قُضاة 17

١ 1 وَكَانَ رَجُلٌ اسْمُهُ مِيخَا مُقِيماً فِي جَبَلِ أَفْرَايِمَ.

A man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim

٢ 2 قَالَ هَذَا لأُمِّهِ: «إِنَّ الأَلْفَ وَالْمِئَةَ شَاقِلٍ مِنَ الْفِضَّةِ (نَحْوَ مِئَةٍ وَاثْنَيْنِ وَثَلاثِينَ كِيلُو جِرَاماً) الَّتِي سُرِقَتْ مِنْكِ، وَالَّتِي سَمِعْتُكِ تَلْعَنِينَ سَارِقَهَا، هِيَ مَعِي، وَأَنَا الَّذِي أَخَذْتُهَا». فَقَالَتْ أُمُّهُ: «لِيُبَارِكْكَ الرَّبُّ يَا وَلَدِي».

told his mother, “Those eleven hundred shekels of silver that were stolen from you and that I heard you curse—I've got the silver. I was the one who took it.” Then his mother said, “My son, the Lord bless you!”

٣ 3 فَرَدَّ لَهَا الأَلْفَ وَالْمِئَةَ شَاقِلٍ مِنَ الْفِضَّةِ، فَقَالَتْ أُمُّهُ: «سَأَهَبُ هَذَا الْمَالَ بِاسْمِكَ لِلرَّبِّ، لِنَنْحَتَ تِمْثَالاً وَنَصُوغَ مِنْهَا صَنَماً، وَهَا أَنَا أَرُدُّ لَكَ الْمَالَ».

He gave back to his mother the eleven hundred shekels of silver. His mother announced, “I'm completely dedicating this money to the Lord. I'm handing it over to my son to have an idol carved, an image made with molten silver. So now I return it to you.”

٤ 4 وَأَعْطَتْ أُمُّهُ مِئَتَيْ قِطْعَةِ فِضَّةٍ لِلصَّائِغِ فَنَحَتَ وَصَاغَ لَهَا تِمْثَالَيْنِ، نُصِبَا فِي بَيْتِ مِيخَا.

After he'd returned the silver to his mother she gave two hundred shekels to a silversmith who made it into a carved idol, an image made with molten silver. They were kept in Micah's house.

٥ 5 إِذْ كَانَ مِيخَا قَدْ خَصَّصَ مَوْضِعاً فِي بَيْتِهِ لِيَكُونَ مَعْبَداً لِلآلِهَةِ. ثُمَّ صَنَعَ أَفُوداً وَتَرَافِيمَ، وَكَرَّسَ وَاحِداً مِنْ بَنِيهِ كَاهِناً لَهُ.

Micah had built a shrine for the idol. He also made an ephod and some household gods, and ordained one of his sons as his priest.

٦ 6 فِي تِلْكَ الأَيَّامِ لَمْ يَكُنْ لإِسْرَائِيلَ مَلِكٌ، فَكَانَ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ يَتَصَرَّفُ عَلَى هَوَاهُ.

At that time Israel didn't have a king— everyone did what they themselves thought was the right thing to do.

٧ 7 وَكَانَ هُنَاكَ شَابٌّ لاوِيٌّ مِنْ بَيْتِ لَحْمٍ مُقِيماً بَيْنَ سِبْطِ يَهُوذَا.

One young man, a Levite from the tribe of Judah had been living in Bethlehem in Judah,

٨ 8 هَذَا هَاجَرَ مِنْ مَدِينَةِ بَيْتِ لَحْمٍ لِيَتَغَرَّبَ فِي الأَرْضِ، فَأَتَى إِلَى جَبَلِ أَفْرَايِمَ وَمَرَّ فِي طَرِيقِهِ بِبَيْتِ مِيخَا.

left Bethlehem to look for a different place to live. As he traveled through the hill country of Ephraim, he came to Micah's house.

٩ 9 فَسَأَلَهُ مِيخَا: «مِنْ أَيْنَ أَتَيْتَ؟» فَأَجَابَهُ: «أَنَا لاوِيٌّ مِنْ بَيْتِ لَحْمِ يَهُوذَا، وَأَنَا ذَاهِبٌ لأَتَغَرَّبَ حَيْثُمَا اتَّفَقَ».

“Where are you from?” Micah asked him. “I'm a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah,” the man replied. “I'm looking for a place to live.”

١٠ 10 فَقَالَ لَهُ مِيخَا: «أَقِمْ عِنْدِي وَكُنْ لِي مُرْشِداً وَكَاهِناً، وَأَنَا أُعْطِيكَ عَشْرَةَ شَوَاقِلِ فِضَّةٍ (نَحْوَ مِئَةٍ وَعِشْرِينَ جِرَاماً) فِي السَّنَةِ وَحُلَّةَ ثِيَابٍ فَضْلاً عَنِ الْقُوتِ». فَوَافَقَ اللّاوِيُّ عَلَى عَرْضِهِ،

“Come and stay here with me. You can be my ‘father’ and priest, and I'll give you ten shekels of silver a year, plus your clothes and food.” So the Levite went inside

١١ 11 وَرَضِيَ بِالإِقَامَةِ مَعَهُ. وَصَارَ اللّاوِيُّ أَثِيراً لَدَيْهِ كَأَحَدِ أَبْنَائِهِ.

and agreed to stay with him. The young man became like a son to him.

١٢ 12 فَكَرَّسَ مِيخَا اللّاوِيَّ، فَأَصْبَحَ لَهُ كَاهِناً وَأَقَامَ فِي بَيْتِهِ.

Micah ordained the Levite as his own priest and he lived in Micah's house.

١٣ 13 فَقَالَ مِيخَا: «الآنَ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّ الرَّبَّ رَاضٍ عَنِّي، لأَنَّ اللّاوِيَّ صَارَ لِي كَاهِناً».

“I'm sure the Lord will bless me now, because I have a Levite as my priest,” Micah concluded.