17There was a man from the hill country of Ephraim named Micah.H376H2022H669H8034H43212He said to his mother, "The 1,100 pieces of silver taken from you, and that I heard you utter a curse about— here, I have the silver with me. I took it. So now I return it to you." Then his mother said, "My son, you are blessed by the LORD!"H559H517H505H3967H3701H3947H422H559H241H3701H3947H517H559H1288H3068H11213He returned the 1,100 pieces of silver to his mother, and his mother said, "I personally consecrate the silver to the LORD for my son's benefit to make a carved image overlaid with silver."H7725H505H3967H3701H517H517H559H6942H6942H3701H3068H3027H1121H6213H6459H4541H77254So he returned the silver to his mother, and she took five pounds of silver and gave it to a silversmith. He made it into a carved image overlaid with silver, and it was in Micah's house.H7725H3701H517H517H3947H3967H3701H5414H6884H6213H6459H4541H1004H43215This man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and household idols, and installed one of his sons to be his priest.H376H4318H1004H430H6213H646H8655H4390H3027H259H1121H35486In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever he wanted.H3117H4428H3478H376H6213H3477H58697There was a young man, a Levite, from Bethlehem in Judah, who resided within the clan of Judah.H5288H1035H3063H4940H3063H3881H14818The man left the town of Bethlehem in Judah to settle wherever he could find a place. On his way he came to Micah's home in the hill country of Ephraim.H376H3212H5892H1035H3063H1481H4672H935H2022H669H1004H4318H6213H18709"Where do you come from?" Micah asked him. He answered him, "I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I'm going to settle wherever I can find a place.H4318H559H370H935H559H3881H1035H3063H1980H1481H467210Micah replied, "Stay with me and be my father and priest, and I will give you four ounces of silver a year, along with your clothing and provisions." So the Levite went inH4318H559H3427H1H3548H5414H6235H3701H3117H6187H899H4241H3881H321211and agreed to stay with the man, and the young man became like one of his sons.H3881H2974H3427H376H5288H259H112112Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in Micah's house.H4318H4390H3027H3881H5288H3548H1004H431813Then Micah said, "Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, because a Levite has become my priest."H559H4318H3045H3068H3190H3881H3548