17
1 There
was a man of
the hill country
of Ephraim, whose
name was Micah.
2 He said
to his mother, “The
eleven hundred pieces of
silver that were
taken from you,
about which
you uttered a
curse, and
also spoke it in
my ears—behold,
the silver is
with me. I
took it.”
His mother said, “May
the LORD bless
my son!”
3 He
restored the eleven
hundred pieces of
silver to
his mother, then
his mother said, “I
most certainly
dedicate the
silver to the
LORD from my
hand for my
son, to make
a carved image
and a molten
image. Now
therefore I will
restore it to
you.”
4 When
he restored the
money to
his mother, his mother
took two
hundred pieces of
silver, and gave
them to a
silversmith, who
made a carved
image and a
molten image out
of it. It
was in the
house of Micah.
5 The
man Micah had
a house of gods,
and he made
an ephod, and
teraphim,
and consecrated
one of his
sons, who became
his priest.
6 In
those days there
was no king
in Israel. Everyone
did that which
was right in
his own eyes.
7 There
was a young
man out of
Bethlehem Judah,
of the family
of Judah, who
was a Levite;
and he lived
there.
8 The man
departed out of
the city, out
of Bethlehem Judah,
to live where
he could find a
place, and he
came to the
hill country
of Ephraim, to the
house of Micah,
as he traveled.
9 Micah said
to him, “Where did
you come from?”
He said to him,
“I am a
Levite of
Bethlehem Judah,
and I am
looking for a place
to live.”
10 Micah said
to him, “Dwell
with me, and
be to me
a father and a
priest, and I
will give you
ten pieces of
silver per year, a
suit of clothing,
and your food.” So
the Levite went
in.
11 The
Levite was content
to dwell with
the man; and
the young man
was to him
as one of
his sons.
12 Micah
consecrated the
Levite, and the
young man became
his priest, and
was in the
house of Micah.
13 Then
Micah said, “Now I
know that the
LORD will do
good to me,
since I have
a Levite as
my priest.”