米迦的神像
1以法莲山区住了一个名叫米迦的人。 2他对母亲说：“你那一千一百块银子丢了，我还听见你咒诅小偷。看啊，银子在我这里，是我拿去的。”他母亲说：“我儿啊，愿耶和华赐福给你！” 3米迦把一千一百块银子还给母亲。他母亲说：“我要为你把这些银子献给耶和华，用来雕刻、铸造神像。现在这银子还是你的。” 4米迦把银子还给母亲后，他母亲拿出二百块银子交给银匠雕刻、铸造神像，放在米迦的房子里。 5米迦有一个神庙，他制造了一件以弗得和一些家庭神像，并指派他的一个儿子做祭司。 6那时，以色列没有王，人人各行其是。
7犹大的伯利恒住着一个年轻的利未人。 8他离开伯利恒想到别的地方居住，一路走到以法莲山区米迦的家。 9米迦问他：“你从哪里来？”他回答说：“我是从犹大伯利恒来的利未人，我要找一个住的地方。” 10米迦说：“你就住在我这里吧，做我的师父和祭司。我每年给你十块银子，还为你提供衣服和膳食。”利未人就进了米迦的家， 11住了下来。米迦待他就像待自己的儿子一样。 12这样，米迦派他做祭司，让他住在自己家里。 13米迦说：“现在我有一个利未人做我的祭司，耶和华一定会赐福给我。”
Micah’s False Gods
1A man named Micah lived in the hill country of Ephraim. 2He said to his mother, “Someone took 28 pounds of silver from you. I heard you curse the one who took it. I have the silver with me. I’m the one who took it.”
Then his mother said, “My son, may the Lord bless you!”
3He gave the 28 pounds of silver back to his mother. She said to him, “I’m making a promise to set apart my silver to the Lord. My son, I want you to use it to cover a statue of a god made out of wood or stone. That’s why I’ll give the silver back to you.”
4Micah gave the silver back to his mother. Then she gave five pounds of it to a skilled worker who made things out of silver. He used the silver for the statue. The statue was put in Micah’s house.
5That same Micah had a small temple. He made a sacred linen apron and some statues of his family gods. He appointed one of his sons to serve as his priest. 6In those days Israel didn’t have a king. The people did anything they thought was right.
7A young Levite had been living in land that belonged to the tribe of Judah. He was from Bethlehem in Judah. 8He left that town to look for some other place to stay. On his way he came to Micah’s house. It was in the hill country of Ephraim.
9Micah asked him, “Where are you from?”
“I’m a Levite,” he said. “I’m from Bethlehem in Judah. I’m looking for a place to stay.”
10Then Micah said to him, “Live with me. Be my father and priest. I’ll give you four ounces of silver a year. I’ll also give you clothes and food.” 11So the Levite agreed to live with him. The young man became just like one of Micah’s sons to him. 12Then Micah appointed the Levite to serve as his priest. He lived in Micah’s house. 13Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me. This Levite has become my priest.”
