Judges 17 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
Time Period
Probably early in the era of the judges, though placed at the end of the book as an appendix rather than in date order
Location
The hill country of Ephraim in central Israel, with a young Levite arriving from Bethlehem in Judah
Audience
Israelites of a later generation, most likely readers under the early kings, being shown the disorder that preceded the monarchy
Situation
A man named Micah returns silver he stole from his mother, and she has part of it made into an image for a household shrine. Micah sets up a private sanctuary with images, priestly clothing, and household gods, installs his own son as priest, then hires a wandering Levite instead and assumes God will now bless him.
Key Background
The refrain that everyone did what was right in his own eyes because there was no king frames these final chapters as evidence for why Israel needed central authority and a single sanctuary. Household shrines with small figures were normal domestic religion across Canaan, so Micah is not converting to another religion but worshipping the God of Israel by the customs of his neighbours, which the writer treats as the deeper problem. The Levites were the tribe set apart for religious duties and held no farmland of their own, which is why one is travelling in search of a post, and Micah's contract of clothing, food, and ten pieces of silver a year reads like an ordinary employment agreement rather than a calling.
There was a man from the of named
He said to his mother, "Those of that were taken from you — the ones you a about while I was listening — look, I have the I'm the one who took it." His mother said, "May you my son!"
When he brought the eleven hundred pieces of back to his mother, she said, "I have this for handing it over myself, so my son can make a and a out of it. Now I'm giving it back to you."
So he gave the back to his mother, and she took of and gave them to a who made them into a carved image and a metal-cast idol. And it was placed in Micah's house.
Now this man Micah had a and he made an and some and he of to serve as priest.
In those days there was no in Everyone did to them.
Now there was a young man from in from the clan of who was a living there as an
The man left the town of Bethlehem in Judah to a to he could. On his journey, he came to Micah's house in the hill country of Ephraim.
Micah asked him, "Where are you coming from?" He replied, "I'm a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I'm traveling around looking for a place to settle."
Micah said to him, "Stay with me and be my and and I'll give you of a a set of clothes, and your food." So the Levite went in.
The Levite agreed to stay with the man, and the young man became like one of Micah's own sons.
Micah the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in Micah's house.
Then Micah said, "Now I know that will be to me, because I have a as my