1
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 did utter a curse, and did also speak it in my ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it. His mother said, Blessed be my son of Yahweh.
3
He restored the eleven hundred [pieces] of silver to his mother; and his mother said, I most assuredly dedicate the silver to Yahweh from my hand for my son, to make an engraved 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 the founder, who made of it an engraved image and a molten image: and it was in the house of Micah.
5
The man Micah had a house of gods, and he made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.
6
In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
7
There was a young man out of Beth-lehem-judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he sojourned there.
8
The man departed out of the city, out of Beth-lehem-judah, to sojourn where he could find [a place], and he came to the hill-country of Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.
9
Micah said to him, Whence come you? He said to him, I am a Levite of Beth-lehem-judah, and I go to sojourn where I may find [a place].
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 by the year, and a suit of clothing, and your victuals. So the Levite went in.