And they said to him: Hearing that the Levite is doing the work of a priest, the Danites immediately want to use his services. However, it is not immediately clear whether they are being sincere or sarcastic. If they are sincere, they would be committing the same sin as Micah by carrying out practices that are outside the recognized religious tradition.

Inquire of God, we pray thee …: These Danite spies ask the Levite to find out whether their attempt to find a place to settle will be successful. Indeed, discovering God’s will was one of the responsibilities assigned to the Levites (see Deut 33.8). They were guardians of the priestly garment, the ephod, which held the Urim and Thummim, objects used for casting lots and discovering God’s will. Since this practice may not be known in many cultures, it is probably best to translate Inquire of God in a general way by saying “ask God” (Good News Translation) or “talk to God for us” (Contemporary English Version). God renders the generic Hebrew word ʾelohim (see verse 1.7). We pray thee translates the Hebrew politeness particle naʾ, which some languages will render as “Please” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version).

That we may know whether the journey on which we are setting out will succeed: The Danites seem sincere, wanting to know if their particular mission (verse 18.2) will be successful. Revised Standard Version has a purpose clause here, but some languages may prefer an independent sentence, such as “We want to know whether….” Know renders the same Hebrew verb used in verse 17.13. The journey on which we are setting out is literally “our way/road on which we are going.” The Danites want to know if their journey will succeed, that is, if their set goal will be realized. In some languages it may be better to make this explicit by saying “whether we will actually find a place to settle or not.” Good News Translation is more general with “if we are going to be successful on our trip.”

Translation models for this verse are:

• The spies said to him, “Please consult God for us. Ask him whether our search for a place to live will be successful [or not].”

• They said to the Levite, “Please ask God whether this journey we are on will be successful.”

Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .