Judges 18:4
New International Version
He told them what Micah had done for him, and said, “He has hired me and I am his priest.”

New Living Translation
He told them about his agreement with Micah and that he had been hired as Micah’s personal priest.

English Standard Version
And he said to them, “This is how Micah dealt with me: he has hired me, and I have become his priest.”

Berean Standard Bible
“Micah has done this and that for me,” he replied, “and he has hired me to be his priest.”

King James Bible
And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest.

New King James Version
He said to them, “Thus and so Micah did for me. He has hired me, and I have become his priest.”

New American Standard Bible
He said to them, “Micah has done this and that for me, and he has hired me and I have become his priest.”

NASB 1995
He said to them, “Thus and so has Micah done to me, and he has hired me and I have become his priest.”

NASB 1977
And he said to them, “Thus and so has Micah done to me, and he has hired me, and I have become his priest.”

Legacy Standard Bible
And he said to them, “Thus and so has Micah done to me, and he has hired me, and I have become his priest.”

Amplified Bible
And he said to them, “Micah has done this and that for me, and he has hired me and I have become his priest.”

Christian Standard Bible
He told them, “This is what Micah has done for me: He has hired me, and I became his priest.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He told them what Micah had done for him and that he had hired him as his priest.

American Standard Version
And he said unto them, Thus and thus hath Micah dealt with me, and he hath hired me, and I am become his priest.

Contemporary English Version
The Levite replied, "Micah hired me as his priest." Then he told them how well Micah had treated him.

English Revised Version
And he said unto them, Thus and thus hath Micah dealt with me, and he hath hired me, and I am become his priest.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The Levite told them what Micah had done for him and added, "Micah hired me, so I became his priest."

Good News Translation
He answered, "I have an arrangement with Micah, who pays me to serve as his priest."

International Standard Version
He answered, "Micah did such and such for me, and has hired me, so I've become his priest."

Majority Standard Bible
“Micah has done this and that for me,” he replied, “and he has hired me to be his priest.”

NET Bible
He told them what Micah had done for him, saying, "He hired me and I became his priest."

New Heart English Bible
He said to them, "Thus and so has Micah dealt with me, and he has hired me, and I have become his priest."

Webster's Bible Translation
And he said to them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest.

World English Bible
He said to them, “Thus and thus has Micah dealt with me, and he has hired me, and I have become his priest.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And he says to them, “Thus and thus has Micah done to me; and he hires me, and I am for a priest to him.”

Young's Literal Translation
And he saith unto them, 'Thus and thus hath Micah done to me; and he hireth me, and I am to him for a priest.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And he will say to them, according to this, and according to this, Micah did to me, and he will hire me, and I to him for priest.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
He answered them: Michas hath done such and such things for me, and hath hired me to be his priest.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And he answered them, “Micah has offered me one thing and another, and he has paid me wages, so that I may be his priest.”

New American Bible
“This is what Micah has done for me,” he replied to them. “He has hired me and I have become his priest.”

New Revised Standard Version
He said to them, “Micah did such and such for me, and he hired me, and I have become his priest.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And he said to them, Thus and thus has Micah dealt with me, and has hired me, and I have become his priest.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
He said to them: “Thus and so Mikah has done for me, and he hired me and I have been a Priest to him”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And he said unto them: 'Thus and thus hath Micah dealt with me, and he hath hired me, and I am become his priest.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And he said to them, Thus and thus did Michaias to me, and he hired me, and I became his priest.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Danites Settle in Laish
3And while they were near Micah’s house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; so they went over and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?” 4“Micah has done this and that for me,” he replied, “and he has hired me to be his priest.” 5Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God to determine whether we will have a successful journey.”…

Cross References
Judges 17:3-4
And 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.” / So 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.

Judges 17:10-13
“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 / and agreed to stay with him, and the young man became like a son to Micah. / Micah ordained the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in his house. ...

1 Samuel 8:19-20
Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We must have a king over us. / Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to judge us, to go out before us, and to fight our battles.”

1 Kings 12:28-30
After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves and said to the people, “Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you. Here, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” / One calf he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. / And this thing became a sin; the people walked as far as Dan to worship before one of the calves.

2 Kings 17:10-12
They set up for themselves sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. / They burned incense on all the high places like the nations that the LORD had driven out before them. They did wicked things, provoking the LORD to anger. / They served idols, although the LORD had told them, “You shall not do this thing.”

2 Kings 17:16-17
They abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves two cast idols of calves and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the host of heaven and served Baal. / They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire and practiced divination and soothsaying. They devoted themselves to doing evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.

2 Kings 23:5
Josiah also did away with the idolatrous priests ordained by the kings of Judah to burn incense on the high places of the cities of Judah and in the places all around Jerusalem—those who had burned incense to Baal, to the sun and moon, to the constellations, and to all the host of heaven.

