1   There was once a man named Micah, who lived in the hill country of Ephraim.

2   He told his mother, “When someone stole those eleven hundred pieces of silver from you, you put a curse on the robber. I heard you do it. Look, I have the money. I am the one who took it.”

2   His mother said, “May the Lord

bless you, my son!”

3   He gave the money back to his mother, and she said, “To keep the curse from falling on my son, I myself am solemnly dedicating the silver to the Lord. It will be used to make a wooden idol covered with silver. So now I will give the pieces of silver back to you.”

4   Then he gave them back to his mother. She took two hundred of the pieces of silver and gave them to a metalworker, who made an idol, carving it from wood and covering it with the silver. It was placed in Micah's house.

5   This man Micah had his own place of worship. He made some idols and an ephod, ^note and appointed one of his sons as his priest.

6   There was no king in Israel at that time; everyone did whatever he wanted. ^note

7   At that same time there was a young Levite who had been living in the town of Bethlehem in Judah.

8   He left Bethlehem to find another place to live. While he was traveling, he came to Micah's house in the hill country of Ephraim.

9   Micah asked him, “Where do you come from?”

9   He answered, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah. I am looking for a place to live.”

10   Micah said, “Stay with me. Be my adviser and priest, and I will give you ten pieces of silver a year, some clothes, and your food.” ^note

11   The young Levite agreed to stay with Micah and became like a son to him.

12   Micah appointed him as his priest, and he lived in Micah's home.

13   Micah said, “Now that I have a Levite as my priest, I know that the Lord will make things go well for me.”

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