[1] There was a man of the hill-country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah.
[2] 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. [3] 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. [4] 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. [5] 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. [6] In those days there was no king in Israel: every
man did that which was right in his own eyes. [7] There was a young man out
of Beth-lehem-judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he
sojourned there. [8] 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. [9]
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]. [10]
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. [11] The Levite was content to
dwell with the man; and the young man was to him as one of his sons. [12]
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 Yahweh will do
me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.
