Judges 17
1599 Geneva Bible
17 3 Micah’s mother according to her vow, made her son two idols. 5 He made his son a Priest for his idols, 10 and after he hired a Levite.
1 There [a]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, for the which thou cursedst, and spakedst it, even in mine hearing, behold, the silver is with me, I took it. Then his mother said, Blessed be my son of the Lord.
3 And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had dedicate the silver to the Lord of mine hand for my son, to make [b]a graven and molten image. Now therefore I will give it thee again.
4 And when he had restored the money unto his mother, his mother took two hundred shekels of silver, and gave them to the founder, which made thereof a graven and molten image, and it was in the house of Micah.
5 And this man Micah had an house of gods, and made an (A)[c]Ephod, and (B)[d]Teraphim, and [e]consecrated one of his sons, who was his Priest.
6 (C)In those days there was no [f]King in Israel, but every man did that which was good in his own eyes.
7 ¶ There was also a young man out of Bethlehem Judah, [g]of the family of Judah: who was a Levite, and sojourned there.
8 And the man departed out of the city, even out of Bethlehem Judah, to dwell where he could find a place: and as he journeyed, he came to mount Ephraim to the house of Micah.
9 And Micah said unto him, Whence comest thou? And the Levite answered him, [h]I come from Bethlehem Judah, and go to dwell where I may find a place.
10 Then 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 year, and a suit of apparel, and thy meat and drink. So the Levite went in.
11 And the Levite was [i]content to dwell with the man, and the young man was unto him as one of his own sons.
12 And Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man was his Priest, and was in the house of Micah.
13 Then said Micah, Now I know that the Lord will be [j]good unto me, seeing I have a Levite to my Priest.
Footnotes
- Judges 17:1 Some think this history was in the time of Othniel, or as Josephus writeth, immediately after Joshua.
- Judges 17:3 Contrary to the commandment of God and true religion practiced under Joshua, they forsook the Lord and fell to idolatry.
- Judges 17:5 He would serve both God and Idols.
- Judges 17:5 By Teraphim some understand certain idols, having the likeness of a man, but others understand thereby all manner of things and instruments belonging unto those, who sought for any answer at God’s hands, as Judg. 18:5,6.
- Judges 17:5 Hebrew, filled the hand of one.
- Judges 17:6 For where there is no Magistrate fearing God, there can be no true religion or order.
- Judges 17:7 Which Bethlehem was in the tribe of Judah.
- Judges 17:9 For in those days the service of God was corrupt in all estates, and the Levites were not looked unto.
- Judges 17:11 Not considering that he forsook the true worshipping of God for to maintain his own belly.
- Judges 17:13 Thus the idolaters persuade themselves of God’s favor, when indeed he doth detest them.
Judges 17
World English Bible
17 There was a man of the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah. 2 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 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 a carved image and a molten image. Now therefore I will restore it to you.”
4 When he restored the money to his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver, and gave them to a silversmith, who made a carved image and a molten image out of it. It was in the house of Micah.
5 The man Micah had a house of gods, and he made an ephod, and teraphim,[a] and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest. 6 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did that which was right in his own eyes. 7 There was a young man out of Bethlehem Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he lived there. 8 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 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 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 The Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was to him as one of his sons. 12 Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah. 13 Then Micah said, “Now I know that Yahweh will do good to me, since I have a Levite as my priest.”
Footnotes
- 17:5 teraphim were household idols that may have been associated with inheritance rights to the household property.
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