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Judges Chapter 17 (JPS)

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Judges Chapter 17 (JPS)
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1 Now there was a man of the hill-country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah.

2 And he said unto his mother: 'The eleven hundred pieces of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou didst utter a curse, and didst also speak it in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it.' And his mother said: 'Blessed be my son of HaShem.'

3 And he restored the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother, and his mother said: 'I verily dedicate the silver unto HaShem from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image; now therefore I will restore it unto thee.'

4 And when he restored the money unto his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image; and it was in the house of Micah.

5 And the man Micah had a house of G-d, 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 And there was a young man out of Beth-lehem in Judah--in the family of Judah--who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.

8 And the man departed out of the city, out of Beth-lehem in 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 And Micah said unto him: 'Whence comest thou?' And he said unto him: 'I am a Levite of Beth-lehem in Judah, and I go to sojourn where I may find a place.'

10 And Micah said unto him: 'Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten pieces of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals.' So the Levite went in.

11 And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was unto him as one of his sons.

12 And Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.

13 Then said Micah: 'Now know I that HaShem will do me good, seeing I have a Levite as my priest.'

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the story of Micah in Judges 17 about?
A man named Micah returns stolen silver to his mother, who dedicates part of it to make a graven and molten image for a private shrine in Micah's house, complete with an ephod and a son serving as priest (v.1-5).
Why does Micah hire a Levite as his priest?
A young Levite from Bethlehemjudah wanders in search of a place to live, and Micah offers him ten shekels of silver a year, clothing, and food to serve as his personal priest, hoping it will bring him the LORD's favor (v.7-13); the same Levite reappears when the Danites come looking for a priest in Judges 18.
What does 'every man did that which was right in his own eyes' mean in Judges 17:6?
It's the narrator's explanation for the lawlessness of this period - with no king to enforce a shared standard, people like Micah simply followed their own judgment, echoing the warning in Proverbs 14:12 that a way can seem right to a man and still lead to ruin.

Today's Verse

Yonder is the sea, great and wide, Wherein are things creeping innumerable, Both small and great beasts.

Psalms 104:25 | ASV

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