1En la región montañosa de Efraín vivía un hombre llamado Micaías.2Un día le dijo a su madre: ―Aquellas mil cien monedas de plata que te habían robado, y por las cuales echaste una maldición contra el ladrón delante de mí, yo las robé. ―Dios te bendiga por confesarlo —respondió su madre—,3y él le devolvió el dinero. ―Lo voy a consagrar al SEÑOR a favor tuyo. Con él haremos un ídolo fundido y tallado.4Tomó, pues, doscientas monedas y se las llevó a un platero, y el ídolo que hizo fue colocado en un santuario que Micaías hizo.5Micaías, que tenía muchos ídolos en su colección y tenía también un efod y terafines, instaló a uno de sus hijos en el cargo de sacerdote.6En aquellos días no había rey en Israel y cada uno hacía lo que quería.7-8Un día llegó a aquel lugar un joven levita sacerdote de Belén que buscaba un buen lugar para vivir, y acertó a detenerse en la casa de Micaías.9―¿De dónde vienes? —preguntó Micaías. Y le respondió: ―Soy levita de Belén de Judá, y estoy buscando un lugar para vivir.10-11―Bien, quédate conmigo —dijo Micaías— y serás mi sacerdote y te respetaré como a un padre. Te daré diez monedas de plata por año, ropa y comida. Al joven le agradó la propuesta y pasó a ser como uno de los hijos de Micaías.12Entonces Micaías lo consagró para que fuera su sacerdote personal.13«Ahora sí que el SEÑOR me ha de bendecir —exclamó Micaías—, porque tengo un sacerdote de verdad, ¡un levita!».
1There was a man of the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah. (Jos 24:33; Jue 17:8; Jue 18:2)2And he said to his mother, “The 1,100 pieces of silver that were taken from you, about which you uttered a curse, and also spoke it in my ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it.” And his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the Lord.” (Rt 3:10; 1 S 15:13)3And he restored the 1,100 pieces of silver to his mother. And his mother said, “I dedicate the silver to the Lord from my hand for my son, to make a carved image and a metal image. Now therefore I will restore it to you.” (Ex 20:4; Lv 19:4)4So when he restored the money to his mother, his mother took 200 pieces of silver and gave it to the silversmith, who made it into a carved image and a metal image. And it was in the house of Micah. (Is 46:6)5And the man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and household gods, and ordained[1] one of his sons, who became his priest. (Gn 31:19; Ex 28:6; Jue 8:27; Jue 17:12; Jue 18:14; Jue 18:17; 1 R 13:33; Os 3:4)6In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. (Dt 12:8; Jue 18:1; Jue 19:1; Jue 21:25)7Now there was a young man of Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there. (Jue 19:1; Rt 1:1; Miq 5:2; Mt 2:1; Mt 2:5)8And the man departed from the town of Bethlehem in Judah to sojourn where he could find a place. And as he journeyed, he came to the hill country of Ephraim to the house of Micah. (Jos 24:33)9And Micah said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I am a Levite of Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going to sojourn where I may find a place.”10And Micah said to him, “Stay with me, and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give you ten pieces of silver a year and a suit of clothes and your living.” And the Levite went in. (Jue 18:19)11And the Levite was content to dwell with the man, and the young man became to him like one of his sons. (Ex 2:21)12And Micah ordained the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah. (Jue 17:5; Jue 18:30)13Then Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will prosper me, because I have a Levite as priest.”