Judges 17

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

Now there was a man of the hill-country of Ephraim named Micah.

2 And he said to his mother, The eleven hundred pieces of silver which you took of yourself, and [about which] you cursed me, and spoke in my ears, behold, the silver [is] with me; I took it: and his mother said, Blessed [be] my son of the Lord.

And he said to his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver which were taken from you, about which you took an oath and said in my hearing, I have given this silver to the Lord from my hand for myself, to make a pictured image and a metal image: see, I have the silver, for I took it: so now I will give it back to you. And his mother said, May the blessing of the Lord be on my son.

3 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 you.

And he gave back the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, and his mother said, I have made the silver holy to the Lord from me for my son, to make a pictured image and a metal image.

4 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.

So he gave the silver back to his mother. Then his mother took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a metal-worker who made a pictured image and a metal image from them: and it was in the house of Micah.

5 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.

And the man Micah had a house of gods; and he made an ephod and family gods and put one of his sons in the position of priest.

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

In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did as seemed right to him.

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

Now there was a young man living in Beth-lehem-judah, of the family of Judah and a Levite, who was not a townsman of the place.

8 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.

And he went away from the town of Beth-lehem-judah, looking for somewhere to make his living-place; and on his journey he came to the hill-country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah.

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

And Micah said to him, Where do you come from? And he said to him, I am a Levite from Beth-lehem-judah, and I am looking for a living-place.

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

Then Micah said to him, Make your living-place with me, and be a father and a priest to me, and I will give you ten shekels of silver a year and your clothing and food.

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

And the Levite said he would make his living-place with the man, and he became to him as one of his sons.

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

And Micah gave the position to the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.

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

Then Micah said, Now I am certain that the Lord will do me good, seeing that the Levite has become my priest.