Judges 17

Micah’s Priest

1 There was a man from the hill country of Ephraim named Micah. 2 He said to his mother, "The 1,100 pieces of silver taken from you, and that I heard you place a curse on — here’s the silver. I took it."

Then his mother said, "My son, may you be blessed by the Lord! "  * 17:2 Ru 2:20; 1Sm 15:13

3 He returned the 1,100 pieces of silver to his mother, and his mother said, "I personally consecrate  * 17:3 Lv 22:2–3; 27:14–19; 1Ch 18:11; 26:26–28; 2Ch 30:17 the silver to the Lord for my son’s benefit to make a carved image and a silver idol.  * 17:3 Or image and a cast image, also in v. 4 I will give it back to you." 4 So he returned the silver to his mother, and she took five pounds of silver and gave it to a silversmith. He made it into a carved image and a silver idol, and it was in Micah’s house.

5 This man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and household idols,  * 17:5 Gn 31:19,34–35; Jdg 18:14; 1Sm 19:13; 2Kg 23:24; Hs 3:4 and installed one of his sons to be his priest. 6 In those days there was no king in Israel;  * 17:6 Jdg 18:1; 19:1; 21:25 everyone did whatever seemed right to him.

7 There was a young man, a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, who was staying within the clan of Judah.  * 17:7 Dt 18:6–78 The man left the town of Bethlehem in Judah to stay wherever he could find a place. On his way he came to Micah’s home in the hill country of Ephraim.

9 "Where do you come from? " Micah asked him.

He answered him, "I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I’m going to stay wherever I can find a place."

10 Micah replied,  * 17:10 Lit replied to him "Stay with me and be my father  * 17:10 Gn 45:8; Jdg 18:19; Jr 3:19 and priest, and I will give you four ounces of silver a year, along with your clothing and provisions." So the Levite went in 11 and agreed to stay with the man, and the young man became like one of his sons. 12 Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest  * 17:12 Jdg 18:30 and lived in Micah’s house. 13 Then Micah said, "Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, because a Levite has become my priest."