Jueces 17
1 Un hombre llamado Miqueas, de la región montañosa de Efraín
There was a man named Micah who lived in the hilly area where the tribe of Ephraim live.
2 , le dijo a su madre: “Esos mil cien siclos de plata que te robaron y que te oí maldecir, yo tengo la plata. Yo fui quien la tomó”. Entonces su madre le dijo: “¡Hijo mío, que el Señor te bendiga!”
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 Élle devolvió a su madre los mil cien siclos de plata. Su madre anunció: “Dedico este dinero por completo al Señor. Se lo voy a entregar a mi hijo para que haga tallar un ídolo, una imagen hecha con plata fundida. Así que ahora te lo devuelvo”.
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 Después de devolverle la plata a su madre, ella le dio doscientos siclos a un platero que los convirtió en un ídolo tallado, una imagen hecha con plata fundida. Los guardó en la casa de Miqueas.
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 Miqueas hizo construir un santuario para el ídolo. También hizo un efod y algunos dioses domésticos, y ordenó a uno de sus hijos como sacerdote.
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 En aquel tiempo Israel no tenía un rey: cada uno hacía lo que le parecía correcto.
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 Un joven, levita de la tribu de Judá, que vivía en Belén de Judá,
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 se fue de Belén para buscar otro lugar donde vivir. Mientras viajaba por la región montañosa de Efraín, llegó a la casa de Miqueas.
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 “¿De dónde eres?” le preguntó Miqueas. “Soy un levita de Belén de Judá”, respondió el hombre. “Estoy buscando un lugar para vivir”.
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 “Ven y quédate aquí conmigo. Puedes ser mi ‘padre’ y sacerdote, y te daré diez siclos de plata al año, además de tu ropa y comida”. Así que el levita entró
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 y aceptó quedarse con él. El joven se convirtió en un hijo para él.
So the young man agreed to live with Micah. He became like one of Micah’s own sons.
12 Miqueas ordenó al levita como su propio sacerdote y vivió en la casa de Miqueas.
Micah appointed him to be a priest, and he lived in Micah’s house.
13 “Estoy seguro de que el Señor me bendecirá ahora, porque tengo un levita como sacerdote”, concluyó Miqueas.
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.”
