Micah's Idols
1 There was once a man named Micah, who lived in the hill country of Ephraim. 2 He told his mother, “When someone stole those eleven hundred pieces of silver from you, you put a curse on the robber. I heard you do it. Look, I have the money. I am the one who took it.”
His mother said, “May the Lord bless you, my son!” 3 He gave the money back to his mother, and she said, “To keep the curse from falling on my son, I myself am solemnly dedicating the silver to the Lord. It will be used to make a wooden idol covered with silver. So now I will give the pieces of silver back to you.” 4 Then he gave them back to his mother. She took two hundred of the pieces of silver and gave them to a metalworker, who made an idol, carving it from wood and covering it with the silver. It was placed in Micah's house.
5 This man Micah had his own place of worship. He made some idols and an ephod, and appointed one of his sons as his priest. 6 There was no king in Israel at that time; everyone did whatever they wanted.
7 At that same time there was a young Levite who had been living in the town of Bethlehem in Judah. 8 He left Bethlehem to find another place to live. While he was traveling, he came to Micah's house in the hill country of Ephraim. 9 Micah asked him, “Where do you come from?”
He answered, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah. I am looking for a place to live.”
10 Micah said, “Stay with me. Be my adviser and priest, and I will give you ten pieces of silver a year, some clothes, and your food.” 11 The young Levite agreed to stay with Micah and became like a son to him. 12 Micah appointed him as his priest, and he lived in Micah's home. 13 Micah said, “Now that I have a Levite as my priest, I know that the Lord will make things go well for me.”
Iikalunga yaMika
1 Mevi lyokoondundu dhaEfraim omwa li mu na omulumentu edhina lye Mika. 2 Okwa lombwele yina a ti: “Sho wa yakwa iimaliwa iisiliveli mbyoka eyovi limwe nethele limwe, owa thingi omufuthi. Ondu uvu shoka wa ningi. Tala, ngame ondi na iimaliwa mbyoka, ongame nde yi yaka.”
Yina okwa ti: “Mumwandje, Omuwa ne ku yambeke!” 3 Mika okwa galulile yina iimaliwa mbyoka, yina nokwa ti: “Opo ndi hulithe po ethingo lyokweetela omumwandje oshipwe, iisiliveli mbika otandi yi yoololele Omuwa. Otayi ka longithwa okuhonga oshimenka shoshiti sha tulwa oshisha shoshisiliveli. Onkee otandi ku galulile iisiliveli.” 4 Ihe Mika okwa gandja ishewe iimaliwa kuyina. Nguka okwa kutha iisiliveli omathele gaali e te yi gandja komukwaanga, ngoka a hongo oshimenka shoshiti e te shi kolongitha oshisiliveli. Osha tulwa nduno maandjaMika.
5 Omulumentu nguka Mika okwa li e na eha lye mwene lyelongelokalunga. Okwa hambulitha iimenka yimwe nokwa hondjitha omapepenguwo nokwa ningi omuna gwe gumwe omuyambi gwe.
6 Pethimbo ndiyaka kamwa li omukwaniilwa muIsrael; shaa ngoka okwa li kakombwiilitha.
7 Pethimbo ndyoka opwa li omugundjuka Omulevi a kala moshilando Betlehem muJuda. 8 Okwa tembuka muBetlehem, a ka tule mpoka pwo opala. Manga a li te ende, okwi itsu maandjaMika kevi lyokoondundu dhaEfraim. 9 Mika okwe mu pula: “Oto zi peni?”
Oye a yamukula: “Ngame Omulevi te zi kuBetlehem muJuda. Ote kongo ehala lyokukala.”
10 Mika okwa ti: “Kala pungame. Ninga omugandjindunge nomuyambi gwandje, nomumvo kehe otandi ke ku pa iimaliwa iisiliveli omulongo, oonguwo niikulya.” 11 Omugundjuka Omulevi okwa zimine, a kale puMika, nokwa li a fa omwana. 12 Mika okwe mu langeke muuyambi, nokwa kala maandjaMika. 13 Mika okwa ti: “Ngashingeyi sho ndi na Omulevi a ningi omuyambi gwandje, ondi shi shi kutya Omuwa otu ukitha iinima yandje ayihe nawa.”
