Judges 17

1 Now a man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim

And there was a man of mount Ephraim, and his name was Michaias.

2 said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have the silver here with me; I took it.” Then his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the LORD!”

And he said to his mother, The eleven hundred pieces of silver which thou tookest of thyself, and [about which] thou cursedst me, and spokest in my ears, behold, the silver [is] with me; I took it: and his mother said, Blessed [be] my son of the Lord.

3 And when he had returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, “I wholly dedicate the silver to the LORD for my son’s benefit, to make a graven image and a molten idol. Therefore I will now return it to you.”

And he restored the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother; and his mother said, I had wholly consecrated the money to the Lord out of my hand for my son, to make a graven and a molten [image], and now I will restore it to thee.

4 So he returned the silver to his mother, and she took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who made them into a graven image and a molten idol. And they were placed in the house of Micah.

But he returned the silver to his mother, and his mother took two hundred pieces of silver, and gave them to a silversmith, and he made it a graven and a molten image; and it was in the house of Michaias.

5 Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household idols, and ordained one of his sons as his priest.

And the house of Michaias [was] to him the house of God, and he made an ephod and theraphin, and he consecrated one of his sons, and he became to him a priest.

6 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

And in those days there was no king in Israel; every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

7 And there was a young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah who had been residing within the clan of Judah.

And there was a young man in Bethleem of the tribe of Juda, and he [was] a Levite, and he was sojourning there.

8 This man left the city of Bethlehem in Judah to settle where he could find a place. And as he traveled, he came to Micah’s house in the hill country of Ephraim.

And the man departed from Bethleem the city of Juda to sojourn in whatever place he might find; and he came as far as mount Ephraim, and to the house of Michaias to accomplish his journey.

9 “Where are you from?” Micah asked him. “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah,” he replied, “and I am on my way to settle wherever I can find a place.”

And Michaias said to him, Whence comest thou? and he said to him, I am a Levite of Bethleem Juda, and I go to sojourn in any place I may find.

10 “Stay with me,” Micah said to him, “and be my father and priest, and I will give you ten shekels of silver per year, a suit of clothes, and your provisions.” So the Levite went in

And Michaias said to him, Dwell with me, and be to me a father and a priest; and I will give thee ten pieces of silver by the year, and a change of raiment, and thy living.

11 and agreed to stay with him, and the young man became like a son to Micah.

And the Levite went and began to dwell with the man; and the young man was to him as one of his sons.

12 Micah ordained the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in his house.

And Michaias consecrated the Levite, and he became to him a priest, and he was in the house of Michaias.

13 Then Micah said, “Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, because a Levite has become my priest.”

And Michaias said, Now I know that the Lord will do me good, because a Levite has become my priest.