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17 And there was an ish from har Ephrayim, whose shem was Mikhay’hu.
2 And he said unto his em, The eleven hundred pieces of kesef that were taken from thee, about which thou did utter a curse, and spoke of also in mine ears, Hinei, the kesef is with me; I took it. And his em said, Baruch beni LaHashem.
3 And when he had restored the eleven hundred pieces of kesef to his em, his em said, I had wholly set apart as kodesh the kesef unto Hashem from my hand for beni (my son), to make a pesel (carved image, idol [See Ex 20:4]) and a masekhah (an image cast from a mold [See Ex 32:4]); now therefore I will return it unto thee.
4 So he restored the kesef unto his em; and his em took two hundred pieces of kesef and gave them to the tzoref (goldsmith), who made thereof a pesel and a masekhah; and they were in the bais Mikhay’hu.
5 And the ish Mikhay’hu had a bais elohim, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and ordained one of his banim, who became his kohen.
6 In those yamim there was no melech in Yisroel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
7 Meanwhile there was a na’ar from Beit-Lechem Yehudah of the mishpakhat Yehudah, who was a Levi, and he sojourned there.
8 And the ish departed out of the Ir from Beit-Lechem Yehudah to sojourn where he could find a place; and he came to har Ephrayim to the bais Mikhay’hu, as he made his derech.
9 And Mikhay’hu said unto him, Whence comest thou? And he said unto him, I am a Levi of Beit-Lechem Yehudah, and I go to sojourn where I may find a place.
10 And Mikhay’hu said unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me an av and a kohen, and I will give thee ten pieces of kesef a year, and a set of begadim, and mikhyah (maintenance, livelihood). So the Levi went in.
11 And the Levi agreed to dwell with the ish; and the na’ar was unto him as one of his banim.
12 And Mikhay’hu ordained (literally, filled the hands of, consecrated, appointed as his own priest) the Levi; and the na’ar became his kohen, and was in the bais Mikhay’hu.
13 Then said Mikhay’hu, Now I have da’as that Hashem will do me good, seeing I have a Levi as my kohen.
18 In those days there was no melech in Yisroel; and in those days the shevet (tribe) of the Dani sought them a nachalah to dwell in; for unto that day none had fallen for him [Dan] among the Shivtei Yisroel.
2 And the Bnei Dan sent of their mishpakhat five anashim out of their whole number, anashim, Bnei Chayil, from Tzorah, and from Eshta’ol, to spy out the land, and to explore it; and they said unto them, Go, explore the land; and when they came to har Ephrayim, to the bais Mikhay’hu, they lodged there.
3 When they were at the bais Mikhah, they recognized the voice of the na’ar the Levi; so they turned in there, and said unto him, Who brought thee here? And what doth thou in this place? And what is thy business here?
4 And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Mikhah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his kohen.
5 And they said unto him, Ask counsel of Elohim, that we may have da’as of whether our derech shall succeed.
6 And the kohen said unto them, Go in shalom; your derech wherein ye go is nokhach Hashem (straight in the sight of Hashem).
7 Then the five anashim departed, and came to Layish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt careless, after the mishpat of the Tzidonim, quiet and unsuspecting; and there was no one in authority in the land, that might put them to shame for anything; but they were far from the Tzidonim, and had no ties with adam.
8 And they returned unto their achim to Tzorah and Eshta’ol; and their achim said unto them, Mah atem (What do you [report]?)
9 And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them; for we have seen ha’aretz, and, hinei, it is tovah me’od; and will ye do nothing? Be not slothful to go, but enter in to possess ha’aretz.
10 When ye go, ye shall come unto an Am bote’ach (unsuspecting people), and to ha’aretz rachavat; for Elohim hath given it into your hands; a place where there is no lack of any thing that is in ha’aretz.
11 And there went from thence of the mishpakhat HaDani, out of Tzorah and out of Eshta’ol, 600 men armed with keli milchamah.
12 And they went up, and encamped in Kiryat-Yearim, in Yehudah; wherefore they called that place Machaneh Dan unto this day; hinei, it is behind Kiryat-Yearim.
13 And they passed thence unto har Ephrayim, and came unto the bais Mikhah.
14 Then answered the five anashim that went to spy out ha’aretz Layish, and said unto their achim, Do ye know that there is in these batim ephod, teraphim, pesel, and maskhah? Now therefore consider what ye have to do.
15 And they turned thitherward, and came to the bais hana’ar haLevi, even unto the bais Mikhah, and gave him a shalom greeting.
