17:1 There was a man named Micah from the Ephraimite hill country. 17:2 He said to his mother, You know1 the eleven hundred pieces of silver which were stolen2 from you, about which I heard you pronounce a curse? Look here, I have the silver. I stole3 it, but now I am giving it back to you.4 His mother said, May the Lord reward5 you, my son! 17:3 When he gave back to his mother the eleven hundred pieces of silver, his mother said, I solemnly dedicate6 this silver to the Lord. It will be for my sons benefit. We will use it to make a carved image and a metal image.7 17:4 When he gave the silver back to his mother, she8 took two hundred pieces of silver9 to a silversmith, who made them into a carved image and a metal image. She then put them in Micahs house.10 17:5 Now this man Micah owned a shrine.11 He made an ephod12 and some personal idols and hired one of his sons to serve as a priest.13 17:6 In those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be right.14
Micah Hires a Professional
17:7 There was a young man from Bethlehem15 in Judah. He was a Levite who had been temporarily residing among the tribe of Judah.16 17:8 This man left the town of Bethlehem in Judah to find another place to live. He came to the Ephraimite hill country and made his way to Micahs house.17 17:9 Micah said to him, Where do you come from? He replied, I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah. I am looking for a new place to live.18 17:10 Micah said to him, Stay with me. Become my adviser19 and priest. I will give you ten pieces of silver per year, plus clothes and food.20 17:11 So the Levite agreed to stay with the man; the young man was like a son to Micah.21 17:12 Micah paid22 the Levite; the young man became his priest and lived in Micahs house. 17:13 Micah said, Now I know God will make me rich,23 because I have this Levite as my priest.
The Tribe of Dan Finally Finds an Inheritance