1 There was a man named Micah, who lived in the mountains of Ephraim.2 He said to his mother: »When someone stole those eleven hundred pieces of silver from you, you put a curse on the robber. I heard you do it. Look, I have the money. I am the one who took it.« His mother said: »Jehovah blesses you.«3 He gave the money back to his mother. She said: »To keep the curse from falling on my son, I myself solemnly dedicate the silver to Jehovah. It will be used to make a wooden idol covered with silver. Now I will give the pieces of silver back to you.«4 He returned them to his mother. She took two hundred of the pieces of silver and gave them to a metalworker. The metalworker made an idol, carving it from wood and covering it with the silver. It was placed in Micah’s house.5 Micah had his own place of worship. He made some idols and an ephod, and appointed one of his sons as his priest.6 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did whatever he or she wanted to do.7 There was a young Levite who had been living in the town of Bethlehem in Judah.8 The man left Bethlehem to find another place to live. While he was traveling, he came to Micah’s house in the mountains of Ephraim.9 Micah asked him: »Where do you come from?« He answered: »I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah. I need a place to live.«10 Micah said: »Stay here with me. Be my adviser and priest. I will give you ten pieces of silver a year along with some clothes, and your food.«11 The young Levite agreed to stay with Micah. He became like a son to him.12 He lived in Micah’s home. Micah made him his priest.13 Micah said: »Now I know that Jehovah will be good to me, since I have a Levite as a priest.«