16 And the 600 men armed with their keli milchamah, which were of the Bnei Dan, stood by the petach hasha’ar.
17 And the five anashim that went to spy out ha’aretz went up, and came in thither, and took the pesel, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the masekhah; and the kohen stood in the petach hasha’ar with the 600 men that were armed with keli milchamah.
18 And these went into bais Mikhah, and fetched the pesel, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the masakhah. Then said the kohen unto them, What are ye doing?
19 And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine yad upon thy mouth, and come with us, and be to us an av and a kohen; is it better for thee to be a kohen unto the bais ish echad, or that thou be a kohen unto a shevet and a mishpakhat in Yisroel?
20 And the lev hakohen was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the pesel, and went in the midst of the people.
21 So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the mikneh and the belongings in front of them.
22 And when they were a good way from the bais Mikhah, the men that were in the batim (houses) near to bais Mikhah were gathered together, and overtook the Bnei Dan.
23 And they cried unto the Bnei Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Mikhah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company?
24 And he said, Ye have taken away my g-ds which I made, and the kohen, and ye are gone away; and what have I more? And what is this that ye say unto me, What aileth thee?
25 And the Bnei Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry anashim run upon thee, and thou lose thy nefesh, with the nefesh of thy household.
26 And the Bnei Dan went their way; and when Mikhah saw that they were chazakim, too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his bais [T.N. By now we are seeing the point of the story, which is how Dan became infected with apostate religion; see their omission Rev chp 7].
27 And they took the things which Mikhah had made, and the kohen which he had, and came unto Layish unto a people that were peaceful and unsuspecting and they struck them with the edge of the cherev, and burnt the ir with eish.
28 And there was no matzil (deliverer, rescuer), because it was far from Tzidon, and they had no tie with adam (any man); and it was in the valley that lieth near Beit-Rechov. And they built an ir, and dwelt therein.
29 And they called the shem of the Ir Dan, after the shem of Dan their av, who was born unto Yisroel; howbeit the shem of the Ir was Layish previously.
30 And the Bnei Dan set up the pesel; and Y’honatan ben Gershom ben Menasheh, he and his banim were kohanim to the shevet haDani until the yom Golus HaAretz [722 B.C.E.].
31 During all the time that the Bais HaElohim was in Shiloh they set up for them pesel Mikhah, which he made.
3 Now there was a man of the Perushim. His name was Rav Nakdimon, a [Sanhedrist] katzin (leader) of the Yehudim.
2 This one came to Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach under cover of lailah and said to him, Rabbi, we have da’as that you are a moreh from Hashem having come, for no one is able these otot (miraculous signs) to do, which you do, unless Hashem is with him.
3 In reply, he said to him, Omein, omein, I say to you, unless someone is born anew [born again, Yn 1:13; Dt 10:16; 30:6; Jer 4:4; Isa 52:1; Ezek 44:7,9], he is not able to see the Malchut Hashem.
4 Rav Nakdimon says to Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, How is a man, being old, able to be born? Surely he is not able into the womb of immo a second time to enter and to be born?
5 In reply, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said, Omein, omein, I say to you: unless someone is born of mayim (TEHILLIM 36:10 [9]) and Ruach Hakodesh [YECHEZEL 36:25-27; 37:14], he is not able to enter into the Malchut Hashem [Lk 17:21].
6 That which is born of basar is basar, and that which is born of the Ruach is ruach.
7 Do not marvel that I said to you, It is necessary for you to be born again, born anew.
8 The ruach (wind, Spirit) blows where it wishes, and the sound of it you hear, but you do not have da’as of where it comes from and where it goes [KOHELET 11:5]; so it is with everyone having been born of the Ruach Hakodesh. [YECHEZKEL 37:9]
9 In reply, Rav Nakdimon said to Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, How is it possible for these things to happen?
10 In reply, he said to him, You hold the teaching office of rabbi, of moreh b’Yisroel and of these things you do not have da’as?
11 Omein, omein, I say to you, that of which we have da’as we speak, and of that which we have seen, we give solemn edut (testimony), and the solemn edut of us you [pl.] do not receive.
12 If I told you [pl.] about things of the Olam Hazeh and you have no emunah, how will you have emunah if I tell you about the things of the Olam Haba?
13 And no one has ascended into Shomayim except the one having descended out of Shomayim, the Ben HaAdam [Dan 7:13-14; Prov 30:4; Dt 30:12].
14 And as Moshe lifted up the nachash in the wilderness [Num 21:8-9], so it is necessary for there to be a hagbah (lifting up) of the Ben HaAdam [Ps 22; Isa 53].
