Judges 17

¹In that tyme was a man, `Mycas bi name, of the hil of Effraym.

²And he seide to his modir, Lo! Y haue a thousynde `and an hundrid platis of siluer, whiche thou departidist to thee, and on whiche thou sworist, while Y herde, and tho ben at me. To whom sche answeride, Blessid be my sone of the Lord.

³Therefor he yeldide tho to his modir; and sche seide to hym, Y halewide and avowide this siluer to the Lord, that my sone resseyue of myn hond, and make a grauun ymage and a yotun ymage; and now I `yyue it to thee.

⁴Therfor he yeldide to his modir; and sche took twei hundryd platis of siluer, and yaf tho to a werk man of siluer, that he schulde make of tho a grauun `ymage and yotun, that was in `the hows of Mycas.

⁵Which departide also a litil hous ther ynne to God; and made ephod, and theraphym, that is, a preestis cloth, and ydols; and he fillide the hond of oon of his sones, and he was maad a preest to hym.

⁶In tho daies was no kyng in Israel, but ech man dide this, that semyde riytful to hym silf.

⁷Also another yonge wexynge man was of Bethleem of Juda, of the kynrede therof, `that is, of Juda, and he was a dekene, and dwellide there.

⁸And he yede out of the citee of Bethleem, and wolde be a pilgrim, where euere he foond profitable to hym silf. And whanne he made iourney, and `hadde come in to the hil of Effraym, and hadde bowid a litil in to `the hows of Mycha,

⁹`he was axid of hym, Fro whennus comest thou? Which answeride, Y am a dekene of Bethleem of Juda, and Y go, that Y dwelle where Y may, and se that it is profitable to me.

¹⁰Micha seide, Dwelle thou at me, and be thou fadir and preest `to me; and Y schal yyue to thee bi ech yeer ten platis of siluer, and double cloth, and tho thingis that ben nedeful to lijflode.

¹¹He assentide, and dwellide `at the man; and he was to the man as oon of sones.

¹²And Mycha fillide his hond, and hadde the child preest at hym,

¹³and seide, Now Y woot, that God schal do wel to me, hauynge a preest of the kyn of Leuy.

Judges 17

¹And there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose name was Micah.

²And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou cursedst, and spakest of also in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be thou of the Lord, my son.

³And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the Lord from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it unto thee.

⁴Yet he restored the money unto his mother; and his mother took two hundred shekels of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image: and they were in the house of Micah.

⁵And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

⁶In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

⁷And there was a young man out of Beth–lehem–judah of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.

⁸And the man departed out of the city from Beth–lehem–judah to sojourn where he could find a place: and he came to mount Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.

⁹And Micah said unto him, Whence comest thou? And he said unto him, I am a Levite of Beth–lehem–judah, and I go to sojourn where I may find a place.

¹⁰And 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.

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

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

¹³Then said Micah, Now know I that the Lord will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.