Liber Iudicum, 17

1. Fuit vir quidam de monte Ephraim nomine Michas,

1. There was a man of the hill country of E'phraim, whose name was Micah.

2. qui dixit matri suae: “Mille centum argenteos, qui ablati sunt a te et super quibus, me audiente, maledicens iuraveras, ecce ego habeo; ego abstuli”. Cui illa respondit: “Benedictus filius meus Domino!”.

2. And he said to his mother, "The eleven hundred pieces of silver which 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."

3. Reddidit ergo eos matri suae, quae dixit ei: “Consecravi et vovi argentum hoc Domino: de manu mea suscipiat pro filio meo, ut faciat sculptile atque conflatile. Et nunc trado illud tibi”.

3. And he restored the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother; and his mother said, "I consecrate the silver to the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image; now therefore I will restore it to you."

4. Reddiditque eos matri suae, quae tulit ducentos argenteos et dedit eos argentario, ut faceret ex eis sculptile atque conflatile, quod fuit in domo Michae,

4. So when he restored the money to his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver, and gave it to the silversmith, who made it into a graven image and a molten image; and it was in the house of Micah.

5. qui aediculam Dei habens fecit ephod ac theraphim implevitque unius filiorum suorum manum, et factus est ei sacerdos.

5. And the man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and teraphim, and installed one of his sons, who became his priest.

6. In diebus illis non erat rex in Israel, sed unusquisque, quod sibi rectum videbatur, hoc faciebat.

6. In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.

7. Fuit quoque adulescens de Bethlehem Iudae ex cognatione Iudae; eratque ipse Levites et habitabat ibi ut advena.

7. Now there was a young man of Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he sojourned there.

8. Egressusque de civitate Bethlehem peregrinari voluit ubicumque sibi commodum repperisset. Cumque iter faciens venisset in monte Ephraim usque ad domum Michae,

8. And the man departed from the town of Bethlehem in Judah, to live where he could find a place; and as he journeyed, he came to the hill country of E'phraim to the house of Micah.

9. interrogatus est ab eo unde venisset. Qui respondit: “Levita sum de Bethlehem Iudae et vado, ut habitem, ubi potuero et utile mihi esse perspexero”.

9. And Micah said to him, "From where do you come?" 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."

10. Dixitque Michas: “Mane apud me et esto mihi parens ac sacerdos; daboque tibi per annos singulos decem argenteos ac vestium apparatum et quae ad victum sunt necessaria”.

10. And 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 apparel, and your living."

11. Acquievit et mansit apud hominem fuitque illi quasi unus de filiis.

11. And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man became to him like one of his sons.

12. Implevitque Michas manum eius et habuit puerum sacerdotem apud se,

12. And Micah installed the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.

13. “nunc scio, dicens, quod benefaciet mihi Dominus habenti levitici generis sacerdotem”.

13. Then Micah said, "Now I know that the LORD will prosper me, because I have a Levite as priest."