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Easy-to-Read Version

Judges 17:8

He left Bethlehem to look for another place to live. As he was traveling, he came to Micah's house in the hill country of the land of Ephraim.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Bethlehem;   Ephraim;   Jonathan;   Minister, Christian;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Jonathan;   Judges;   Teraphim;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Pentateuch;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Bethlehem;   Judges, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Bethlehem;   Israel;   Kohath, Kohathites;   Levi;   Micah, Micaiah;   Priests and Levites;   Samson;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Bethlehem ;   Jonathan ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Jonathan;   Micah;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Reign of the Judges;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Bethlehem;   Ezekiel;   Israel, History of the People;   Israel, Religion of;   Jonathan (1);   Judges, Period of;   Micah (1);   Priests and Levites;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Priest;   Sacrifice;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for August 3;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The man left the town of Bethlehem in Judah to stay wherever he could find a place. On his way he came to Micah’s home in the hill country of Ephraim.
Hebrew Names Version
The man departed out of the city, out of Beit-Lechem-Yehudah, to sojourn where he could find [a place], and he came to the hill-country of Efrayim to the house of Mikhah, as he journeyed.
King James Version
And the man departed out of the city from Bethlehemjudah to sojourn where he could find a place: and he came to mount Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.
Lexham English Bible
And the man went from the town of Bethlehem in Judah to live as a foreigner wherever he could find a place. And he came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, to continue his journey.
English Standard Version
And the man departed from the town of Bethlehem in Judah to sojourn where he could find a place. And as he journeyed, he came to the hill country of Ephraim to the house of Micah.
New Century Version
He left Bethlehem to look for another place to live, and on his way he came to Micah's house in the mountains of Ephraim.
New English Translation
This man left the town of Bethlehem in Judah to find another place to live. He came to the Ephraimite hill country and made his way to Micah's house.
Amplified Bible
Then the man left the town of Bethlehem in Judah, to stay wherever he could find a place; and as he journeyed, he came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah.
New American Standard Bible
Then the man left the city, Bethlehem in Judah, to stay wherever he would find a place; and as he made his journey, he came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the man departed out of the citie, euen out of Beth-lehem Iudah, to dwell where he coulde finde a place: and as he iourneyed, he came to mount Ephraim to the house of Michah
Legacy Standard Bible
En die man het uit die stad, uit Betlehem-Juda, getrek om te vertoef waar hy plek kon kry; en op sy reis het hy in die gebergte van Efraim gekom tot by die huis van Miga.
Complete Jewish Bible
in Beit-Lechem, but he left there to find another place to live and came to the hills of Efrayim, where eventually he made his way to the house of Mikhah.
Darby Translation
And the man departed from the city, from Bethlehem-Judah, to sojourn where he might find [a place]. And as he journeyed, he came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah.
George Lamsa Translation
And the man had left the city of Beth-lehem of Judah to dwell wherever he could find a place; and he came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, to obtain provisions for his journey.
Good News Translation
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.
Literal Translation
And the man went out of the city, out of Bethlehem-judah, to live where he might find a place. And he came to the hills of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, to work his way.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The same wente out of the cite of Bethleem Iuda, to walke whither he coulde. And wha he came vp to mount Ephraim vnto the house of Micha, to go on his iourney,
American Standard Version
And the man departed out of the city, out of Beth-lehem-judah, to sojourn where he could find a place, and he came to the hill-country of Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.
Bible in Basic English
And he went away from the town of Beth-lehem-judah, looking for somewhere to make his living-place; and on his journey he came to the hill-country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the man departed out of the citie of Bethlehem Iuda, to go dwell where he coulde fynde [a conuenient place]: And he came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah as he iourneyed.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the man departed out of the city, out of Beth-lehem in Judah, to sojourn where he could find a place; and he came to the hill-country of Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.
King James Version (1611)
And the man departed out of the citie from Bethlehem Iudah, to soiourne where he could finde a place: and he came to mount Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he iourneyed.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the man departed from Bethleem the city of Juda to sojourn in whatever place he might find; and he came as far as mount Ephraim, and to the house of Michaias to accomplish his journey.
English Revised Version
And the man departed out of the city, out of Beth-lehem-judah, to sojourn where he could find a place: and he came to the hill country of Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.
Berean Standard Bible
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.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he yede out of the citee of Bethleem, and wolde be a pilgrim, where euere he foond profitable to hym silf. And whanne he made iourney, and `hadde come in to the hil of Effraym, and hadde bowid a litil in to `the hows of Mycha,
Young's Literal Translation
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.
Update Bible Version
And the man departed out of the city, out of Beth-lehem-judah, to sojourn where he could find [a place], and he came to the hill-country of Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.
Webster's Bible Translation
And 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.
World English Bible
The man departed out of the city, out of Beth-lehem-judah, to sojourn where he could find [a place], and he came to the hill-country of Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.
New King James Version
The man departed from the city of Bethlehem in Judah to stay wherever he could find a place. Then he came to the mountains of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.
New Living Translation
He had left Bethlehem in search of another place to live, and as he traveled, he came to the hill country of Ephraim. He happened to stop at Micah's house as he was traveling through.
New Life Bible
He left the city of Bethlehem in Judah to find a place to live. As he traveled he came to the house of Micah in the hill country of Ephraim.
New Revised Standard
This man left the town of Bethlehem in Judah, to live wherever he could find a place. He came to the house of Micah in the hill country of Ephraim to carry on his work.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So the man took his journey out of the city, out of Bethlehem-judah, to sojourn, wheresoever he could find a home , - and he came into the hill country of Ephraim, as far as the house of Micah, in pursuing his journey.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Now he went out from the city of Bethlehem, and desired to sojourn wheresoever he should find it convenient for him. And when he was come to mount Ephraim, as he was on his journey, and had turned aside a little into the house of Michas,
Revised Standard Version
And the man departed from the town of Bethlehem in Judah, to live where he could find a place; and as he journeyed, he came to the hill country of E'phraim to the house of Micah.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then the man departed from the city, from Bethlehem in Judah, to stay wherever he might find a place; and as he made his journey, he came to the hill country of Ephraim to the house of Micah.

