1 Samuel 5 - 7
Yahweh’s Hand Against the Philistines
5Now the Philistines took the ark of God and abrought it from Ebenezer to bAshdod. 2Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it to athe house of Dagon and set it by Dagon. 3Then the Ashdodites arose early the next morning, and behold, aDagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of Yahweh. So they took Dagon and bset him in his place again. 4But they arose early the next morning, and behold, aDagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of Yahweh. And the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold; 1only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. 5Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor all who enter Dagon’s house atread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
6Now athe hand of Yahweh was glorious against the Ashdodites, and bHe made them desolate and struck them with ctumors, both Ashdod and its territories. 7Thus the men of Ashdod saw that it was so and said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is severe on us and on Dagon our god.” 8So they sent and agathered all the lords of the Philistines to them and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” And they said, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath.” And they brought the ark of the God of Israel around. 9Now it happened after they had brought it around, that athe hand of Yahweh was against the city with very great confusion; and He struck the men of the city, both young and old, so that btumors broke out on them. 10So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And as the ark of God came to Ekron the Ekronites cried out, saying, “They have brought the ark of the God of Israel around to 1us, to put 2us and 3our people to death.” 11They asent therefore and gathered 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, so that it will not put 1us and 2our people to death.” For there was a deadly confusion throughout the city; bthe hand of God was very glorious there. 12Now the men who did not die were struck with tumors and athe cry of the city went up to heaven.
The Ark Returned to Israel
6Now the ark of Yahweh had been in the 1fields of the Philistines seven months. 2And athe Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the ark of Yahweh? Make us know 1how we shall send it to its place.” 3So they said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, ado not send it empty; but you shall surely breturn to Him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why His hand is not turned away from you.” 4Then they said, “What shall be the guilt offering which we shall return to Him?” And they said, “Five golden atumors and five golden mice baccording to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for one plague was on all of 1you and on your lords. 5“So you shall make likenesses of your tumors and likenesses of your mice that bring the land to ruin, and ayou shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps bHe will ease His hand from you, cyour gods, and your land. 6“Why then do you 1harden your hearts aas the Egyptians and Pharaoh 2hardened their hearts? When He had abused them, bdid they not allow 3the people to go, and they went? 7“So now, take and amake a new cart and two milch cows on which there bhas never been a yoke; and hitch the cows to the cart and take their calves home, away from them. 8“And take the ark of Yahweh and place it on the cart; and put athe articles of gold which you return to Him as ba guilt offering in a box by its side. Then send it away that it may go. 9“See, if it goes up by the way of its own territory to aBeth-shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then bwe will know that it was not His hand that smote us; it happened to us by chance.”
10Then the men did so and took two milch cows and hitched them to the cart and shut up their calves at home. 11And they put the ark of Yahweh on the cart, as well as the box with the golden mice and the likenesses of their tumors. 12And the cows took the straight way in the 1direction of aBeth-shemesh; they went along bthe highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right or to the left. And the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth-shemesh.
13Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley, and they raised their eyes and saw the ark and were glad to see it. 14And the cart came into the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite and stood there, and a large stone was there; and they split the wood of the cart and aoffered the cows as a burnt offering to Yahweh. 15aAnd the Levites took down the ark of Yahweh and the box that was with it, in which were the articles of gold, and put them on the large stone; and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices that day to Yahweh. 16So the afive lords of the Philistines saw it and returned to Ekron that day.
17aNow these are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned for a guilt offering to Yahweh: 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, aboth of fortified cities and of country villages. bThe large 1stone on which they set the ark of Yahweh is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite.
19aThen He struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of Yahweh. He struck down of all the people, 50,070 men, and the people mourned because Yahweh had struck the people with a great slaughter. 20And the men of Beth-shemesh said, “aWho is able to stand before Yahweh, this holy God? And to whom shall He go up from us?” 21So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of aKiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought back the ark of Yahweh; come down and take it up to you.”
7And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and brought the ark of Yahweh up and abrought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill and set apart Eleazar his son as holy in order to keep the ark of Yahweh. 2Now it happened from the day when the ark remained at Kiriath-jearim, that the time was long; it was twenty years. And all the house of Israel lamented after Yahweh.
Samuel Judges Israel
3Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “aIf you are to return to Yahweh with all your heart, then bremove the foreign gods and the cAshtaroth from among you and dset your hearts toward Yahweh and eserve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” 4So the sons of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth and served Yahweh alone.
5Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to aMizpah, and bI will pray to Yahweh for you.” 6And they gathered to Mizpah and drew water and apoured it out before Yahweh and bfasted on that day and said there, “cWe have sinned against Yahweh.” And Samuel judged the sons of Israel at Mizpah.
7Then the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel had gathered to Mizpah. And the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. Then the sons of Israel heard it and awere afraid of the Philistines. 8So the sons of Israel said to Samuel, “aDo not cease to cry out to Yahweh our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” 9And Samuel took aa suckling lamb and offered it for a whole burnt offering to Yahweh; and Samuel cried out to Yahweh for Israel, and bYahweh answered him. 10Now Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, and the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But aYahweh thundered with a great 1thunder on that day against the Philistines and bconfused them, so that they were 2defeated before Israel. 11So the men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them down as far as below Beth-car.
12Then Samuel atook a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and he named it 1Ebenezer. And he said, “Thus far Yahweh has helped us.” 13aSo the Philistines were subdued, and bthey did not come anymore within the border of Israel. And the hand of Yahweh was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even to Gath; and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. So there was peace between Israel and athe Amorites.
15Thus Samuel ajudged Israel all the days of his life. 16And he used to go annually on circuit to aBethel and bGilgal and cMizpah, and he judged Israel in all these places. 17But his return would be to aRamah, for his house was there, and there he judged Israel; and he bbuilt there an altar to Yahweh.