1 Now there was a man from the mountains of Ephraim, whose name wasaMicah.
2 And he said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you, and on which you aput a curse, even saying it in my ears—here is the silver with me; I took it.” And his mother said, b“Mayyoube 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 amake 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 atook 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 ashrine, and made an bephod and chousehold idols; and he consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.
6aIn those days therewas no king in Israel; beveryone did whatwas right in his own eyes.
7 Now there was a young man from aBethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah; he was a Levite, and bwas staying there.
8 The man departed from the city of Bethlehem in Judah to stay wherever he could find aplace. 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 aplace to stay.”
10 Micah said to him, “Dwell with me, aand be a bfather 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 aconsecrated the Levite, and the young man bbecame 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 apriest!”
There was, etc. - The things mentioned here, and in the following chapters, did not happen in the order in which they are put; but much sooner, even presently after the death of the elders that over - lived Joshua, as appears, because Phinehas the son of Eleazar was priest at this time, Judges 20:28, who must have been about 350 years old, if this had been done after Samson's death.
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