Iudicum 17
1 fuit eo tempore vir quidam de monte Ephraim nomine Michas
There was a man named Micah who lived in the hilly area where the tribe of Ephraim live.
2 qui dixit matri suae mille centum argenteos quos separaveras tibi et super quibus me audiente iuraveras ecce ego habeo et apud me sunt cui illa respondit benedictus filius meus Domino
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].”
3 reddidit ergo eos matri suae quae dixerat ei consecravi et vovi argentum hoc Domino ut de manu mea suscipiat filius meus et faciat sculptile atque conflatile et nunc trado illud tibi
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].”
4 reddidit igitur matri suae quae tulit ducentos argenteos et dedit eos argentario ut faceret ex eis sculptile atque conflatile quod fuit in domo Micha
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.
5 qui aediculam quoque in ea Deo separavit et fecit ephod ac therafin id est vestem sacerdotalem et idola implevitque unius filiorum suorum manum et factus est ei sacerdos
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.
6 in diebus illis non erat rex in Israhel sed unusquisque quod sibi rectum videbatur hoc faciebat
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.
7 fuit quoque alter adulescens de Bethleem Iuda et cognatione eius eratque ipse Levites et habitabat ibi
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.
8 egressusque de civitate Bethleem peregrinari voluit ubicumque sibi commodum repperisset cumque venisset in monte Ephraim iter faciens et declinasset parumper in domum Micha
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.
9 interrogatus est ab eo unde venis qui respondit Levita sum de Bethleem Iuda et vado ut habitem ubi potuero et utile mihi esse perspexero
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].”
10 mane inquit apud me et esto mihi parens ac sacerdos daboque tibi per annos singulos decem argenteos ac vestem duplicem et quae ad victum necessaria sunt
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.”
11 adquievit et mansit apud hominem fuitque illi quasi unus de filiis
So the young man agreed to live with Micah. He became like one of Micah’s own sons.
12 implevitque Micha manum eius et habuit apud se puerum sacerdotem
Micah appointed him to be a priest, and he lived in Micah’s house.
13 nunc scio dicens quod bene mihi faciat Deus habenti levitici generis sacerdotem
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.”
