THE BOOK OF
JUDGES
Judges 17 ©
Micah’s mother causes idolatrous images to be made of the money which her son Micah, an Ephraimite, had stolen from her, and restored back, v. 1, etc. For which Micah prepares an idols’ house, with an ephod, and household gods, and makes one of his sons a priest, 5. How the case stood in Israel at that time, 6. Afterward Micah gets a Levite who traveled through the country, whom for a certain salary or wages he entertains to be priest in his son’s stead, 7. Thinking that God therefore must needs favor and bless him, 13.
AND1 there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose name was Micah.
And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred 2shekels of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou 3cursedst, and spakest of also 4in mine ears, behold, the 5silver is with me; I took it. And his mother said, 6Blessed be thou of the LORD, my son.
And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto 7the LORD from my hand for 8my son, to make a graven image 9and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it unto thee.
Yet he restored the money unto his mother; and his mother took two hundred shekels of silver, and gave them to the founder,a who made thereof a graven image and a molten 10image: and they were in the house of Micah.
And the man Micah had an house of gods, and 11made an 12ephod, and 13teraphim,b and 14consecrated one of his sons, who became his 15priest.
Inc those days there was no 16king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
¶And there was a 17young man out of Beth-lehem-judah 18of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.
And the man departed out of the city from Beth-lehem-judah to sojourn where he could find a place: and he came to mount Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he 19journeyed.
And Micah said unto him, Whence comest thou? And he said unto him, I am a Levite of Beth-lehem-judah, and I go to sojourn where I may find a place.
And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a 20father and a priest, and I will give thee ten shekels of silver 21by the year, and a 22suit of apparel, and thy victuals. So the Levite went 23in.
And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was unto him 24as one of his sons.
And Micah 25consecrated the Levite; and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.
Then said Micah, Now 26know I that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.