1There was a man from the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Micaiah.
2He said to his mother, “The eleven hundred pieces of silver that were taken from you, about which you uttered a curse and even spoke of in my hearing—look, the silver is with me; I took it.” And his mother said, “Blessed be my son by Yahweh.”
3He returned the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother, and his mother said, “I had solemnly consecrated the silver to Yahweh from my hand for my son, to make a carved image and a cast idol; so now I return it to you.”
4So he returned the silver to his mother, and his mother took two hundred pieces of silver and gave them to the silversmith, and he made from it a carved image and a cast idol; and it was in the house of Micaiah.
5Now this man Micah had a house of God, and he made an ephod and teraphim and installed one of his sons, who became his priest.
6In those days there was no king in Israel; each man did what was right in his own eyes.
7There was a young man from Bethlehem of Judah, of the clan of Judah; he was a Levite, and he was residing there as a sojourner.
8The man set out from the town, from Bethlehem of Judah, to sojourn wherever he could find a place. He came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, as he made his way.
9Micah said to him, “Where do you come from?” He said to him, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem of Judah, and I am going to sojourn wherever I can find a place.”
10Micah said to him, “Stay with me and be for me a father and a priest, and I will give you ten pieces of silver a year, a set of clothes, and your food.” So the Levite went in.
11The Levite was willing to stay with the man, and the young man became to him like one of his sons.
12Micah installed the Levite, and the young man became his priest and was in the house of Micah.
13Then Micah said, “Now I know that Yahweh will do me good, because I have a Levite as my priest.”
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