Judges 17:1–18:6
17 Now a man named Micaha from the hill country of Ephraim 2 said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekelsa of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have that silver with me; I took it.”
Then his mother said, “The Lord bless you,b my son!”
3 When he returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, “I solemnly consecrate my silver to the Lord for my son to make an image overlaid with silver.c I will give it back to you.”
4 So after he returned the silver to his mother, she took two hundred shekelsb of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who used them to make the idol.d And it was put in Micah’s house.
5 Now this man Micah had a shrine,e and he made an ephodf and some household godsg and installedh one of his sons as his priest.i 6 In those days Israel had no king;j everyone did as they saw fit.k
7 A young Levitel from Bethlehem in Judah,m who had been living within the clan of Judah, 8 left that town in search of some other place to stay. On his wayc he came to Micah’s house in the hill country of Ephraim.
9 Micah asked him, “Where are you from?”
“I’m a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah,n” he said, “and I’m looking for a place to stay.”
10 Then Micah said to him, “Live with me and be my fathero and priest,p and I’ll give you ten shekelsd of silver a year, your clothes and your food.” 11 So the Levite agreed to live with him, and the young man became like one of his sons to him. 12 Then Micah installedq the Levite, and the young man became his priestr and lived in his house. 13 And Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since this Levite has become my priest.”s
18 In those days Israel had no king.t
And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking a place of their own where they might settle, because they had not yet come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.u 2 So the Danitesv sent five of their leading menw from Zorah and Eshtaol to spy outx the land and explore it. These men represented all the Danites. They told them, “Go, explore the land.”y
So they entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah,z where they spent the night. 3 When they were near Micah’s house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite;a so they turned in there and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?”
4 He told them what Micah had done for him, and said, “He has hired me and I am his priest.b”
5 Then they said to him, “Please inquire of Godc to learn whether our journey will be successful.”
6 The priest answered them, “Go in peaced. Your journey has the Lord’s approval.”