1And there was a man of Mount Ephraim, whose name was Micah. 2And he told his mother, “Those eleven hundred shekels of silver that I heard you say were stolen from you, and about which you cursed - that silver is with me; I took it.” And his mother said, “The LORD bless you, my son, for admitting it.” 3And when he had returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, “I had dedicated that silver unto the LORD from my hand, for my son to make a carved image and a molten image; now, therefore, I will give it back to you.” 4When he returned the money to his mother; she took two hundred shekels of the silver, and gave them to the silversmith, who made them into a carved image and a melted image; and they were put in the house of Micah. 5And this man Micah had a shrine for the gods, and made an ephod, and some idols, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest. 6In those days there was no king in Israel, but everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

7And there was a young man out of Bethlehem-judah of the tribe of Judah, a Levite, and he had been living within the clan of Judah. 8And that Levite left the city of Bethlehem-judah to sojourn wherever he could find a place; and he came to Mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, as he journeyed. 9And Micah asked him, “Where are you from?” And he said, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem-judah, and I am going to wherever I may find a place to stay.” 10And Micah said, “Stay with me, and be a father and a priest to me, and I will give you ten shekels of silver a year, a suit of clothing, and your food.” So the Levite went in. 11And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was to him as one of his sons. 12And Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man became his priest, and lived in the house of Micah. 13Then said Micah, “Now I know that the LORD will do me good, since I have a Levite as my priest.”