1There was a man from the hill country of Ephraim named Micah.
2He told his mother, "The eleven hundred pieces of silver that were taken from you, which you cursed and spoke about in my hearing—they are with me. I took them." His mother said, "May Yahweh bless my son!"
3He gave the eleven hundred pieces of silver back to his mother. Then his mother said, "I am certainly dedicating this silver to Yahweh from my own hand for my son, to make a carved image and a cast metal image. So now I will give it back to you."
4When he returned the money to his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who made a carved image and a cast metal image from it. This was kept in Micah's house.
5The man Micah had a house used for worship, and he made an ephod and household gods. He also appointed one of his sons, who became his priest.
6In those days, there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what they believed was right.
7There was a young Levite man from Bethlehem in Judah, from the family of Judah, who lived there.
8The man left the city, Bethlehem in Judah, to find another place to live. As he traveled, he came to the hill country of Ephraim, to Micah's house.
9Micah asked him, "Where did you come from?" He replied, "I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I am looking for a place to live."
10Micah said to him, "Stay with me and be a father and a priest to me. I will give you ten pieces of silver per year, a set of clothes, and your food." So the Levite agreed to stay.
11The Levite was content to live with the man, and the young man became like one of his sons to him.
12Micah appointed the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in Micah's house.
13Then Micah said, "Now I know that Yahweh will be good to me, because I have a Levite as my priest."