Judges - Chapter 17

¹ In the highlands of Ephraim there was a man called Micayehu.

² He said to his mother, 'The eleven hundred silver shekels which were taken from you and concerning which you uttered a curse, having said in my hearing . . . Look, I have got that silver. I was the one who took it.' His mother said, 'May Yahweh bless my boy!'

³ He gave the eleven hundred shekels back to his mother, who said, 'I have indeed vowed to give this silver to Yahweh for my son, to have a statue carved and an idol cast in metal, but now I should like to give it back to you.' He, however, returned the money to his mother.

⁴ His mother then took two hundred silver shekels and gave them to the metalworker. With them, he carved a statue (and cast an idol in metal) which was put in Micayehu's house.

⁵ This man Micah owned a shrine; he made an ephod and some domestic images, and installed one of his sons to be his priest.

⁶ In those days there was no king in Israel, and everyone did as he saw fit.

⁷ There was a young man of Bethlehem in Judah, of the clan of Judah, who was a Levite and resided there as a stranger.

⁸ This man left the town of Bethlehem in Judah to settle wherever he could find a home. On his travels he came to the highlands of Ephraim and to Micah's house.

⁹ Micah asked him, 'Where do you come from?' The other replied, 'I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah. I am travelling, and am going to settle wherever I can find a home.'

¹⁰ Micah said to him, 'Stay here with me; be my father and priest and I shall give you ten silver shekels a year, and clothing and food.'

¹¹ The Levite agreed to remain in the man's house, and the young man became like one of his sons to him.

¹² Micah installed the Levite; the young man became Micah's priest and stayed in his house.

¹³ And Micah said, 'Now I know that Yahweh will treat me well, since I have this Levite as priest.'

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