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The Book of Judges

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- Chapter 17 -

1
There was a man named Micah who lived in the hill country where the tribe of Ephraim live.
2
One day he said to his mother, “I heard you curse whoever stole eleven hundred pieces 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.”
3
Micah gave all the silver back to his mother. Then she said to herself, “I will give this silver to Yahweh. I will have someone make a carved figure and a cast figure from this silver.”
4
After he gave the silver to his mother, she took two hundred pieces and gave them to a metal worker. With the silver that man made a carved figure and a cast metal figure, and gave them to Micah. Micah put them in his house.
5
He had a house in which he worshiped his idols. He made a vest that was worn by priests, and some household idols and Micah gave one of his sons the task of being the priest for all his idols.
6
At that time, Israel did not have a king, and everyone did what was right, as they saw it.
7
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
So he left Bethlehem to find another place to live and work. He came to Micah’s house in the hill country where the tribe of Ephraim lived.
9
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
Micah said to him, “Stay with me, and you can advise 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
So the young man agreed to live with Micah. He became like one of Micah’s own sons.
12
Micah appointed him to be a priest, and he lived in Micah’s house.
13
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.”
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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,(a) 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.”

Footnotes

(a)17:5 teraphim were household idols that may have been associated with inheritance rights to the household property.
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