1 T here was a man of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Micah.

And there was a man of the hill-country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah.

2 H e said to his mother, “There were 1, 100 pieces of silver taken from you. And I heard you pray that the robber would be cursed. See, the silver is with me. I took it.” His mother said, “May the Lord bring good to you, my son.”

And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred pieces of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou didst utter a curse, and didst also speak it in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be my son of Jehovah.

3 H e returned the 1, 100 pieces of silver to his mother. And she said, “I set apart all the silver from my hand to the Lord for my son. It is to be used in making an object to look like a god. So I will return the silver to you.”

And he restored the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother; and his mother said, I verily dedicate the silver unto Jehovah from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it unto thee.

4 W hen he returned the silver to his mother, she gave 200 pieces to the man who works with silver. He made them into an object to look like a god for Micah’s house.

And when he restored the money unto his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image: and it was in the house of Micah.

5 T he man Micah had a special building where gods were worshiped. He made a holy vest and gods for the house. And he set apart one of his sons to be his religious leader.

And 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 T here was no king in Israel in those days. Each man did what he thought was right.

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

7 N ow there was a young man of Bethlehem in Judah. He was a Levite, of the family of Judah, and he was staying there.

And there was a young man out of Beth-lehem-judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he sojourned there.

8 H e left the city of Bethlehem in Judah to find a place to live. As he traveled he came to the house of Micah in the hill country of Ephraim.

And the man departed out of the city, out of Beth-lehem-judah, to sojourn where he could find a place, and he came to the hill-country of Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.

9 M icah said to him, “Where do you come from?” He answered, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah. I am going to stay where I may find a place.”

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.

10 T hen Micah said to him, “Live with me. Be a father and a religious leader to me. I will give you ten pieces of silver a year, new clothes, and your living.” So the Levite went in.

And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten pieces of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals. So the Levite went in.

11 T he Levite agreed to live with the man. And the young man was like a son to Micah.

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

12 S o Micah set apart the Levite. The young man became his religious leader and lived in Micah’s house.

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

13 T hen Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will bring good to me because I have a Levite as my religious leader.”

Then said Micah, Now know I that Jehovah will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.