Disobedience and Defeat^(A)

⁶ After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land, each to their own inheritance. ⁷ The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.^(B)

⁸ Joshua son of Nun,^(C) the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. ⁹ And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres^[a](D) in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

¹⁰ After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.^{(E) 11} Then the Israelites did evil^(F) in the eyes of the Lord^(G) and served the Baals.^{(H) 12} They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods^(I) of the peoples around them.^(J) They aroused^(K) the Lord’s anger^{(L) 13} because they forsook^(M) him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.^(N)

Micah’s Idols

17 Now a man named Micah^(A) from the hill country of Ephraim ² said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels^[a] of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have that silver with me; I took it.”

Then his mother said, “The Lord bless you,^(B) my son!”

³ When he returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, “I solemnly consecrate my silver to the Lord for my son to make an image overlaid with silver.^(C) I will give it back to you.”

⁴ So after he returned the silver to his mother, she took two hundred shekels^[b] of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who used them to make the idol.^(D) And it was put in Micah’s house.

⁵ Now this man Micah had a shrine,^(E) and he made an ephod^(F) and some household gods^(G) and installed^(H) one of his sons as his priest.^{(I) 6} In those days Israel had no king;^(J) everyone did as they saw fit.^(K)