| New Living Translation | Berean Study Bible |
| 1There was a man named Micah, who lived in the hill country of Ephraim. | 1Now a man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim |
| 2One day he said to his mother, “I heard you place a curse on the person who stole 1,100 pieces of silver from you. Well, I have the money. I was the one who took it.” “The LORD bless you for admitting it,” his mother replied. | 2said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have the silver here with me; I took it.” Then his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the LORD!” |
| 3He returned the money to her, and she said, “I now dedicate these silver coins to the LORD. In honor of my son, I will have an image carved and an idol cast.” | 3And when he had returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, “I wholly dedicate the silver to the LORD for my son’s benefit, to make a graven image and a molten idol. Therefore I will now return it to you.” |
| 4So when he returned the money to his mother, she took 200 silver coins and gave them to a silversmith, who made them into an image and an idol. And these were placed in Micah’s house. | 4So he returned the silver to his mother, and she took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who made them into a graven image and a molten idol. And they were placed in the house of Micah. |
| 5Micah set up a shrine for the idol, and he made a sacred ephod and some household idols. Then he installed one of his sons as his personal priest. | 5Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household idols, and ordained one of his sons as his priest. |
| 6In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes. | 6In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. |
| 7One day a young Levite, who had been living in Bethlehem in Judah, arrived in that area. | 7And there was a young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah who had been residing within the clan of Judah. |
| 8He had left Bethlehem in search of another place to live, and as he traveled, he came to the hill country of Ephraim. He happened to stop at Micah’s house as he was traveling through. | 8This man left the city of Bethlehem in Judah to settle where he could find a place. And as he traveled, he came to Micah’s house in the hill country of Ephraim. |
| 9“Where are you from?” Micah asked him. He replied, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I am looking for a place to live.” | 9“Where are you from?” Micah asked him. “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah,” he replied, “and I am on my way to settle wherever I can find a place.” |
| 10“Stay here with me,” Micah said, “and you can be a father and priest to me. I will give you ten pieces of silver a year, plus a change of clothes and your food.” | 10“Stay with me,” Micah said to him, “and be my father and priest, and I will give you ten shekels of silver per year, a suit of clothes, and your provisions.” So the Levite went in |
| 11The Levite agreed to this, and the young man became like one of Micah’s sons. | 11and agreed to stay with him, and the young man became like a son to Micah. |
| 12So Micah installed the Levite as his personal priest, and he lived in Micah’s house. | 12Micah ordained the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in his house. |
| 13“I know the LORD will bless me now,” Micah said, “because I have a Levite serving as my priest.” | 13Then Micah said, “Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, because a Levite has become my priest.” |
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