Chapter 17
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 uttered a curse , and also spoke it in my ears— behold , the silver is with me . I took it ." His mother said, " May the LORD bless my son !"
3 He restored the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother, then his mother said, " I most certainly dedicate the silver to the LORD from my hand for my son , to make a carved 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 a silversmith , who made a carved image and a molten image out of it . 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 . Everyone did that which was right in his own eyes .
7 There was a young man out of Bethlehem Judah , of the family of Judah , who was a Levite ; and he lived there .
8 The man departed out of the city , out of Bethlehem Judah , to live where he could find a place , and he came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah , as he travelled.
9 Micah said to him , "Where did you come from ?" He said to him , " I am a Levite of Bethlehem Judah , and I am looking for a place to live ."
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 per year , a suit of clothing, and your food." 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 Micah said, " Now I know that the LORD will do good to me , since I have a Levite as my priest ."