Judges 18:5

THE MESSAGE

They said, "Oh, good—inquire of God for us. Find out whether our mission will be a success."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God for us to determine if we will have a successful journey.”

Hebrew Names Version
They said to him, Ask counsel, we pray you, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.

King James Version
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.

Lexham English Bible
And they said to him, "Please inquire of God that we may know whether our journey that we are going on will be successful."

English Standard Version
And they said to him, "Inquire of God, please, that we may know whether the journey on which we are setting out will succeed."

New Century Version
They said to him, "Please ask God if our journey will be successful."

New English Translation
They said to him, "Seek a divine oracle for us, so we can know if we will be successful on our mission."

Amplified Bible
And they said to him, "Please ask of God, so that we may know whether our journey on which we are going will be successful."

New American Standard Bible
Then they said to him, "Inquire of God, please, that we may know whether our way on which we are going will be successful."

Geneva Bible (1587)
Againe they said vnto him, Aske counsell nowe of God, that we may knowe whether the way which we goe, shalbe prosperous.

Legacy Standard Bible
Toe vra hulle hom: Raadpleeg God tog, dat ons kan weet of ons pad waarop ons reis, voorspoedig sal wees.

Contemporary English Version
"Please talk to God for us," the men said. "Ask God if we will be successful in what we are trying to do."

Complete Jewish Bible
They said to him, "Please ask God whether our journey will be successful."

Darby Translation
And they said to him, Inquire, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way on which we go shall be prosperous.

Easy-to-Read Version
So they said to him, "Please ask God if our search for a place to live will be successful."

George Lamsa Translation
And they said to him, Inquire for us of God, that we may know whether the errand for which we go shall prosper.

Good News Translation
They said to him, "Please ask God if we are going to be successful on our trip."

Literal Translation
And they said to him, Please ask of God and we will know whether our way in which we are going will be prosperous.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
They sayde vnto him: O axe at God, yt we maye perceaue, whether oure iourney which we go, shal prospere well or not.

American Standard Version
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.

Bible in Basic English
Then they said, Do get directions from God for us, to see if the journey on which we are going will have a good outcome.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And they sayd vnto hym agayne: Aske counsell now of God, that we may knowe whether the way which we go shalbe prousperous, or no.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And they said unto him: 'Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we are going shall be prosperous.'

King James Version (1611)
And they sayd vnto him, Aske counsell, we pray thee, of God, that we may know, whether our way which we goe, shall be prosperous.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And they said to him, Enquire now of God, and we shall know whether our way will prosper, on which we are going.

English Revised Version
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.

Berean Standard Bible
Then they said to him, "Please inquire of God to determine whether we will have a successful journey."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe thei preieden hym, that he schulde counsele the Lord, and thei myyten wite, whether thei yeden in weie of prosperite, and the thing schulde haue effect.

Young's Literal Translation
And they say to him, `Ask, we pray thee, at God, and we know whether our way is prosperous on which we are going.'

Update Bible Version
And they said to him, Ask counsel, we pray you, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.

Webster's Bible Translation
And they said to him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.

World English Bible
They said to him, Ask counsel, we pray you, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.

New King James Version
So they said to him, "Please inquire of God, that we may know whether the journey on which we go will be prosperous."

New Living Translation
Then they said, "Ask God whether or not our journey will be successful."

New Life Bible
They said to him, "We beg you to ask God if all will go well for us as we travel."

New Revised Standard
Then they said to him, "Inquire of God that we may know whether the mission we are undertaking will succeed."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So they said unto him - Ask of God, we pray thee, - that we may know whether the journey on which we are going shall have good success.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Then they desired him to consult the Lord, that they might know whether their journey should be prosperous, and the thing should have effect.

Revised Standard Version
And they said to him, "Inquire of God, we pray thee, that we may know whether the journey on which we are setting out will succeed."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
They said to him, "Inquire of God, please, that we may know whether our way on which we are going will be prosperous."

