1 And there is a man of the hill-country of Ephraim, and his name [is] Micah,
2 and he saith to his mother, 'The eleven hundred silverlings which have been taken of thine, and [of which] thou hast sworn, and also spoken in mine ears ; lo, the silver [is] with me, I have taken it ;' and his mother saith, 'Blessed [is] my son of Jehovah.'
3 And he giveth back the eleven hundred silverlings to his mother, and his mother saith, 'I had certainly sanctified the silver to Jehovah, from my hand, for my son, to make a graven image, and a molten image ; and now, I give it back to thee.'
4 And he giveth back the money to his mother, and his mother taketh two hundred silverlings, and giveth them to a refiner, and he maketh them a graven image, and a molten image, and it is in the house of Micah.
5 As to the man Micah, he hath a house of gods, and he maketh an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrateth the hand of one of his sons, and he is to him for a priest ;
6 in those days there is no king in Israel, each that which is right in his own eyes doth.
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 is a young man of Beth-Lehem-Judah, of the family of Judah, and he [is] a Levite, and he [is] a sojourner there.
8 And the man goeth out of the city, out of Beth-Lehem-Judah, to sojourn where he doth find, and cometh to the hill-country of Ephraim, unto the house of Micah, to work his way.
9 And Micah saith to him, 'Whence comest thou ?' and he saith unto him, 'A Levite [am] I, of Beth-Lehem-Judah, and I am going to sojourn where I do find.'
10 And Micah saith to him, 'Dwell with me, and be to me for a father and for a priest, and I give to thee ten silverlings for the days, and a suit of garments, and thy sustenance ;' and the Levite goeth [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 the Levite is willing to dwell with the man, and the young man is to him as one of his sons.
12 And Micah consecrateth the hand of the Levite, and the young man is to him for a priest, and he is in the house of Micah,
13 and Micah saith, 'Now I have known that Jehovah doth good to me, for the Levite hath been to me for a 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.