15 That everyone having emunah {Gn 15:l-6; Num 14:11; Ex 14:31] in him may have Chayyei Olam [Dan 12:2; Isa 52:13].
16 For Hashem so had ahavah (agape) for the Olam Hazeh that Hashem gave the matanah (gift) [Isa 9:5 (6)] of Hashem’s Ben Yechid [Gn 22:12; Prov 30:4; 8:30} so that whosoever has emunah in him may not be ne’evad (lost, perish, be ruined with destruction), but find Chayyei Olam [Daniel 12:2].
17 For Hashem did not send the Ben HaElohim into the Olam Hazeh that he might judge the Olam Hazeh, but that the Olam Hazeh might be brought to the Geulah (Redemption) of the Olam Haba through him (Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach). [YESHAYAH 53:11]
18 The one of emunah who is mekabel Moshiach (accepting the person of the Ben HaAdam, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach) is not judged; but the one without emunah who is not mekabel Moshiach, already has been judged and given the psak din (verdict) of "condemned," because he has no emunah in the Shem of the Ben Yachid of Hashem.
19 And this is the psak din, that the Ohr has come into the Olam Hazeh, and Bnei Adam had ahavah for the choshech rather than for the Ohr, for their ma’asim were ra’im (evil). [TEHILLIM 52:3]
20 For everyone walking in the derech resha’im has sin’as chinom (baseless hatred) for the Ohr and does not come to the Ohr, lest his ma’asim be exposed. [Ps l:6; Job 24:13-17]
21 But the one doing HaEmes comes to the Ohr that his ma’asim hamitzot may be manifested, that they have been wrought in Hashem.
104 Barachi (bless) Hashem, O my nefesh. Hashem Elohai, Thou art gadol me’od; Thou art clothed with hod (honor) and hadar (majesty).
2 Who coverest Thyself with ohr (light) as with a garment; Who stretchest out Shomayim like a tent (curtain);
3 Who layeth the beams of His aliyyot (upper rooms) on the mayim; Who maketh the clouds His merkavah; Who walketh upon the wings of the ruach (wind);
4 Who maketh ruchot (spirits, winds) His malachim; His mesharetim (ministers), flaming eish;
5 Who laid the mekhonim (foundations) of ha’aretz, that it should not move out of place olam va’ed.
6 Thou coveredst it with the tehom (deep) as with a garment; the mayim stood above the harim (mountains).
7 At Thy ga’arah (rebuke) they fled; at the voice of Thy thunder they hasted away.
8 They go up by the harim (mountains); they go down by the beka’ot (valleys) unto the makom (place) which Thou hast assigned for them.
9 Thou hast set a boundary that they [the waters] may not pass over; that they return not to cover ha’aretz.
10 He sendeth the ma’ayanim (springs) into the ravines, which run among the harim.
11 They give drink to every beast of the sadeh; the pera’im (donkeys) quench their thirst.
12 By them shall the oph HaShomayim have their habitation, which sing among the branches.
13 He watereth the harim from His aliyyot (upper rooms); ha’aretz is satisfied with the p’ri (fruit) of Thy ma’asim.
14 He causeth the khatzir (grass) to grow for the behemah, and esev for the avodas ha’adam; that he may bring forth lechem out of ha’aretz;
15 And yayin that maketh glad levav enosh, and shemen to make panim (faces) to shine, and lechem which strengtheneth levav enosh.
16 The trees of Hashem are full of sap, the arazim (cedars) of Levanon, which He hath planted;
17 Where the tzipporim (birds) make their nests; as for the khasidah (stork), the beroshim (cypresses) are her bais.
18 The high hills are a makhseh (refuge, shelter) for the wild goats; and the rocks for the gophers.
19 He appointed the yarei’ach for mo’adim; the shemesh knoweth the place of its going down.
20 Thou makest choshech, and it is lailah; wherein all the beasts of the ya’ar (forest) do creep forth.
21 The young lions roar after their teref (prey), and seek their okhel from G-d.
22 The shemesh ariseth, they retreat, and lay themselves down in their me’onot (dwelling places, dens, homes [Yn 14:2 OJBC]).
23 Adam goeth forth unto his work and to his avodah (labor, service) until erev.
24 Hashem, how manifold are Thy ma’asim! In chochmah (wisdom; cf Psa 33:6; Yn 1:1) hast Thou made them all; ha’aretz is full of Thy creatures.
20 The poor is hated even by his own re’a (neighbor), but the oisher hath many friends.
21 He that despiseth his re’a sinneth, but he that is kind to the anayim (needy ones), happy is he.
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