Good News Translation GNT
World English Bible WEB
1 There was once a man named Micah, who lived in the hill country of Ephraim.
1
There was a man of the hill-country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah.
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." His mother said, "May the Lord bless you, my son!"
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 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."
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 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.
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 This man Micah had his own place of worship. He made some idols and an ephod, and appointed one of his sons as his priest.
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 There was no king in Israel at that time; everyone did whatever they wanted.
6
In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
7 At that same time there was a young Levite who had been living in the town of Bethlehem in Judah.
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 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.
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 asked him, "Where do you come from?" He answered, "I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah. I am looking for a place to live."
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, "Stay with me. Be my adviser and priest, and I will give you ten pieces of silver a year, some clothes, and your food."
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.
11 The young Levite agreed to stay with Micah and became like a son to him.
11
The Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was to him as one of his sons.
12 Micah appointed him as his priest, and he lived in Micah's home.
12
Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.
13 Micah said, "Now that I have a Levite as my priest, I know that the Lord will make things go well for me."
13
Then said Micah, Now know I that Yahweh will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.
The World English Bible is in the public domain.