< Judges 17 >
1 There was a man named Micah who lived in the hilly area where the tribe of Ephraim live.
καὶ ἐγένετο ἀνὴρ ἀπὸ ὄρους Εφραιμ καὶ ὄνομα αὐτῷ Μιχαιας
2 One day he said to his mother, “I heard you curse whoever stole (1,100 pieces/28 pounds/13 kg.) of silver from your house. I am the one who took the silver, and I still have it.” His mother replied, “My son, I pray that Yahweh will bless you [for admitting that you took it].”
καὶ εἶπεν τῇ μητρὶ αὐτοῦ οἱ χίλιοι καὶ ἑκατόν οὓς ἔλαβες ἀργυρίου σεαυτῇ καί με ἠράσω καὶ προσεῖπας ἐν ὠσί μου ἰδοὺ τὸ ἀργύριον παρ’ ἐμοί ἐγὼ ἔλαβον αὐτό καὶ εἶπεν ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ εὐλογητὸς ὁ υἱός μου τῷ κυρίῳ
3 Micah gave all the silver back to his mother. Then she said [to herself], “I will give [some of] this silver to Yahweh.” And she said to her son, “My son, I want you to make an idol and a statue [from this silver]. So I will give [some of] this silver back to you [for making these things].”
καὶ ἀπέδωκεν τοὺς χιλίους καὶ ἑκατὸν τοῦ ἀργυρίου τῇ μητρὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπεν ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ ἁγιάζουσα ἡγίακα τὸ ἀργύριον τῷ κυρίῳ ἐκ χειρός μου τῷ υἱῷ μου τοῦ ποιῆσαι γλυπτὸν καὶ χωνευτόν καὶ νῦν ἀποδώσω σοι αὐτό
4 So when he gave all the silver to his mother, she took (200 pieces/about 5 pounds/1.6 kg.) of it to a (silversmith/man who made things from silver). With the silver that man made an idol and a statue, [and gave them to Micah]. Micah put them in his house.
καὶ ἀπέδωκεν τὸ ἀργύριον τῇ μητρὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔλαβεν ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ διακοσίους ἀργυρίου καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτὸ ἀργυροκόπῳ καὶ ἐποίησεν αὐτὸ γλυπτὸν καὶ χωνευτόν καὶ ἐγενήθη ἐν οἴκῳ Μιχαια
5 He had in his house a special (shrine/place for putting sacred things). He made a sacred vest and some small idols [and put them in this shrine along with the big idol and the statue]. Then Micah chose one of his sons to become his priest.
καὶ ὁ οἶκος Μιχαια αὐτῷ οἶκος θεοῦ καὶ ἐποίησεν εφωδ καὶ θαραφιν καὶ ἐπλήρωσεν τὴν χεῖρα ἀπὸ ἑνὸς υἱῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐγένετο αὐτῷ εἰς ἱερέα
6 At that time, the Israeli people did not have a king. So [Micah and everyone else] did whatever they considered to be the right thing to do.
ἐν δὲ ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις οὐκ ἦν βασιλεὺς ἐν Ισραηλ ἀνὴρ τὸ εὐθὲς ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ ἐποίει
7 There was a young man who had been living in Bethlehem in the area where the tribe of Judah lives. He [wanted to work as a priest because he] was a member of the tribe of Levi.
καὶ ἐγενήθη νεανίας ἐκ Βηθλεεμ δήμου Ιουδα καὶ αὐτὸς Λευίτης καὶ οὗτος παρῴκει ἐκεῖ
8 So he left Bethlehem to find another place to live [and work]. He came to Micah’s house in the hilly area where the tribe of Ephraim live.
καὶ ἐπορεύθη ὁ ἀνὴρ ἀπὸ Βηθλεεμ τῆς πόλεως Ιουδα παροικῆσαι ἐν ᾧ ἐὰν εὕρῃ τόπῳ καὶ ἦλθεν ἕως ὄρους Εφραιμ καὶ ἕως οἴκου Μιχαια τοῦ ποιῆσαι ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ
9 Micah asked him, “Where are you from?” He replied, “I come from Bethlehem. I am from the tribe of Levi, and I am looking for a place to live [and work as a priest].”
καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Μιχαιας πόθεν ἔρχῃ καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτόν Λευίτης εἰμὶ ἀπὸ Βαιθλεεμ Ιουδα καὶ ἐγὼ πορεύομαι παροικῆσαι ἐν ᾧ ἐὰν εὕρω τόπῳ
10 Micah said to him, “Stay with me, and you can become like a father [to counsel me], and be my priest. Each year I will give to you ten pieces of silver and some [new] clothes. And I will provide food for you.”
καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Μιχαιας κάθου μετ’ ἐμοῦ καὶ γίνου μοι εἰς πατέρα καὶ εἰς ἱερέα καὶ ἐγὼ δώσω σοι δέκα ἀργυρίου εἰς ἡμέραν καὶ στολὴν ἱματίων καὶ τὰ πρὸς ζωήν σου καὶ ἐπορεύθη ὁ Λευίτης
11 So the young man agreed to live with Micah. He became like one of Micah’s own sons.
καὶ ἤρξατο παροικεῖν παρὰ τῷ ἀνδρί καὶ ἐγενήθη ὁ νεανίας παρ’ αὐτῷ ὡς εἷς ἀπὸ υἱῶν αὐτοῦ
12 Micah appointed him to be a priest, and he lived in Micah’s house.
καὶ ἐπλήρωσεν Μιχαιας τὴν χεῖρα τοῦ Λευίτου καὶ ἐγένετο αὐτῷ εἰς ἱερέα καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν οἴκῳ Μιχαια
13 Then Micah said, “Now I know that Yahweh will do good things for me, because I have a man from the tribe of Levi to be my priest.”
καὶ εἶπεν Μιχαιας νῦν ἔγνων ὅτι ἀγαθυνεῖ κύριος ἐμοί ὅτι ἐγένετό μοι ὁ Λευίτης εἰς ἱερέα