Micah of Ephraim confesses stealing eleven hundred pieces of silver from his mother, who consecrates it for a carved and metal image; she has two hundred made into an idol that Micah installs in his shrine with ephod and household gods, consecrating one of his sons as priest. A young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah seeking a place to live arrives at Micah's house; Micah hires him as priest for ten pieces of silver, a suit of clothes, and provisions. Micah believes the LORD will prosper him because he now has a Levite as priest, illustrating the religious confusion when there was no king in Israel and everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Read Judges Chapter 17 Summary
Original
Characters in This Chapter
Deborah
Prophetess and judge who led Israel to victory over the Canaanites
Gideon
Judge who defeated the Midianites with 300 men, demonstrating God's power
Samson
Nazirite judge with supernatural strength who fought the Philistines
Jephthah
Outcast who became judge and defeated the Ammonites
Micah
Prophet who Foretold Bethlehem
Judah
Son of Jacob, Ancestor of David and Christ
Places in This Chapter
Position in Book
Incomplete ConquestChapters 1-2
The JudgesChapters 3-16
Moral and Spiritual DeclineChapters 17-21
Two appendices showing Israel's deep moral corruption: Micah's idolatry and the Levite's concubine incident.
Bible Bites
A left-handed hero the enemy never saw coming
The judge Ehud was left-handed, so he hid his sword on his right thigh, the side guards never checked (Judges 3:15-21). His 'weakness' became the very reason his surprise attack succeeded. The Bible loves an unlikely hero.
Judges 3:15-21