< Judges 17 >
1 And there is a man of the hill-country of Ephraim, and his name [is] Micah,
And there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose name was Micah.
2 and he saith to his mother, 'The eleven hundred silverlings which have been taken of thine, and [of which] thou hast sworn, and also spoken in mine ears; lo, the silver [is] with me, I have taken it;' and his mother saith, 'Blessed [is] my son of Jehovah.'
And he said to his mother, The eleven hundred silver-pieces that were taken from thee, and about which thou didst curse and speak of in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be my son of Jehovah!
3 And he giveth back the eleven hundred silverlings to his mother, and his mother saith, 'I had certainly sanctified the silver to Jehovah, from my hand, for my son, to make a graven image, and a molten image; and now, I give it back to thee.'
And he restored the eleven hundred silver-pieces to his mother; and his mother said, I had dedicated the silver to Jehovah from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image; and now I will restore it to thee.
4 And he giveth back the money to his mother, and his mother taketh two hundred silverlings, and giveth them to a refiner, and he maketh them a graven image, and a molten image, and it is in the house of Micah.
Now he restored the silver to his mother; and his mother took two hundred silver-pieces and gave them to the founder, and he made of them a graven image and a molten image; and they were in the house of Micah.
5 As to the man Micah, he hath a house of gods, and he maketh an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrateth the hand of one of his sons, and he is to him for a priest;
And the man Micah had a house of gods, and made an ephod and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.
6 in those days there is no king in Israel, each that which is right in his own eyes doth.
In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.
7 And there is a young man of Beth-Lehem-Judah, of the family of Judah, and he [is] a Levite, and he [is] a sojourner there.
And there was a young man out of Bethlehem-Judah of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.
8 And the man goeth out of the city, out of Beth-Lehem-Judah, to sojourn where he doth find, and cometh to the hill-country of Ephraim, unto the house of Micah, to work his way.
And the man departed from the city, from Bethlehem-Judah, to sojourn where he might find [a place]. And as he journeyed, he came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah.
9 And Micah saith to him, 'Whence comest thou?' and he saith unto him, 'A Levite [am] I, of Beth-Lehem-Judah, and I am going to sojourn where I do find.'
And Micah said to him, Whence comest thou? And he said to him, I am a Levite of Bethlehem-Judah, and I go to sojourn where I may find [a place].
10 And Micah saith to him, 'Dwell with me, and be to me for a father and for a priest, and I give to thee ten silverlings for the days, and a suit of garments, and thy sustenance;' and the Levite goeth [in].
And Micah said to him, Dwell with me, and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give thee yearly ten silver-pieces, and a suit of garments, and thy victuals. And the Levite went in.
11 And the Levite is willing to dwell with the man, and the young man is to him as one of his sons.
And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was to him as one of his sons.
12 And Micah consecrateth the hand of the Levite, and the young man is to him for a priest, and he is in the house of Micah,
And Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.
13 and Micah saith, 'Now I have known that Jehovah doth good to me, for the Levite hath been to me for a priest.'
Then said Micah, Now I know that Jehovah will do me good, because I have the Levite for priest.