Judges 17

Micah and the Levite

1 Now there was a man from the mountains of Ephraim, whose name was a Micah. 2 And he said to his mother, "The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you, and on which you b put a curse, even saying it in my ears - here is the silver with me; I took it." And his mother said, c "May you be blessed by the LORD, my son!" 3 So when he had returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, "I had wholly dedicated the silver from my hand to the LORD for my son, to d make a carved image and a molded image; now therefore, I will return it to you." 4 Thus he returned the silver to his mother. Then his mother e took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to the silversmith, and he made it into a carved image and a molded image; and they were in the house of Micah. 5 The man Micah had a f shrine, and made an g ephod and h household 1 idols; and he consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest. 6 i In those days there was no king in Israel; j everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

7 Now there was a young man from k Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah; he was a Levite, and l was staying there. 8 The man departed from the city of Bethlehem in Judah to stay wherever he could find a place. Then he came to the mountains of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, as he journeyed. 9 And Micah said to him, "Where do you come from?" So he said to him, "I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I am on my way to find a place to stay." 10 Micah said to him, "Dwell with me, m and be a n father and a priest to me, and I will give you ten shekels of silver per year, a suit of clothes, and your sustenance." So the Levite went in. 11 Then the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man became like one of his sons to him. 12 So Micah o consecrated 2 the Levite, and the young man p became his priest, and lived in the house of Micah. 13 Then Micah said, "Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, since I have a Levite as q priest!"

  1. Cross References
    Judges 18:2
    So the children of Dan sent five men of their family from their territory, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and search it. They said to them, "Go, search the land." So they went to the mountains of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there.
  2. Cross References
    Leviticus 5:1
    If a person sins in hearing the utterance of an oath, and is a witness, whether he has seen or known of the matter - if he does not tell it, he bears guilt.
  3. Cross References
    Genesis 14:19
    And he blessed him and said: Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth.
  4. Cross References
    Exodus 20:4
    You shall not make for yourself a carved image - any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
    Exodus 20:23
    You shall not make anything to be with Me - gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves.
    Exodus 34:17
    You shall make no molded gods for yourselves.
    Leviticus 19:4
    Do not turn to idols, nor make for yourselves molded gods: I am the LORD your God.
  5. Cross References
    Isaiah 46:6
    They lavish gold out of the bag, And weigh silver on the scales; They hire a goldsmith, and he makes it a god; They prostrate themselves, yes, they worship.
  6. Cross References
    Judges 18:24
    So he said, "You have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and you have gone away. Now what more do I have? How can you say to me, 'What ails you?'
  7. Cross References
    Judges 8:27
    Then Gideon made it into an ephod and set it up in his city, Ophrah. And all Israel played the harlot with it there. It became a snare to Gideon and to his house.
    Judges 18:14
    Then the five men who had gone to spy out the country of Laish answered and said to their brethren, "Do you know that there are in these houses an ephod, household idols, a carved image, and a molded image? Now therefore, consider what you should do.
  8. Cross References
    Genesis 31:19
    Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel had stolen the household idols that were her father's.
    Genesis 31:30
    "And now you have surely gone because you greatly long for your father's house, but why did you steal my gods?"
    Hosea 3:4
    For the children of Israel shall abide many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, without ephod or teraphim.
  9. Cross References
    Judges 18:1
    In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking an inheritance for itself to dwell in; for until that day their inheritance among the tribes of Israel had not fallen to them.
    Judges 19:1
    And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite staying in the remote mountains of Ephraim. He took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.
  10. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 12:8
    You shall not at all do as we are doing here today - every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes -
    Judges 21:25
    In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
  11. Cross References
    Joshua 19:15
    Included were Kattath, Nahallal, Shimron, Idala...
    Judges 19:1
    And it came to pass in those days, when there w...
    Ruth 1:1
    Now it came to pass, in the days when the judge...
    Ruth 1:2
    The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of ...
    Micah 5:2
    "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are l...
    Matthew 2:1
    Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea ...
    Matthew 2:5
    So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, fo...
    Matthew 2:6
    'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are ...
  12. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 18:6
    So if a Levite comes from any of your gates, from where he dwells among all Israel, and comes with all the desire of his mind to the place which the LORD chooses.
  13. Cross References
    Judges 18:19
    And they said to him, "Be quiet, put your hand over your mouth, and come with us; be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest to the household of one man, or that you be a priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?
  14. Cross References
    Genesis 45:8
    So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
    Job 29:16
    I was a father to the poor, And I searched out the case that I did not know.
  15. Cross References
    Judges 17:5
    The man Micah had a shrine, and made an ephod and household idols; and he consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.
  16. Cross References
    Judges 18:30
    Then the children of Dan set up for themselves the carved image; and Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.
  17. Cross References
    Judges 18:4
    He said to them, "Thus and so Micah did for me. He has hired me, and I have become his priest.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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