Chapter 17

  There was a man of the hill-country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah.  

  He said to his mother, The eleven hundred [pieces] of silver that were taken from you, about which you did utter a curse, and did also speak it in my ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it. His mother said, Blessed be my son of Yahweh.  

  He restored the eleven hundred [pieces] of silver to his mother; and his mother said, I most assuredly dedicate the silver to Yahweh from my hand for my son, to make an engraved image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it to you.  

  When he restored the money to his mother, his mother took two hundred [pieces] of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made of it an engraved image and a molten image: and it was in the house of Micah.  

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

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

  There was a young man out of Beth-lehem-judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he sojourned there.  

  The man departed out of the city, out of Beth-lehem-judah, to sojourn where he could find [a place], and he came to the hill-country of Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.  

  Micah said to him, Whence come you? He said to him, I am a Levite of Beth-lehem-judah, and I go to sojourn where I may find [a place].  

  Micah said to him, Dwell with me, and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give you ten [pieces] of silver by the year, and a suit of clothing, and your victuals. So the Levite went in.  

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

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

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