Judges
After Joshua, Israel repeatedly forgets the Lord. Judges raises deliverers—Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, Samson—yet the refrain “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” shows the need for faithful leadership.
Webster Bible
Judges 17
1And there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose name [was] Micah. 2And he said to his mother, The eleven hundred [shekels] of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou didst curse, and speak of also in my ears, behold, the silver [is] with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed [be thou] of the LORD, my son. 3And when he had restored the eleven hundred [shekels] of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver to the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it to thee. 4Yet he restored the money to his mother; and his mother took two hundred [shekels] of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made of it a graven image and a molten image: and they were in the house of Micah. 5And the man Micah had a house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest. 6In those days [there was] no king in Israel, [but] every man did [that which was] right in his own eyes. 7And there was a young man out of Beth-lehem-judah of the family of Judah, who [was] a Levite, and he sojourned there. 8And the man departed out of the city from Beth-lehem-judah, to sojourn where he could find [a place]: and he came to mount Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed. 9And Micah said to him, Whence comest thou? And he said to him, I [am] a Levite of Beth-lehem-judah, and I go to sojourn where I may find [a place]. 10And Micah said to him, Dwell with me, and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten [shekels] of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals. So the Levite went in. 11And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was to him as one of his sons. 12And Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah. 13Then said Micah, Now I know that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite for [my] priest.
Noah Webster Bible (1833). Public domain or openly redistributable. Confirm the exact edition before public display if text is later imported.