Judges 17:1-13
17 Now there was a man of the highland of Ephraim, named Micah:
2 * and he said to his mother “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you, and you pronounced a curse and said things in my hearing—the silver is with me: it was I that took it.” And his mother said “Jehovah bless my son!”
3 *** And he returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother; and his mother said “I hereby dedicate the silver to Jehovah, from my hands exclusively, to make a statue; and now I will return it to you.”
4 And he returned the silver to his mother; and his mother took two hundred shekels of silver and gave it to a silversmith, and he made it into a statue, which was at Micah’s home.
5 * And the man Micah had a chapel, and made an ephod and teraphim, and installed one of his sons, who became priest to him.
6 In those days there was no king in Israel: each did what suited him.
7 * And there was a youth from Bethlehem in Judah, of the clan of Judah, who was a Levite, and he was living there as an immigrant;
8 and the man went from the city, from Bethlehem in Judah, to settle as an immigrant wherever he found an opening. And he came to the highland of Ephraim, to Micah’s home, on his errand;
9 and Micah said to him “Where do you come from?” and he said to him “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I am out to settle as an immigrant wherever I find an opening.”
10 And Micah said to him “Stay with me and be father and priest to me, and I will give you ten shekels of silver a year and a suit of clothes and your board”; and the Levite went.
11 And the Levite consented to stay with the man; and the youth became like one of his sons to him.
12 And Micah installed the Levite, and the youth became priest to him, and was in Micah’s house.
13 And Micah said “Now I know that Jehovah will do well by me, since I have got the Levite for priest.”
Footnotes
^ 17:2 Lit. without the word things
^ 17:3 Or I had dedicated
^ 17:3 Var. from my hands, for my son, to make
^ 17:3 Conj. that and now I will return it to you belongs after it was I that took it in verse 2
^ 17:5 Or and set up an ephod
^ 17:7 The words living there as an immigrant are spelled the same as the name Gershom, chapter 18 verse 30
