- 1. There was a man of the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah.
- 2. He said to his mother, The eleven hundred [pieces] of silver that were taken from you, about which you did utter a curse, and did also speak it in my ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it. His mother said, Blessed be my son of Yahweh.
- 3. He restored the eleven hundred [pieces] of silver to his mother; and his mother said, I most certainly dedicate the silver to Yahweh from my hand for my son, to make an engraved image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it to you.
- 4. When he restored the money to his mother, his mother took two hundred [pieces] of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made of it an engraved image and a molten image: and it was in the house of Micah.
- 5. The man Micah had a house of gods, and he made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.
- 6. In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
- 7. There was a young man out of Bethlehem Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he sojourned there.
- 8. The man departed out of the city, out of Bethlehem Judah, to sojourn where he could find [a place], and he came to the hill country of Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he traveled.
- 9. Micah said to him, Whence come you? He said to him, I am a Levite of Bethlehem Judah, and I go to sojourn where I may find [a place].
- 10. Micah said to him, Dwell with me, and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give you ten [pieces] of silver by the year, and a suit of clothing, and your food. So the Levite went in.
- 11. The Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was to him as one of his sons.
- 12. Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.
- 13. Then said Micah, Now know I that Yahweh will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.
1-6.- Некто Миха, из колена Ефремова, из серебра, подаренного ему матерью (200 сиклей, на 160 рублей серебром, около восьми фунтов), сделал истукан и литый кумир, потом присоединил к ним эфод и терафим и, поставив эти вещи у себя в доме, вероятно, в особой комнате, поручил одному из своих сыновей состоять при них священником. Упоминаемый в культе Михи истукан (песал от раsal - отрывать, отрезать) был вытесан, вероятно, в виде небольшого столбика, по примеру ханаанских менгиров (Втор 7:5,25), с посвящением Иегове, наподобие бетиля Иакова (Быт 28:18-19). Литой кумир (массека от nasak - лить), как видно из различных мест Библии, где употребляется это название (ср. (Исх 32:4,8); (Втор 9:12,16); (3Цар 14:9); (4Цар 17:16), вероятно, имел форму тельца и служил символическим изображением Иеговы. Эфод был облачением или самого священнослужителя, в виде первосвященнического (ср. Суд 8.27), или же кумира, как догадываются некоторые. О терафиме см. (Быт 31:19)7-13.- Встретив случайно одного молодого левита, искавшего себе пропитания, Миха пригласил его к себе в дом и предложил ему быть у него священником вместо сына, положив ему за труд одежду, пропитание и десять сиклей серебра (8 рублей серебром), на что тот охотно согласился.
