1 و َكانَ هُناكَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ مِنْطَقَةِ أفْرايِمَ الجَبَلِيَّةِ اسْمُهُ مِيخا.

There was a man of the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah.

2 ف َقالَ لِأُمِّهِ: «أتَذْكُرِينَ الألفَ وَالمِئَةَ مِثْقالٍ مِنَ الفِضَّةِ الَّتِي سُرِقَتْ مِنْكِ، وَلَعَنْتِ سارِقَها؟ قَدْ سَمِعْتُكِ تَلعَنِينَ، وَها هِيَ الفِضَّةُ مَعِي، أنا أخَذَتُها. وَها أنا أرُدُّها إلَيكِ.» فَقالَتْ أُمُّهُ: «ابْنِي مُبارَكٌ مِنَ اللهِ!»

He said to his mother, “The eleven hundred pieces of silver that were taken from you, about which you uttered a curse, and also spoke it in my ears, behold, the silver is with me. I took it.” His mother said, “May Yahweh bless my son!”

3 و َأعادَ الألفَ وَالمِئَةَ مِثْقالٍ مِنَ الفِضَّةِ إلَى أُمِّهِ. فَقالَتْ أُمُّهُ: «ها أنا آخُذُ هَذِهِ الفِضَّةَ وَأُخَصِّصُها للهِ ، فَسأُعيدُها إلَى ابْنِي مِنْ أجلِ صُنْعِ تِمثالٍ مِنْ مَعدَنٍ مَسبُوكٍ.» فَرَدَّتِ الفِضَّةَ لِمِيخا.

He restored the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother, then his mother said, “I most certainly dedicate the silver to Yahweh from my hand for my son, to make an engraved image and a molten image. Now therefore I will restore it to you.”

4 ل َكِنَّ مِيخا أعادَ الفِضَّةَ إلَى أُمِّهِ. فَأخَذَتْ مِئَتَي مِثْقالٍ مِنْها وَأعطَتْها لِصائِغِ الفِضَّةِ. فَسَبَكَ تِمثالاً وَغَشَّاهُ بِالفِضَّةِ. فَوَضَعْتْهُ أُمُّهُ فِي بَيْتِ مِيخا.

When he restored the money to his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver, and gave them to a silversmith, who made an engraved image and a molten image out of it. It was in the house of Micah.

5 و َكانَ لِمِيخا هَيْكَلٌ لِلعِبادَةِ، وَصَنَعَ ثَوبَ كَهَنُوتٍ وَأوثاناً بَيْتِيَّةً. وَأعطَى مالاً لِأحَدِ أبنائِهِ، فَصارَ كاهِناً لَهُ.

The man Micah had a house of gods, and he made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

6 و َلَمْ يَكُنْ فِي ذَلِكَ الوَقتِ، مَلِكٌ فِي إسْرائِيلَ، فَكانَ كُلُّ واحِدٍ يَفعَلُ حَسَبَ ما يَراهُ.

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did that which was right in his own eyes.

7 و َكانَ هُناكَ شابٌّ مِنْ مَدِينَةِ بَيتَ لَحْمَ مِنْ مِنْطَقَةِ يَهُوذا. وَهُوَ لاوِيٌّ مُتَغَرِّبٌ وَسَطَ عَشِيرَةِ يَهُوذا.

There was a young man out of Bethlehem Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he lived there.

8 غ ادَرَ هَذا الشّابُ مَدِينَةَ بَيتَ لَحْمَ يَهُوذا، لِيَسْكُنَ حَيْثُ يَجِدُ لَهُ مَكاناً. فَذَهَبَ إلَى مِنْطَقَةِ أفْرايِمَ الجَبَلِيَّةِ. وَفِي طَرِيقِهِ وَصَلَ إلَى بَيتِ مِيخا.

The man departed out of the city, out of Bethlehem Judah, to live where he could find a place, and he came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, as he traveled.

9 ف َقالَ لَهُ مِيخا: «مِنْ أينَ أنْتَ؟» فَقالَ لَهُ: «أنا لاوِيٌّ مِنْ بَيْتَ لَحْمَ يَهُوذا، وَأنا مُرْتَحِلٌ لِكَي أسْتَقِرَّ حَيثُما أجِدُ مَكاناً.»

Micah said to him, “Where did you come from?” He said to him, “I am a Levite of Bethlehem Judah, and I am looking for a place to live.”

10 ف َقالَ لَهُ مِيخا: «امْكُثْ عِندِي، وَكُنْ لِي أباً وَكاهِناً، وَسَأُعطِيكَ عَشْرَةَ مَثَاقِيلَ مِنَ الفِضَّةِ كُلَّ سَنَةٍ، عَدا مَلابِسِكَ وَطَعامِكَ.» فَمَكَثَ الَّلاوِي عِندَهُ.

Micah said to him, “Dwell with me, and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give you ten pieces of silver per year, a suit of clothing, and your food.” So the Levite went in.

11 و افَقَ الَّلاوِي عَلَى أنْ يَسْكُنَ عِنْدَ الرَّجُلِ، وَصارَ لِمِيخا كَأحَدِ أبْنائِهِ.

The Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was to him as one of his sons.

12 و َأعطَى مِيخا الَّلاوِيَ مالاً، فَصارَ الشّابُّ كاهِناً لَهُ، وَعاشَ فِي بَيتِ مِيخا.

Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.

13 ح ِينَئِذٍ، قالَ مِيخا: «الآنَ تَأكَّدْتُ أنَّ اللهَ سَيَصْنَعُ مَعِي خَيْراً، فَقَدْ صارَ الَّلاوِيُّ كاهِناً لِي.»

Then Micah said, “Now know I that Yahweh will do good to me, since I have a Levite as my priest.”