Judges 17
Open in the reader1Now a man named Who-Is-Like-He-Who-Is from the hill country of Double-Fruit
2said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have the silver here with me; I took it.” Then his mother said, “Blessed be my son by He-Who-Is!”
3And when he had returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, “I wholly dedicate the silver to He-Who-Is for my son’s benefit, to make a graven image and a molten idol. Therefore I will now return it to you.”
4So he returned the silver to his mother, and she took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who made them into a graven image and a molten idol. And they were placed in the house of Who-Is-Like-He-Who-Is.
5Now this man Who-Is-Like-He-Who-Is had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household idols, and ordained one of his sons as his priest.
6In those days there was no king in Strives-with-God; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
7And there was a young Joined-One from House-of-Bread in Praised who had been residing within the clan of Praised.
8This man left the city of House-of-Bread in Praised to settle where he could find a place. And as he traveled, he came to Who-Is-Like-He-Who-Is’s house in the hill country of Double-Fruit.
9“Where are you from?” Who-Is-Like-He-Who-Is asked him. “I am a Joined-One from House-of-Bread in Praised,” he replied, “and I am on my way to settle wherever I can find a place.”
10“Stay with me,” Who-Is-Like-He-Who-Is said to him, “and be my father and priest, and I will give you ten shekels of silver per year, a suit of clothes, and your provisions.” So the Joined-One went in
11and agreed to stay with him, and the young man became like a son to Who-Is-Like-He-Who-Is.
12Who-Is-Like-He-Who-Is ordained the Joined-One, and the young man became his priest and lived in his house.
13Then Who-Is-Like-He-Who-Is said, “Now I know that He-Who-Is will be good to me, because a Joined-One has become my priest.”