Contextual Overview

¹ In those days there was no king in Israel. But also in those days, the tribe of Dan was looking for a place to settle down. They hadn't yet occupied their plot among the tribes of Israel. ²The Danites sent out five robust warriors from Zorah and Eshtaol to look over the land and see what was out there suitable for their families. They said, "Go and explore the land." They went into the hill country of Ephraim and got as far as the house of Micah. They camped there for the night. As they neared Micah's house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite. They went over and said to him, "How on earth did you get here? What's going on? What are you doing here?" ⁴ He said, "One thing led to another: Micah hired me and I'm now his priest." ⁵ They said, "Oh, good—inquire of God for us. Find out whether our mission will be a success." ⁶ The priest said, "Go assured. God 's looking out for you all the way."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Ask counsel: 1 Kings 22:5, 2 Kings 16:15, Isaiah 30:1, Ezekiel 21:21, Hosea 4:12, Acts 8:10

of God: Judges 18:14, Judges 17:5, Judges 17:13

Reciprocal: Genesis 24:14 - thereby Judges 17:3 - I had wholly

Cross-References

Genesis 33:10
Jacob said, "Please. If you can find it in your heart to welcome me, accept these gifts. When I saw your face, it was as the face of God smiling on me. Accept the gifts I have brought for you. God has been good to me and I have more than enough." Jacob urged the gifts on him and Esau accepted.

Judges 13:15
Manoah said to the angel of God, "Please, stay with us a little longer; we'll prepare a meal for you—a young goat."

Judges 19:5
On the fourth day, they got up at the crack of dawn and got ready to go. But the girl's father said to his son-in-law, "Strengthen yourself with a hearty breakfast and then you can go." So they sat down and ate breakfast together. The girl's father said to the man, "Come now, be my guest. Stay the night—make it a holiday." The man got up to go, but his father-in-law kept after him, so he ended up spending another night. On the fifth day, he was again up early, ready to go. The girl's father said, "You need some breakfast." They went back and forth, and the day slipped on as they ate and drank together. But the man and his concubine were finally ready to go. Then his father-in-law, the girl's father, said, "Look, the day's almost gone—why not stay the night? There's very little daylight left; stay another night and enjoy yourself. Tomorrow you can get an early start and set off for your own place." But this time the man wasn't willing to spend another night. He got things ready, left, and went as far as Jebus (Jerusalem) with his pair of saddled donkeys, his concubine, and his servant. At Jebus, though, the day was nearly gone. The servant said to his master, "It's late; let's go into this Jebusite city and spend the night." But his master said, "We're not going into any city of foreigners. We'll go on to Gibeah." He directed his servant, "Keep going. Let's go on ahead. We'll spend the night either at Gibeah or Ramah." So they kept going. As they pressed on, the sun finally left them in the vicinity of Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin. They left the road there to spend the night at Gibeah. The Levite went and sat down in the town square, but no one invited them in to spend the night. Then, late in the evening, an old man came in from his day's work in the fields. He was from the hill country of Ephraim and lived temporarily in Gibeah where all the local citizens were Benjaminites. When the old man looked up and saw the traveler in the town square, he said, "Where are you going? And where are you from?" The Levite said, "We're just passing through. We're coming from Bethlehem on our way to a remote spot in the hills of Ephraim. I come from there. I've just made a trip to Bethlehem in Judah and I'm on my way back home, but no one has invited us in for the night. We wouldn't be any trouble: We have food and straw for the donkeys, and bread and wine for the woman, the young man, and me—we don't need anything." The old man said, "It's going to be all right; I'll take care of you. You aren't going to spend the night in the town square." He took them home and fed the donkeys. They washed up and sat down to a good meal. They were relaxed and enjoying themselves when the men of the city, a gang of local hell-raisers all, surrounded the house and started pounding on the door. They yelled for the owner of the house, the old man, "Bring out the man who came to your house. We want to have sex with him." He went out and told them, "No, brothers! Don't be obscene—this man is my guest. Don't commit this outrage. Look, my virgin daughter and his concubine are here. I'll bring them out for you. Abuse them if you must, but don't do anything so senselessly vile to this man." But the men wouldn't listen to him. Finally, the Levite pushed his concubine out the door to them. They raped her repeatedly all night long. Just before dawn they let her go. The woman came back and fell at the door of the house where her master was sleeping. When the sun rose, there she was. It was morning. Her master got up and opened the door to continue his journey. There she was, his concubine, crumpled in a heap at the door, her hands on the threshold. "Get up," he said. "Let's get going." There was no answer. He lifted her onto his donkey and set out for home. When he got home he took a knife and dismembered his concubine—cut her into twelve pieces. He sent her, piece by piece, throughout the country of Israel. And he ordered the men he sent out, "Say to every man in Israel: ‘Has such a thing as this ever happened from the time the Israelites came up from the land of Egypt until now? Think about it! Talk it over. Do something!'"

