| NET Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1There was a man named Micah from the Ephraimite hill country. | 1There was a man from the hill country of Ephraim named Micah. |
| 2He said to his mother, "You know the eleven hundred pieces of silver which were stolen from you, about which I heard you pronounce a curse? Look here, I have the silver. I stole it, but now I am giving it back to you." His mother said, "May the LORD reward you, my son!" | 2He said to his mother, "The 1,100 pieces of silver taken from you, and that I heard you utter a curse about--here, I have the silver with me. I took it. So now I return it to you." Then his mother said, "My son, you are blessed by the LORD!" |
| 3When he gave back to his mother the eleven hundred pieces of silver, his mother said, "I solemnly dedicate this silver to the LORD. It will be for my son's benefit. We will use it to make a carved image and a metal image." | 3He returned the 1,100 pieces of silver to his mother, and his mother said, "I personally consecrate the silver to the LORD for my son's benefit to make a carved image overlaid with silver." |
| 4When he gave the silver back to his mother, she took two hundred pieces of silver to a silversmith, who made them into a carved image and a metal image. She then put them in Micah's house. | 4So he returned the silver to his mother, and she took five pounds of silver and gave it to a silversmith. He made it into a carved image overlaid with silver, and it was in Micah's house. |
| 5Now this man Micah owned a shrine. He made an ephod and some personal idols and hired one of his sons to serve as a priest. | 5This man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and household idols, and installed one of his sons to be his priest. |
| 6In those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be right. | 6In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever he wanted. |
| 7There was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah. He was a Levite who had been temporarily residing among the tribe of Judah. | 7There was a young man, a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, who resided within the clan of Judah. |
| 8This man left the town of Bethlehem in Judah to find another place to live. He came to the Ephraimite hill country and made his way to Micah's house. | 8The man left the town of Bethlehem in Judah to settle wherever he could find a place. On his way he came to Micah's home in the hill country of Ephraim." |
| 9Micah said to him, "Where do you come from?" He replied, "I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah. I am looking for a new place to live." | 9Where do you come from?" Micah asked him. He answered him, "I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I'm going to settle wherever I can find a place." |
| 10Micah said to him, "Stay with me. Become my adviser and priest. I will give you ten pieces of silver per year, plus clothes and food." | 10Micah replied, "Stay with me and be my father and priest, and I will give you four ounces of silver a year, along with your clothing and provisions." So the Levite went in |
| 11So the Levite agreed to stay with the man; the young man was like a son to Micah. | 11and agreed to stay with the man, and the young man became like one of his sons. |
| 12Micah paid the Levite; the young man became his priest and lived in Micah's house. | 12Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in Micah's house. |
| 13Micah said, "Now I know God will make me rich, because I have this Levite as my priest." | 13Then Micah said, "Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, because a Levite has become my priest." |
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