1 And there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose name was Micah.
2 And
he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from thee,
about which thou cursedst, and spakest of also in mine ears, behold, the silver is with
me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my son.
3 And
when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother
said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the LORD from my hand for my son,
to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it unto
thee.
4 Yet
he restored the money unto his mother; and his mother took two hundred shekels of
silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a
molten image: and they were in the house of Micah.
5 And
the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and
consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.
6 In
those days there was no
king in Israel, but every man did that which was right
in his own eyes.
7 And
there was a young man out of Bethlehemjudah of the family of Judah, who was a
Levite, and he sojourned there.
8 And
the man departed out of the city from Bethlehemjudah to sojourn where he could
find a place: and he came to mount Ephraim to the house of
Micah, as he journeyed.
9 And
Micah said unto him, Whence comest thou? And he said unto him, I am a
Levite of Bethlehemjudah, and I go to sojourn where I may find a place.
10 And
Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, and I
will give thee ten shekels of silver by the year, and a suit of
apparel, and thy victuals. So the Levite went in.
11 And
the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was unto him as
one of his sons.
12 And
Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man became his priest, and was in
the house of Micah.
13 Then
said Micah, Now know I that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.
