1 Samuel 5

The Philistines and the Ark

1When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from aEbenezer to bAshdod. 2Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside cDagon. 3And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, dDagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place. 4But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord, eand the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. 5This is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon fdo not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.

6 gThe hand of the Lord was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with htumors, both Ashdod and its territory. 7And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for his hand is hard against us and against Dagon our god.” 8So they sent and gathered together all ithe lords of the Philistines and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath.” So they brought the ark of the God of Israel there. 9But after they had brought it around, jthe hand of the Lord was against the city, causing a very great panic, and he afflicted the men of the city, both young and old, so that ktumors broke out on them. 10So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But as soon as the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought around to us the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people.” 11 lThey sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people.” For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city. mThe hand of God was very heavy there. 12The men who did not die were struck with ntumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

1 Samuel 6

The Ark Returned to Israel

1The ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months. 2And the Philistines called for the priests and othe diviners and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us with what we shall send it to its place.” 3They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him pa guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why qhis hand does not turn away from you.” 4And they said, “What is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?” They answered, “Five golden rtumors and five golden mice, saccording to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. 5So you must make images of your ttumors and images of your mice that ravage the land, uand give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps vhe will lighten his hand from off you wand your gods and your land. 6Why should you harden your hearts as xthe Egyptians and yPharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, zdid they not send the people away, and they departed? 7Now then, take and prepare aaa new cart and two milk cows abon which there has never come a yoke, and yoke the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them. 8And take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart and put in a box at its side acthe figures of gold, which you are returning to him as ada guilt offering. Then send it off and let it go its way 9and watch. If it goes up on the way to its own land, to aeBeth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm, but if not, then we shall know that it is not afhis hand that struck us; it happened to us by coincidence.”

10The men did so, and took two milk cows and yoked them to the cart and shut up their calves at home. 11And they put the ark of the Lord on the cart and the box with the golden mice and the images of their tumors. 12And the cows went straight in the direction of agBeth-shemesh along ahone highway, lowing as they went. They turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of aiBeth-shemesh. 13Now the people of ajBeth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And when they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they rejoiced to see it. 14The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. akA great stone was there. And they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. 15And the Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the box that was beside it, in which were the golden figures, and set them upon althe great stone. And the men of amBeth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices on that day to the Lord. 16And when anthe five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron.

17These are the golden tumors that the Philistines returned as a aoguilt offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron, 18and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, apboth fortified cities and unwalled villages. aqThe great stone beside which they set down the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.

19 arAnd he struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked upon the ark of the Lord. He struck seventy men of them,
Most Hebrew manuscripts  struck of the people seventy men, fifty thousand men
and the people mourned because the Lord had struck the people with a great blow.
20Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, atWho is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?” 21So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of auKiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to you.”

1 Samuel 7:1-2

1And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord and brought it to the house of avAbinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to have charge of the ark of the Lord. 2From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord.

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