SHOPHETIM 17

1 And there was a man from the hill country of Ephrayim, whose name was Miḵahu.

2 And he said to his mother, “The eleven hundred pieces of silver that were taken from you, and on which you put a curse, even saying it in my ears. Look, the silver is with me, I took it.” And his mother said, “Baruḵ of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 be my son!”

3 And he gave back the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother, and his mother said, “I had truly qadosh the silver from my hand to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 for my son, to make a carved image and a moulded image, and now, I give it back to you.”

4 And he gave the silver back to his mother, and his mother took two hundred pieces of silver and gave them to the silversmith, and he made it into a carved image and a moulded image. And they were in the house of Miḵahu.

5 Now the man Miḵah had a house of mighty ones, and made a shoulder garment and house idols. And he ordained one of his sons, who became his kohĕn.

6 In those days there was no sovereign in Yisra’ĕl – everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

7 And there was a young man from Bĕyth Leḥem in Yahuḏah, of the clan of Yahuḏah. And he was a Lĕwite, and he was sojourning there.

8 And the man went out of the city of Bĕyth Leḥem in Yahuḏah to sojourn wherever he could find a place. And he came to the mountains of Ephrayim, to the house of Miḵah, as he journeyed.

9 And Miḵah said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I am a Lĕwite from Bĕyth Leḥem in Yahuḏah, and I am on my way to find a place to sojourn.”

10 And Miḵah said to him, “Dwell with me, and be a father and a kohĕn to me, and I give you ten pieces of silver per year, and allowance of garments, and your food.” And the Lĕwite went.

11 So the Lĕwite agreed to dwell with the man. And the young man became like one of his sons to him.

12 Then Miḵah ordained the Lĕwite, and the young man became his kohĕn, and he was in the house of Miḵah.

13 And Miḵah said, “Now I know that 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 does good to me, since I have a Lĕwite as kohĕn!