Judges 17

Micah’s Silver and Image

1There was a man from the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Micah. 2He said to his mother, “The eleven hundred pieces of silver that were taken from you, concerning which you uttered a curse and also spoke it in my hearing—look, the silver is with me. I took it.” His mother said, “Blessed be my son by the LORD.” 3He returned the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother. His mother said, “I solemnly consecrate the silver to the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a carved image and a cast image. Now therefore I will return it to you.” 4When he returned the silver to his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver and gave them to the silversmith. He made from it a carved image and a cast image, and it was in the house of Micah. 5This man Micah had a house of gods. He made an ephod and household gods and ordained one of his sons, who became his priest. 6In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes.

A Levite Comes to Micah’s House

7There was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah, from the clan of Judah. He was a Levite, and he was staying there. 8The man departed from the city, from Bethlehem in Judah, to stay wherever he might find a place. As he traveled, he came to the hill country of Ephraim, to Micah’s house. 9Micah said to him, “Where do you come from?” He said to him, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going to stay wherever I may find a place.” 10Micah said to him, “Stay with me and be to me a father and a priest. I will give you ten pieces of silver a year, a set of garments, and your food.” So the Levite went in. 11The Levite agreed to stay with the man, and the young man became to him like one of his sons. 12Micah ordained the Levite, and the young man became his priest and was in Micah’s house. 13Then Micah said, “Now I know that the LORD will do good to me, because I have a Levite as priest.”