Contextual Overview

7 There was a young man who was a Levite from the city of Bethlehem in Judah. He had been living among the tribe of Judah. 8 He left Bethlehem to look for another place to live. As he was traveling, he came to Micah's house in the hill country of the land of Ephraim. 9 Micah asked him, "Where have you come from?" The young man answered, "I am a Levite from the city of Bethlehem in Judah. I am looking for a place to live." 10 Then Micah said to him, "Live with me. Be my father and my priest. I will give you 4 ounces of silver each year. I will also give you clothes and food." The Levite did what Micah asked. 11 The young Levite agreed to live with Micah. He became like one of Micah's own sons. 12 Micah chose him to be his priest. So the young man became a priest and lived in Micah's house. 13 And Micah said, "Now I know that the Lord will be good to me. I know this because I have a man from the tribe of Levi to be my priest."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

departed: Judges 17:11, Nehemiah 13:10, Nehemiah 13:11

as he journeyed: Heb. in making his way

Reciprocal: Judges 19:1 - mount Ruth 1:1 - a famine

Cross-References

Genesis 13:15
All this land that you see I will give to you and your people who live after you. This will be your land forever.
Genesis 13:17
So go. Walk through your land. I now give it to you."
Genesis 17:7
And I will prepare an agreement between me and you. This agreement will also be for all your descendants. It will continue forever. I will be your God and the God of all your descendants.
Genesis 17:16
I will bless her. I will give her a son, and you will be the father. She will be the mother of many new nations. Kings of nations will come from her."
Genesis 17:17
Abraham bowed his face to the ground to show he respected God. But he laughed and said to himself, "I am 100 years old. I cannot have a son, and Sarah is 90 years old. She cannot have a child."
Genesis 17:21
But I will make my agreement with Isaac, the son who Sarah will have. He will be born at this same time next year."
Genesis 23:4
"I am only a foreigner staying in your country. I have no place to bury my wife. Please give me some land so that I can bury her."
Genesis 28:4
and that God will bless you and your children the same way he blessed Abraham. And I pray that you will own the land where you live. This is the land God gave to Abraham."
Genesis 48:4
He said to me, ‘I will make you a great family. I will give you many children and you will be a great people. Your family will own this land forever.'
Exodus 6:7
You will be my people and I will be your God. I am the Lord your God, and you will know that I made you free from Egypt.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the man departed out of the city from Bethlehemjudah, to sojourn where he could find a place,.... Either being a man that had a rambling head, and of an unsettled mind, and could not easily fix any where; or else there being no supreme magistrate, to take care that the Levites had their due maintenance, for which there was a sufficient provision made by law; and the people being negligent of paying their tithes, there being none to oblige them to it, and they indifferent to the true worship of God, and prone to idolatry; this man was obliged to go abroad, and seek for a livelihood where he could get it, and sojourn in a place the most convenient for him:

and he came to Mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, as he journeyed: not with a design to stay there, but called by the way, having heard perhaps that Micah was both a wealthy and an hospitable man, and he also might have heard of the new form of worship he had set up in his house.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Jonathan’s state without a home gives us vivid picture of what must have been the condition of many Levites.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Judges 17:8. To sojourn where he could find — He went about the country seeking for some employment, for the Levites had no inheritance: besides, no secure residence could be found where there was no civil government.


 
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