ABagwebi
17 Kwakukho indoda kummandla weentaba wakwaEfrayim+ egama linguMika. 2 Ekuhambeni kwexesha yathi kumama wayo: “Laa maqhosha esilivere ayi-1 100 ayethathwe kuwe, waza wamqalekisa phambi kwam loo mntu wayewathathile, jonga! loo silivere ikum. Yayithathwe ndim.” Akuva loo nto, umama wayo wathi: “UYehova makamsikelele unyana wam.” 3 Ngoko loo ndoda yawabuyisela kumama wayo amaqhosha esilivere ayi-1 100, kodwa yena wathi: “Ngokuqinisekileyo ndiza kuyenza ngcwele kuYehova le silivere iphuma esandleni sam, ukuze unyana wam enze ngayo umfanekiso oqingqiweyo nomfanekiso wesinyithi.+ Ndiyibuyisela kuwe ke.”
4 Emva kokuba iyibuyisele kumama wayo, yena wathatha amaqhosha esilivere ayi-200 wawanika umkhandi wesilivere. Lo mkhandi wenza umfanekiso oqingqiweyo nomfanekiso wesinyithi, yaza loo mifanekiso yabekwa endlini kaMika. 5 Le ndoda inguMika yayinendlu yoothixo, ibe yenza iefodi+ nesithixo sekhaya+ yaza yamisela omnye* woonyana bayo wangumbingeleli wayo.+ 6 Ngaloo mihla kwakungekho kumkani kwaSirayeli.+ Wonke umntu wayesenza into ayibona ilungile kuye.+
7 Kwakukho ityendye lomfana waseBhetelehem+ kwaYuda, elaliphuma kwintsapho yakwaYuda. LalingumLevi+ owayesele ehlala apho kangangethuba. 8 Lo mfana wemka kwisixeko saseBhetelehem yakwaYuda esiya kufuna enye indawo yokuhlala. Esahamba njalo, wafika kummandla weentaba wakwaEfrayim, kwindlu kaMika.+ 9 Wathi uMika kuye: “Ungowaphi?” Wathi: “NdingumLevi waseBhetelehem yakwaYuda, ndiyokukhangela indawo yokuhlala.” 10 Ngoko uMika wathi kuye: “Hlala nam, ube ngutata wam* nombingeleli wam. Ndiza kukunika amaqhosha esilivere alishumi ngonyaka, impahla kunye nokutya.” Ngoko ke, lo mLevi wangena. 11 Lo mLevi wahlala noMika, waza wamenza unyana wakhe. 12 UMika wamisela lo* mLevi ukuba abe ngumbingeleli wakhe,+ aze ahlale endlini yakhe. 13 Emva koko uMika wathi: “Ngoku ndiyazi ukuba uYehova uza kundenzela izinto ezintle, kuba lo mLevi uye wangumbingeleli wam.”