Judges 18:5

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."

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."

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

Contextual Overview

¹ In those days there was no king of Israel; and in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking an inheritance for themselves to live in, for until that day an inheritance had not been allotted to them as a possession among the tribes of Israel. ² So the sons of Dan sent from their family five men out of their whole number, valiant men from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to search it; and they said to them, "Go, search the land." And they came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there. ³ When they were near the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young man, the Levite; and they turned aside there and said to him, "Who brought you here? And what are you doing in this place? And what do you have here?" ⁴ He said to them, "Thus and so has Micah done to me, and he has hired me and I have become his priest." ⁵ They said to him, "Inquire of God, please, that we may know whether our way on which we are going will be prosperous."⁶ The priest said to them, "Go in peace; your way in which you are going has the LORD'S approval."

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 19:8
"Now behold, I have two daughters who have not had relations with man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them whatever you like; only do nothing to these men, inasmuch as they have come under the shelter of my roof."

Genesis 33:10
Jacob said, "No, please, if now I have found favor in your sight, then take my present from my hand, for I see your face as one sees the face of God, and you have received me favorably.

Judges 6:18
"Please do not depart from here, until I come back to You, and bring out my offering and lay it before You." And He said, "I will remain until you return."

Judges 13:15
Then Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, "Please let us detain you so that we may prepare a young goat for you."

Judges 19:5
Now on the fourth day they got up early in the morning, and he prepared to go; and the girl's father said to his son-in-law, "Sustain yourself with a piece of bread, and afterward you may go."

Psalms 104:15
And wine which makes man's heart glad, So that he may make his face glisten with oil, And food which sustains man's heart.

Isaiah 3:1
For behold, the Lord GOD of hosts is going to remove from Jerusalem and Judah Both supply and support, the whole supply of bread And the whole supply of water;

Matthew 6:11
'Give us this day our daily bread.

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)