the land went up, entered in thither, [and] took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image; and the priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men that were girded with weapons of war. 18 And these came into Micah's house, and took the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. And the priest said to them, What do ye? 19 And they said to him, Hold thy peace, lay thy 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 for the house of one man, or to be priest for a tribe and a family in Israel? 20 Then 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. 21 And they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the baggage before them. 22 They were already far from the house of Micah, when the men that were in the houses near to Micah's house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan. 23 And they cried to the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said to Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

heart: Judges 17:10, Proverbs 30:15, Isaiah 56:11, Ezekiel 13:19, Hosea 4:3, Acts 20:33, Philippians 3:19, 2 Peter 2:3, 2 Peter 2:15, 2 Peter 2:16

went: He was glad of his preferment among the Danites; and went into the crowd, that he might not be discovered by Micah or his family.

Reciprocal: Judges 16:25 - their hearts Ezekiel 21:21 - images Matthew 26:15 - What 1 Timothy 6:10 - the love

Cross-References

Genesis 4:10
And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood is crying to me from the ground.
Genesis 13:13
And the people of Sodom were wicked, and great sinners before Jehovah.
Genesis 19:13
For we are going to destroy this place, because the cry of them is great before Jehovah, and Jehovah has sent us to destroy it.
Isaiah 3:9
The look of their face doth witness against them, and they declare their sin as Sodom: they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have brought evil upon themselves.
Isaiah 5:7
For the vineyard of Jehovah of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah the plant of his delight: and he looked for justice, and behold, blood-shedding; for righteousness, and behold, a cry.
Jeremiah 14:7
Jehovah, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou act for thy name's sake; for our backslidings are many—we have sinned against thee.
James 5:4
Behold, the wages of your labourers, who have harvested your fields, wrongfully kept back by you, cry, and the cries of those that have reaped are entered into the ears of [the] Lord of sabaoth.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the priest's heart was glad,.... He rejoiced that such an opportunity offered; it suited well with his covetous, ambitious, rambling, and unsettled disposition of mind:

and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image; and no doubt the molten image also, out of the hands of the five men into his own, agreeing to go with them, and officiate for them:

and went in the midst of the people; the six hundred armed men, either for the security of himself, if Micah should raise his servants, and his neighbours, to pursue after him, and fetch him back, with his images; or, as others think, in imitation of the priests bearing the ark, who in journeying marched in the middle of the camp.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Judges 18:20. Went to the midst of the people. — He was glad to be employed by the Danites; and went into the crowd, that he might not be discovered by Micah or his family.


 
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