Judges 17

Modern

Literal

Micah’s Idolatry

¹Now a man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim

¹And there was a man from the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Micah.

²said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver^a that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have the silver here with me; I took it.”

Then his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the LORD!”

²And he said to his mother, “The thousand and a hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you, and on which you put a curse, and even saying it in my ears, here is the silver with me. I took it.” And his mother said, “Blessed is my son of YHWH!”

³And when he had returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, “I wholly dedicate the silver to the LORD for my son’s benefit, to make a graven image and a molten idol. Therefore I will now return it to you.”

³And he returned the thousand and a hundred shekels of silver to his mother, and his mother said, “I wholly dedicate the silver to YHWH from my hand for my son to make a carved image and a molten image. And now I will return it to you.”

⁴So he returned the silver to his mother, and she took two hundred shekels of silver^a and gave them to a silversmith, who made them into a graven image and a molten idol. And they were placed in the house of Micah.

⁴And he returned the silver to his mother, and his mother took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to the silversmith, and he made it into a carved image and a molten image, and they were in the house of Micah.

⁵Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household idols, and ordained one^a of his sons as his priest.

⁵And the man Micah had a shrine of gods, and he made an ephod and teraphim, and he filled the hand of one of his sons, and he was to him for a priest.

⁶In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

⁶In those days there was no king in Israel; each man did the right in his own eyes.

⁷And there was a young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah who had been residing within the clan of Judah.

⁷And there was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah, from the family of Judah, and he was a Levite, and he was staying there.

⁸This man left the city of Bethlehem in Judah to settle where he could find a place. And as he traveled, he came to Micah’s house in the hill country of Ephraim.

⁸And the man departed from the city, from Bethlehem in Judah, to stay wherever he could find, and he came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, as he made his journey.

⁹“Where are you from?” Micah asked him.

“I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah,” he replied, “and I am on my way to settle wherever I can find a place.”

⁹And Micah said to him, “From where have you come?” And he said to him, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going to sojourn where I do find.”

¹⁰“Stay with me,” Micah said to him, “and be my father and priest, and I will give you ten shekels of silver^a per year, a suit of clothes, and your provisions.”

So the Levite went in

¹⁰And Micah said to him, “Dwell with me, and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give to you ten shekels of silver for the days, and a suit of clothes, and your sustenance.” And the Levite went in.

¹¹and agreed to stay with him, and the young man became like a son to Micah.

¹¹And the Levite was willing to dwell with the man, and the young man became to him like one of his sons.

¹²Micah ordained the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in his house.

¹²And Micah filled the hand of the Levite, and the young man was to him for a priest, and he was in the house of Micah.

¹³Then Micah said, “Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, because a Levite has become my priest.”

¹³And Micah said, “Now I know that YHWH will be good to me, since a Levite has become a priest to me.”