1 Nas colinas de Efraim vivia um homem chamado Mica.

2 Um dia ele disse para a mãe: Aquelas mil e cem moedas de prata que julgas terem-te roubado, tendo amaldiçoado o ladrão, fui eu quem as tirou!Que Deus te abençoe por teres confessado tal coisa.

3 E assim lhe devolveu o dinheiro. Eu quero dar este dinheiro ao Senhor, para que seja contado a teu favor, declarou ela. Vou mandar esculpir uma imagem e cobri-la de prata.

4 A mãe pegou então em duzentas das moedas, levou-as a um ourives, que lhes fez um ídolo e que ela colocou num nicho em casa. Mica já tinha uma colecção de ídolos, além de um éfode e de alguns terafins, e designou um dos seus próprios filhos como sacerdote. (Porque nesses dias Israel não tinha rei, de tal forma que cada qual fazia o que melhor parecia aos seus olhos.)

7 Entretanto houve um levita da cidade de Belém em Judá que chegou àquela região de Efraim, procurando um lugar onde se instalasse para viver. Aconteceu passar ali pela casa de Mica.

9 Donde vens?, perguntou-lhe Mica.Sou levita, de Belém em Judá, e procuro lugar para viver.

10 Fica aqui comigo. Serás o meu sacerdote e conselheiro. Dou-te cento e dez gramas de prata por ano, mais roupa para te vestires e alimentação, além de um quarto. O jovem aceitou e ficou a viver com Mica. Este consagrou-o como seu sacerdote pessoal.

13 Agora tenho a certeza de que o Senhor me abençoará, exclamou Mica, porque tenho levita como sacerdote!

1 And there was a man of the hill country of Ephraim, whose, name, was Micah.

2 And he said unto his motherThe eleven hundred pieces of silver that were taken by thee, when, thou, didst utter a curse, and didst also say in my hearing, Lo! the silver, is with me! I took it. Then said his mother, Blessed, be my son by Yahweh.

3 And, when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother saidI had, hallowed, the silver unto Yahweh out of mine own hand, for my son, to make a graved (molten) image, now, therefore, I will restore it unto thee.

4 But he restored the silver to his mother,so his mother took two hundred pieces of silver, and gave it to the silversmith, who made thereof a graved (molten) image, and it was in the house of Micah.

5 Now, the man Micah, had a house of gods,and he made an ephod, and teraphim, and installed 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 And there was a young man out of Bethlehem-judah, of the family of Judah,he, being a Levite, and, he, being a sojourner there.

8 So the man took his journey out of the city, out of Bethlehem-judah, to sojourn, wheresoever he could find ,and he came into the hill country of Ephraim, as far as the house of Micah, in pursuing his journey.

9 And Micah said unto him, Whence comest thou? And he said unto himA Levite, am I, from Bethlehem-judah, and, I, am taking my journey to sojourn, wheresoever I can find .

10 And Micah said unto himDwell with me, and be to me a father and a priest, and, I, will give thee ten pieces of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy sustenance. So the Levite went.

11 And the Levite was content to dwell with the man,and the young man became to him, as one of his sons.

12 And Micah installed the Levite, and the young man became his priest,and remained in the house of Micah.

13 Then said MicahNow, I know that Yahweh will do me good,seeing I have a Levite as my priest.