⁵ The man Micah had a ^(A)shrine, and made an ^(B)ephod and ^(C)household^[a] idols; and he consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest. ^6 (D)In those days there was no king in Israel; ^(E)everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

⁷ Now there was a young man from ^(F)Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah; he was a Levite, and ^(G)was staying there. ⁸ The man departed from the city of Bethlehem in Judah to stay wherever he could find a place. Then he came to the mountains of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, as he journeyed. ⁹ And Micah said to him, “Where do you come from?”

So he said to him, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I am on my way to find a place to stay.”

¹⁰ Micah said to him, “Dwell with me, ^(H)and be a ^(I)father and a priest to me, and I will give you ten shekels of silver per year, a suit of clothes, and your sustenance.” So the Levite went in. ¹¹ Then the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man became like one of his sons to him. ¹² So Micah ^(J)consecrated^[b] the Levite, and the young man ^(K)became his priest, and lived in the house of Micah. ¹³ Then Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since I have a Levite as ^(L)priest!”