Judges 17

Micah’s Idolatry

17There was a man from the hill country of Ephraim; his name was Micah. ²And he said to his mother, “The eleven hundred pieces of silver that were taken from you, and about which you also pronounced a curse in my hearing,^a are with me; I took it.” And his mother said, “Blessed be my son by Yahweh.” ³He returned the eleven hundred pieces^b of silver to his mother, and his mother thought, “I will certainly consecrate to Yahweh the pieces^c of silver from my hand for my son to make an idol of cast metal; now then, I will return them^d to you.” ⁴When he returned the pieces^e of silver to his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces^f of silver, and she gave it to the smith, and he made it into an idol of cast metal; and it was in the house of Micah. ⁵The man Micah had for himself a shrine,^g and he made an ephod and teraphim, and he appointed one of his sons^h who became a priest for him. ⁶In those days there was no king in Israel, and each one did what was right in his own eyes.

⁷There was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah, from the clan of Judah; he was a Levite and was dwelling as a foreignerⁱ there. ⁸And the man went from the town of Bethlehem in Judah to live as a foreigner^j wherever he could find a place. And he came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, to continue his journey. ⁹And Micah said to him, “From where do you come?” And he said to him, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah; I am going to dwell as a foreigner^k wherever I can find a place.” ¹⁰And Micah said to him, “Stay with me and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give to you ten pieces^l of silver a year, a set of clothes, and your food.” So the Levite went with him. ¹¹The Levite agreed to stay with the man; and the young man became as one of his sons. ¹²So Micah appointed the Levite,^m and the young man became a priest for him; and he was in the house of Micah. ¹³And Micah said, “Now I know Yahweh will make me prosperous, because the Levite has become my priest.”