Juges 17

¹ Now a man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim

² said 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 the LORD!”

³ And when he had returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, “I wholly dedicate the silver to the LORD for my son’s benefit, to make a graven image and a molten idol. Therefore I will now return it to you.”

⁴ So 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 Micah.

⁵ Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household idols, and ordained one of his sons as his priest.

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

Note · Juges 17.1–6

Restituer l’argent ne rend pas toute son utilisation fidèle

Le vol est avoué, la malédiction remplacée par une bénédiction et une image fabriquée. Le récit ne présente pas cette succession comme une restauration sans reste : l’éphod, les théraphim et la nomination du fils constituent un culte organisé à l’initiative de Mika. La phrase sur l’absence de roi situe cette entreprise dans le désordre que le livre interroge.

⁷ And there was a young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah who had been residing within the clan of Judah.

⁸ This man left the city of Bethlehem in Judah to settle where he could find a place. And as he traveled, he came to Micah’s house in the hill country of Ephraim.

⁹ “Where are you from?” Micah asked him. “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah,” he replied, “and I am on my way to settle wherever I can find a place.”

¹⁰ “Stay with me,” Micah 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 Levite went in

Note · Juges 17.7–10

La précarité du desservant rencontre l’intérêt du propriétaire

Le jeune Lévite cherche un lieu où vivre. Mika lui propose entretien, vêtements et salaire, en le nommant père et prêtre. Le besoin matériel n’est pas en lui-même condamné ; le problème se joue dans la relation à un culte privé dont le propriétaire attend une garantie pour sa propre maison.

¹¹ and agreed to stay with him, and the young man became like a son to Micah.

¹² Micah ordained the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in his house.

¹³ Then Micah said, “Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, because a Levite has become my priest.”

Note · Juges 17.11–13

Un statut religieux ne met pas Dieu à disposition

La présence du Lévite remplace celle du fils dans la fonction sacerdotale et donne à Mika une certitude de faveur. Cette certitude est sa propre conclusion, non une promesse divine transmise par le narrateur. Posséder un objet, rémunérer un ministre ou appartenir à une institution ne permet pas de traiter la bénédiction comme un résultat acquis.