Psalms 104:15
class="poetry"> O my soul, bless God ! God , my God, how great you are! beautifully, gloriously robed, Dressed up in sunshine, and all heaven stretched out for your tent. You built your palace on the ocean deeps, made a chariot out of clouds and took off on wind-wings. You commandeered winds as messengers, appointed fire and flame as ambassadors. You set earth on a firm foundation so that nothing can shake it, ever. You blanketed earth with ocean, covered the mountains with deep waters; Then you roared and the water ran away— your thunder crash put it to flight. Mountains pushed up, valleys spread out in the places you assigned them. You set boundaries between earth and sea; never again will earth be flooded. You started the springs and rivers, sent them flowing among the hills. All the wild animals now drink their fill, wild donkeys quench their thirst. Along the riverbanks the birds build nests, ravens make their voices heard. You water the mountains from your heavenly cisterns; earth is supplied with plenty of water. You make grass grow for the livestock, hay for the animals that plow the ground. Oh yes, God brings grain from the land, wine to make people happy, Their faces glowing with health, a people well-fed and hearty. God 's trees are well-watered— the Lebanon cedars he planted. Birds build their nests in those trees; look—the stork at home in the treetop. Mountain goats climb about the cliffs; badgers burrow among the rocks. The moon keeps track of the seasons, the sun is in charge of each day. When it's dark and night takes over, all the forest creatures come out. The young lions roar for their prey, clamoring to God for their supper. When the sun comes up, they vanish, lazily stretched out in their dens. Meanwhile, men and women go out to work, busy at their jobs until evening. What a wildly wonderful world, God ! You made it all, with Wisdom at your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations. Oh, look—the deep, wide sea, brimming with fish past counting, sardines and sharks and salmon. Ships plow those waters, and Leviathan, your pet dragon, romps in them. All the creatures look expectantly to you to give them their meals on time. You come, and they gather around; you open your hand and they eat from it. If you turned your back, they'd die in a minute— Take back your Spirit and they die, revert to original mud; Send out your Spirit and they spring to life— the whole countryside in bloom and blossom. The glory of God —let it last forever! Let God enjoy his creation! He takes one look at earth and triggers an earthquake, points a finger at the mountains, and volcanoes erupt. Oh, let me sing to God all my life long, sing hymns to my God as long as I live! Oh, let my song please him; I'm so pleased to be singing to God . But clear the ground of sinners— no more godless men and women! O my soul, bless God !

Isaiah 3:1
The Master, God -of-the-Angel-Armies, is emptying Jerusalem and Judah Of all the basic necessities, plain bread and water to begin with. He's withdrawing police and protection, judges and courts, pastors and teachers, captains and generals, doctors and nurses, and, yes, even the repairmen and jacks-of-all-trades. He says, "I'll put little kids in charge of the city. Schoolboys and schoolgirls will order everyone around. People will be at each other's throats, stabbing one another in the back: Neighbor against neighbor, young against old, the no-account against the well-respected. One brother will grab another and say, ‘You look like you've got a head on your shoulders. Do something! Get us out of this mess.' And he'll say, ‘Me? Not me! I don't have a clue. Don't put me in charge of anything.'

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they said unto him, ask counsel, we pray thee, of God,.... They did not reprove him for assuming the priestly office, when they knew he was a Levite, such was the corruption of those times, and the great depravity and declensions they were fallen into; nor even for the idolatry he was guilty of, but encourage him in it, and thought they had got a fine opportunity, which they readily laid hold on, to have counsel asked for them of God, about the success of the errand they were sent about; to this they were led at sight of the ephod, which was like that in the tabernacle, and of the teraphim, images which, according to a notion that prevailed, when consulted, foretold future things; whether by God they meant the true God, who they thought would give an answer by these, or Micah's gods, is not certain; according to the Targum of Jonathan, they meant the true God, which paraphrases it,

"ask of the Word of the Lord:''

that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous or no; whether they should find out a proper place to dwell in, and be able to get possession of it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The sight of the ephod and teraphim suggested the notion of inquiring of God.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Judges 18:5. Ask counsel - of God — As the Danites use the word אלהים Elohim here for God, we are necessarily led to believe that they meant the true God; especially as the Levite answers, Judges 18:6, Before the LORD (יהוה Yehovah) is your way. Though the former word may be sometimes applied to idols, whom their votaries clothed with the attributes of God; yet the latter is never applied but to the true God alone. As the Danites succeeded according to the oracle delivered by the Levite, it is a strong presumption that the worship established by Micah was not of an idolatrous kind. It is really begging the question to assert, as many commentators have done, that the answer was either a trick of the Levite, or suggested by the devil; and that the success of the Danites was merely accidental. This is taking the thing by the worst handle, to support an hypothesis, and to serve a system. See the end of the preceding chapter. Judges 17:13 (note)