Isaiah 44:13-20
The woodworker extends a measuring line; he marks it out with a stylus; he shapes it with chisels and outlines it with a compass. He fashions it in the likeness of man, like man in all his glory, that it may dwell in a shrine. / He cuts down cedars or retrieves a cypress or oak. He lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a laurel, and the rain makes it grow. / It serves as fuel for man. He takes some of it to warm himself, and he kindles a fire and bakes his bread. He also fashions it into a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it. ...

Jeremiah 10:3-5
For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut down a tree from the forest; it is shaped with a chisel by the hands of a craftsman. / They adorn it with silver and gold and fasten it with hammer and nails, so that it will not totter. / Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch, their idols cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, and neither can they do any good.”

Hosea 8:4-6
They set up kings, but not by Me. They make princes, but without My approval. With their silver and gold they make themselves idols, to their own destruction. / He has rejected your calf, O Samaria. My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of innocence? / For this thing is from Israel—a craftsman made it, and it is not God. It will be broken to pieces, that calf of Samaria.

Hosea 13:2
Now they sin more and more and make for themselves cast images, idols skillfully made from their silver, all of them the work of craftsmen. People say of them, “They offer human sacrifice and kiss the calves!”

Matthew 15:9
They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”

Mark 7:7
They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’

Acts 17:29
Therefore, being offspring of God, we should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by man’s skill and imagination.

Romans 1:21-23
For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. / Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, / and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.


Treasury of Scripture

And he said to them, Thus and thus deals Micah with me, and has hired me, and I am his priest.

hired me

Judges 17:10
And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten shekels of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals. So the Levite went in.

Proverbs 28:21
To have respect of persons is not good: for for a piece of bread that man will transgress.

Isaiah 56:11
Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.

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Judges 18
1. The Danites send five men to seek out an inheritance
3. At the house of Micah they consult with Jonathan, and are encouraged
7. They search Laish, and bring back news of good hope
11. Six hundred men are sent to surprise it
16. In their way they rob Micah of his priest and his consecrated things
27. They win Laish, and call it Dan
30. They set up idolatry, wherein Jonathan inherits the priesthood.














He told them what Micah had done for him
He told them
This phrase indicates a moment of revelation and communication. In the Hebrew context, the act of telling or declaring is often associated with bearing witness or giving testimony. The Levite is about to share his experience, which is significant in the narrative. In the broader biblical context, the act of telling is crucial for the transmission of faith and tradition, as seen in Deuteronomy 6:7, where the Israelites are commanded to teach their children diligently. This highlights the importance of verbal communication in preserving and sharing God's work and commandments.

what Micah had done for him
This phrase refers to the actions of Micah, who had taken the Levite into his home and made him a priest. The Hebrew root for "done" (עָשָׂה, asah) often implies making or creating, suggesting that Micah's actions were deliberate and purposeful. Historically, this reflects the period of the Judges, a time characterized by moral and spiritual chaos, where "everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 17:6). Micah's actions, though seemingly generous, were rooted in idolatry and personal gain, as he established a shrine and ordained his own priest, contrary to God's commandments. This serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of syncretism and the distortion of true worship. The Levite's acceptance of Micah's offer also reflects the spiritual decline of the priesthood during this era, as he was willing to serve in a context that compromised his calling. This narrative challenges believers to discern and uphold the purity of worship and service to God, even in a culture that may offer enticing but spiritually compromising opportunities.

(4) Thus and thus.--Literally, according to this and according to that, as in 2Samuel 11:25; 1Kings 14:5.

I am his priest.--See Judges 17:13. Similarly in the dearth of genuine priests Jeroboam was forced to make even Levites out of the lowest of the people (1Kings 12:31).

Verse 4. - And I am his priest, or, to be his priest.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“Micah
מִיכָ֑ה (mî·ḵāh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 4318: Micah -- the name of several Israelites

had done
עָ֥שָׂה (‘ā·śāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

this
כָּזֹ֣ה (kā·zōh)
Preposition-k | Pronoun - feminine singular
Strong's 2090: This, that

for me,”
לִ֖י (lî)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew

he replied,
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“and he has hired me
וַיִּשְׂכְּרֵ֕נִי (way·yiś·kə·rê·nî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | first person common singular
Strong's 7936: To hire

to be
וָאֱהִי־ (wā·’ĕ·hî-)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

his
ל֖וֹ (lōw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew

priest.”
לְכֹהֵֽן׃ (lə·ḵō·hên)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3548: Priest


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OT History: Judges 18:4 He said to them Thus and thus (Jd Judg. Jdg)
Judges 18:3
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