Now there was a man of the hill
country
of Ephraim
whose name
was Micah
.
He said to his mother
, "The eleven
hundred
pieces of silver
which
were taken
from you, about which you uttered
a curse
1in my hearing
, behold
, the silver
is with me; I took
it." And his mother
said
, "Blessed
be my son
by the LORD
."
He then returned the eleven
hundred
pieces of silver
to his mother
, and his mother
said
, "I wholly
dedicate
the silver
from my hand
to the LORD
for my son
ato make
a graven
image
and a molten
image
; now
therefore, I will return
1them to you."
So when he returned the silver
to his mother
, his mother
took
two hundred
pieces of silver
and gave
them to the silversmith
who made
1them into a graven
image
and a molten
image
, and 2they were in the house
of Micah
.
And the man Micah
had a 1 ashrine
and he made
an bephod
and 2 chousehold
idols
and 3consecrated
one
of his sons
, dthat he might become
his priest
.
In those days
athere
was no
king
in Israel
; bevery
man
did
what
was right
in his own eyes
.
Now there was a young man
from aBethlehem
in Judah
, of the family
of Judah
, who
was a Levite
; and he was 1staying
there
.
Then the man departed
from the city
, from Bethlehem
in Judah
, to 1stay
wherever
he might find
a place; and as he made
his journey
, he came
to the ahill
country
of Ephraim
to the house
of Micah
.
Micah said
to him, "Where
do you come
from?" And he said
to him, "I am a Levite
from Bethlehem
in Judah
, and I am going
to 1stay
wherever
I may find
a place."
Micah then said
to him, "Dwell
with me and be aa father
and a priest
to me, and I will give
you ten
pieces of silver
a year
, a suit
of clothes
, and your maintenance
." So the Levite
went
in.
The Levite agreed
to live
with the man
, and the young
man
became
to him like one
of his sons
.
So Micah 1consecrated
the Levite
, and the young
man
abecame
his priest
and 2lived
in the house
of Micah
.
Then Micah said
, "Now
I know
that the LORD
will prosper
me, seeing
I have
a Levite
as priest
."