Judges 17

1 A man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim

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

2 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!”

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 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.”

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 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.

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 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.

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

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

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

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 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.

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 “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.”

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 “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

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

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

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

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

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

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