Mika Ahoni
1Ɔbarima bi tenaa Efraim bepɔ asase so a na wɔfrɛ no Mika. 2Ɛda koro bi, ɔka kyerɛɛ ne maame sɛ, “Metee sɛ wodomee ɔkorɔmfoɔ a ɔwiaa wo nnwetɛbena kilogram dumienu firii wo nkyɛn no. Ɛyɛ, ɛnie. Me ara na mefaeɛ.”
Ne maame kaa sɛ, “Awurade nhyira wo sɛ woaka nokorɛ.” 3Ɔde sika no maa no no, ne maame no kaa sɛ, “Mede saa nnwetɛbena kilogram dumienu ne fa yi ma Awurade. Mɛma wɔayɛ nsɛsodeɛ ne ohoni a wɔagu de ahyɛ me babarima animuonyam.”
4Enti ne maame de nnwetɛbena ahanu kɔmaa dwetɛdwumfoɔ na ɔde yɛɛ nsɛsodeɛ ne ohoni. Na wɔde sii Mika fie. 5Mika yɛɛ asɔreeɛ na ɔyɛɛ asɔfotadeɛ ne efiefoɔ ahoni kaa ho. Ɛnna ɔhyɛɛ ne mmammarima no mu baako ɔsɔfoɔ. 6Saa ɛberɛ no na Israel nni ɔhene, enti na nnipa no yɛ deɛ wɔpɛ biara.
7Ɛda bi, Lewini aberanteɛ bi a ɔfiri Betlehem a ɛwɔ Yuda 8bɛduruu saa beaeɛ hɔ wɔ Efraim asase so a ɔrepɛ baabi pa atena. Ɛbaa sɛ, ɔkɔsoɛɛ Mika fie. 9Mika bisaa no sɛ, “Ɛhe na wofiri?”
Ɔno nso buaa sɛ, “Meyɛ Lewini a mefiri Betlehem wɔ Yuda na merepɛ baabi matena.”
10Mika ka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Wo ne me ntena ha, na wobɛyɛ agya ne ɔsɔfoɔ ama me. Mɛma wo nnwetɛbena gram ɔha ne dunan (114) afe biara; mɛma wo ntadeɛ ne aduane.” 11Lewini no penee so na ɔbɛyɛɛ sɛ Mika mmammarima no mu baako. 12Enti, Mika hyɛɛ Lewini no ɔsɔfoɔ, na ɔtenaa Mika fie. 13Na Mika kaa sɛ, “Menim sɛ Awurade bɛhyira me, ɛfiri sɛ, mewɔ Lewini a ɔresom sɛ me ɔsɔfoɔ.”
Micah’s idols
1Now a man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim 2said to his mother, ‘The eleven hundred shekels17:2 That is, about 13 kilograms of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse – I have that silver with me; I took it.’
Then his mother said, ‘The Lord bless you, my son!’
3When he returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, ‘I solemnly consecrate my silver to the Lord for my son to make an image overlaid with silver. I will give it back to you.’
4So after he returned the silver to his mother, she took two hundred shekels17:4 That is, about 2.3 kilograms of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who used them to make the idol. And it was put in Micah’s house.
5Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household gods and installed one of his sons as his priest. 6In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.
7A young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, who had been living within the clan of Judah, 8left that town in search of some other place to stay. On his way17:8 Or To carry on his profession he came to Micah’s house in the hill country of Ephraim.
9Micah asked him, ‘Where are you from?’
‘I’m a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah,’ he said, ‘and I’m looking for a place to stay.’
10Then Micah said to him, ‘Live with me and be my father and priest, and I’ll give you ten shekels17:10 That is, about 115 grams of silver a year, your clothes and your food.’ 11So the Levite agreed to live with him, and the young man became like one of his sons to him. 12Then Micah installed the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in his house. 13And Micah said, ‘Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since this Levite has become my priest.’
