Micah’s Idolatry

17 Now there was a man from the mountains of Ephraim, whose name was ^(A)Micah. ² And he said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you, and on which you ^(B)put a curse, even saying it in my ears—here is the silver with me; I took it.”

And his mother said, ^(C)“May you be blessed by the Lord, my son!” ³ So when he had returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, “I had wholly dedicated the silver from my hand to the Lord for my son, to ^(D)make a carved image and a molded image; now therefore, I will return it to you.” ⁴ Thus he returned the silver to his mother. Then his mother ^(E)took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to the silversmith, and he made it into a carved image and a molded image; and they were in the house of Micah.

⁵ The man Micah had a ^(F)shrine, and made an ^(G)ephod and ^(H)household^[a] idols; and he consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest. ^6 (I)In those days there was no king in Israel; ^(J)everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

⁷ Now there was a young man from ^(K)Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah; he was a Levite, and ^(L)was staying there. ⁸ The man departed from the city of Bethlehem in Judah to stay wherever he could find a place. Then he came to the mountains of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, as he journeyed. ⁹ And Micah said to him, “Where do you come from?”

So he said to him, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I am on my way to find a place to stay.”

¹⁰ Micah said to him, “Dwell with me, ^(M)and be a ^(N)father and a priest to me, and I will give you ten shekels of silver per year, a suit of clothes, and your sustenance.” So the Levite went in. ¹¹ Then the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man became like one of his sons to him. ¹² So Micah ^(O)consecrated^[b] the Levite, and the young man ^(P)became his priest, and lived in the house of Micah. ¹³ Then Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since I have a Levite as ^(Q)priest!”

Mary and Martha Worship and Serve

³⁸ Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named ^(A)Martha welcomed Him into her house. ³⁹ And she had a sister called Mary, ^(B)who also ^(C)sat at ^[a]Jesus’ feet and heard His word. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”

⁴¹ And ^[b]Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. ⁴² But ^(D)one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

The Command to Build God’s House^(A)

1 In ^(B)the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by ^(C)Haggai the prophet to ^(D)Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to ^(E)Joshua the son of ^(F)Jehozadak, the high priest, saying, ² “Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, saying: ‘This people says, “The time has not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built.” ’ ”

³ Then the word of the Lord ^(G)came by Haggai the prophet, saying, ⁴ “Is it ^(H)time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this ^[a]temple to lie in ruins?” ⁵ Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: ^(I)“Consider your ways!

⁷ Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways! ⁸ Go up to the ^(L)mountains and bring wood and build the ^[b]temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,” says the Lord. ^9 (M)“You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, ^(N)I blew it away. Why?” says the Lord of hosts. “Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house. ¹⁰ Therefore ^(O)the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit. ¹¹ For I ^(P)called for a drought on the land and the mountains, on the grain and the new wine and the oil, on whatever the ground brings forth, on men and livestock, and on ^(Q)all the labor of your hands.”