Judges 17

Now a man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim

وَكَانَ رَجُلٌ اسْمُهُ مِيخَا مُقِيماً فِي جَبَلِ أَفْرَايِمَ.

said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels^[a] 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!”

قَالَ هَذَا لأُمِّهِ: «إِنَّ الأَلْفَ وَالْمِئَةَ شَاقِلٍ مِنَ الْفِضَّةِ (نَحْوَ مِئَةٍ وَاثْنَيْنِ وَثَلاثِينَ كِيلُو جِرَاماً) الَّتِي سُرِقَتْ مِنْكِ، وَالَّتِي سَمِعْتُكِ تَلْعَنِينَ سَارِقَهَا، هِيَ مَعِي، وَأَنَا الَّذِي أَخَذْتُهَا». فَقَالَتْ أُمُّهُ: «لِيُبَارِكْكَ الرَّبُّ يَا وَلَدِي».

When 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.”

فَرَدَّ لَهَا الأَلْفَ وَالْمِئَةَ شَاقِلٍ مِنَ الْفِضَّةِ، فَقَالَتْ أُمُّهُ: «سَأَهَبُ هَذَا الْمَالَ بِاسْمِكَ لِلرَّبِّ، لِنَنْحَتَ تِمْثَالاً وَنَصُوغَ مِنْهَا صَنَماً، وَهَا أَنَا أَرُدُّ لَكَ الْمَالَ».

So after he returned the silver to his mother, she took two hundred shekels^[b] of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who used them to make the idol. And it was put in Micah’s house.

وَأَعْطَتْ أُمُّهُ مِئَتَيْ قِطْعَةِ فِضَّةٍ لِلصَّائِغِ فَنَحَتَ وَصَاغَ لَهَا تِمْثَالَيْنِ، نُصِبَا فِي بَيْتِ مِيخَا.

Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household gods and installed one of his sons as his priest.

إِذْ كَانَ مِيخَا قَدْ خَصَّصَ مَوْضِعاً فِي بَيْتِهِ لِيَكُونَ مَعْبَداً لِلآلِهَةِ. ثُمَّ صَنَعَ أَفُوداً وَتَرَافِيمَ، وَكَرَّسَ وَاحِداً مِنْ بَنِيهِ كَاهِناً لَهُ.

In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.

فِي تِلْكَ الأَيَّامِ لَمْ يَكُنْ لإِسْرَائِيلَ مَلِكٌ، فَكَانَ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ يَتَصَرَّفُ عَلَى هَوَاهُ.

الكاهن اللاوي

A young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, who had been living within the clan of Judah,

وَكَانَ هُنَاكَ شَابٌّ لاوِيٌّ مِنْ بَيْتِ لَحْمٍ مُقِيماً بَيْنَ سِبْطِ يَهُوذَا.

left that town in search of some other place to stay. On his way^[c] he came to Micah’s house in the hill country of Ephraim.

هَذَا هَاجَرَ مِنْ مَدِينَةِ بَيْتِ لَحْمٍ لِيَتَغَرَّبَ فِي الأَرْضِ، فَأَتَى إِلَى جَبَلِ أَفْرَايِمَ وَمَرَّ فِي طَرِيقِهِ بِبَيْتِ مِيخَا.

Micah 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.”

فَسَأَلَهُ مِيخَا: «مِنْ أَيْنَ أَتَيْتَ؟» فَأَجَابَهُ: «أَنَا لاوِيٌّ مِنْ بَيْتِ لَحْمِ يَهُوذَا، وَأَنَا ذَاهِبٌ لأَتَغَرَّبَ حَيْثُمَا اتَّفَقَ».

Then Micah said to him, “Live with me and be my father and priest, and I’ll give you ten shekels^[d] of silver a year, your clothes and your food.”

فَقَالَ لَهُ مِيخَا: «أَقِمْ عِنْدِي وَكُنْ لِي مُرْشِداً وَكَاهِناً، وَأَنَا أُعْطِيكَ عَشْرَةَ شَوَاقِلِ فِضَّةٍ (نَحْوَ مِئَةٍ وَعِشْرِينَ جِرَاماً) فِي السَّنَةِ وَحُلَّةَ ثِيَابٍ فَضْلاً عَنِ الْقُوتِ». فَوَافَقَ اللّاوِيُّ عَلَى عَرْضِهِ،

So the Levite agreed to live with him, and the young man became like one of his sons to him.

وَرَضِيَ بِالإِقَامَةِ مَعَهُ. وَصَارَ اللّاوِيُّ أَثِيراً لَدَيْهِ كَأَحَدِ أَبْنَائِهِ.

Then Micah installed the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in his house.

فَكَرَّسَ مِيخَا اللّاوِيَّ، فَأَصْبَحَ لَهُ كَاهِناً وَأَقَامَ فِي بَيْتِهِ.

And Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since this Levite has become my priest.”

فَقَالَ مِيخَا: «الآنَ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّ الرَّبَّ رَاضٍ عَنِّي، لأَنَّ اللّاوِيَّ صَارَ لِي كَاهِناً».