Judges Chapter 17

Micah’s Idols

¹ A man named Micah in the hill country of Ephraim ² told his mother, “I took the 1,100 pieces of silver that were stolen from you, that you told me about and I heard you speak a curse on; I have them.” She said, “May Yahveh bless my son.” ³ He gave them back to her. She said, “I consecrate the silver to Yahveh for my son to make a carved image and a molten image. Now I’ll return it to you.” ⁴ She gave 200 pieces of it to a silversmith to make a graven image and a molten image. It was in Micah’s house. ⁵ He had a shrine and appointed one of his sons as his priest. ⁶ In those days, there wasn’t any king in Israel. Everyone did what seemed right to them.                                                                  

Jud 17:1-6

            ⁷ A young Levite from the family of Judah was living temporarily in Bethlehem in Judah. ⁸ He left to find a place to live. As he traveled, he came to Micah’s house in the hill country of Ephraim. ⁹ Micah asked him where he was from.

            “I’m a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah. I’m going away to find a place to live.”

            ¹⁰ “Stay with me. Be a father and a priest for me. I’ll give you 10 pieces of silver a year, a suit of clothes, and living expenses.”

¹¹ The Levite was content to live with him and became like one of his sons. ¹² Micah installed the Levite as his priest in his house. ¹³ Then he said, “Now I know Yahveh will prosper me; I have a Levite as a priest.”                                Jud 17:7-13