Micah’s Idolatry

17 Now there was a man of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Micah. And he said to his mother, “The 1,100 pieces of silver that were taken from you, about which you uttered a curse and also spoke it in my hearing, behold, the silver is with me; I took it.” And his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the Lord.” He then returned the 1,100 pieces of silver to his mother, and his mother said, “I wholly consecrate the silver from my hand to the Lord for my son (A)to make a carved image and a cast metal image; so now I will return [a]them to you.” So when he returned the silver to his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver and gave them to the silversmith, who made [b]them into a carved image and a cast metal image, and [c]they were in the house of Micah. And the man Micah had a [d](B)shrine and he made an (C)ephod and [e](D)household idols, and [f]consecrated one of his sons, (E)so that he might become his priest. In those days (F)there was no king in Israel; (G)everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Now there was a young man from (H)Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he was [g]staying there. Then the man left the city, Bethlehem in Judah, to [h]stay wherever he would find a place; and as he made his journey, he came to the (I)hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah. 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 going to [i]stay wherever I may find a place.” 10 Micah then said to him, “Stay with me and be (J)a father and a priest to me, and I will give you ten pieces of silver a year, a supply of clothing, and your sustenance.” So the Levite went in. 11 The Levite agreed to live with the man, and the young man became to him like one of his sons. 12 So Micah [j]consecrated the Levite, and the young man (K)became his priest and [k]lived in the house of Micah. 13 Then Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will prosper me, because I have a Levite as a priest.”

Footnotes

  1. Judges 17:3 Lit it
  2. Judges 17:4 Lit it
  3. Judges 17:4 Lit it was
  4. Judges 17:5 Lit house of gods
  5. Judges 17:5 Heb teraphim
  6. Judges 17:5 Lit filled the hand of
  7. Judges 17:7 Or sojourning
  8. Judges 17:8 Or sojourn
  9. Judges 17:9 Or sojourn
  10. Judges 17:12 Lit filled the hand of
  11. Judges 17:12 Lit was

17 And there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose name was Micah.

And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou cursedst, and spakest of also in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be thou of the Lord, my son.

And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the Lord from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it unto thee.

Yet he restored the money unto his mother; and his mother took two hundred shekels of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image: and they were in the house of Micah.

And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

And there was a young man out of Bethlehemjudah of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.

And the man departed out of the city from Bethlehemjudah to sojourn where he could find a place: and he came to mount Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.

And Micah said unto him, Whence comest thou? And he said unto him, I am a Levite of Bethlehemjudah, and I go to sojourn where I may find a place.

10 And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten shekels of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals. So the Levite went in.

11 And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was unto him as one of his sons.

12 And Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.

13 Then said Micah, Now know I that the Lord will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.