1 Samuel 6
6
Philistines Send the Ark Back
1After the ark of Adonai had been in the country of the Philistines seven months,
2the Philistines summoned the priests and the diviners saying, “What should we do with the ark of Adonai? Tell us how we should send it back to its place.”
3So they said, “If you are going to send the ark of the God of Israel back, do not send it empty. For you must surely return it with a guilt offering. Then you will be healed and it will be revealed to you why His hand has not been removed from you.”
4“What guilt offering should we return to Him?” they asked. So they said, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice—according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for one plague was on each of you and on your lords.
5So you will make images of your tumors and images of your mice that mar the land, and you must give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps He will lighten His hand off of you, your gods and your land.
6Why harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He afflicted them, didn’t they send them away so they left?
7Now therefore get a new cart ready, two milk cows on which there has never been a yoke, hitch the cows to the cart, and return their calves home, away from them.
8Then take the ark of Adonai and place it on the cart; also put the golden objects that you return to Him as a guilt offering in a box by its side. Then send it off so it may go.
9Then watch—if it goes up by the way of its own territory to Beth-shemesh, then it was He who inflicted on us this great harm. But if not, then we will know that it was not His hand that struck us; it just happened to us by chance.”
10So the people did so—they took two milk cows and hitched them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.
11Then they placed the ark of Adonai on the cart together with the box, the golden mice, and the models of their tumors.
12So the cows took the way straight toward Beth-shemesh—they kept along the same highway, lowing as they went, and turned aside neither to the right nor to the left. The lords of the Philistines followed them to the border of Beth-shemesh.
13Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. When they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they rejoiced to see it.
14The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there, where there was a large stone. Then they chopped the wood of the cart and offered up the cows as a burnt offering to Adonai.
15The Levites took down the ark of Adonai and the box that was with it that contained the gold objects, and placed them on the large stone. Then the people of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrifices to Adonai that day.
16Now when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron that same day.
17So these are the golden tumors that the Philistines returned as a guilt offering to Adonai: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron.
18The golden mice also corresponded to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords—both the fortified cities and their country villages—as far as the large stone on which they had set down the ark of Adonai. It remains to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.
19Then He struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh because they had gazed into the ark of Adonai. He struck down the people—70 out of 50,000 men—the people mourned because Adonai had struck the people a great slaughter.
20So the men of Beth-shemesh asked, “Who is able to stand before Adonai—this holy God? To whom should it go up from us?”
21So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought back the ark of Adonai. Come down—bring it up to you.”
Currently Selected:
1 Samuel 6: TLV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Copyright © 2014 - Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society
I Samuel 6
6
The Ark Returned to Israel
1Now the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months. 2And the Philistines #1 Sam. 9:16; Jer. 14:2called for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it to its place.”
3So they said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it #Gen. 41:8; Ex. 7:11; Is. 2:6; 47:13; Dan. 2:2; 5:7empty; but by all means return it to Him with #Ex. 23:15; Deut. 16:16a trespass offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why His hand is not removed from you.”
4Then they said, “What is the trespass offering which we shall return to Him?”
They answered, #Lev. 5:15, 16“Five golden tumors and five golden rats, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines. For the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. 5Therefore you shall make images of your tumors and images of your rats that #1 Sam. 5:6, 9, 12; 6:17ravage the land, and you shall #1 Sam. 5:6give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will #Josh. 7:19; 1 Chr. 16:28, 29; Is. 42:12; Jer. 13:16; Mal. 2:2; Rev. 14:7lighten His hand from you, from #1 Sam. 5:6, 11; Ps. 39:10your gods, and from your land. 6Why then do you harden your hearts #1 Sam. 5:3, 4, 7as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He did mighty things among them, #Ex. 7:13; 8:15; 9:34; 14:17did they not let the people go, that they might depart? 7Now therefore, make #Ex. 12:31a new cart, take two milk cows #2 Sam. 6:3which have never been yoked, and hitch the cows to the cart; and take their calves home, away from them. 8Then take the ark of the Lord and set it on the cart; and put #Num. 19:2; Deut. 21:3, 4the articles of gold which you are returning to Him as a trespass offering in a chest by its side. Then send it away, and let it go. 9And watch: if it goes up the road to its own territory, to #1 Sam. 6:4, 5Beth Shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then #Josh. 15:10; 21:16we shall know that it is not His hand that struck us—it happened to us by chance.”
10Then the men did so; they took two milk cows and hitched them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. 11And they set the ark of the Lord on the cart, and the chest with the gold rats and the images of their tumors. 12Then the cows headed straight for the road to Beth Shemesh, and went along the #1 Sam. 6:3highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right hand or 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 #Num. 20:19wheat harvest in the valley; and they lifted their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. 14Then the cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and stood there; a large stone was there. So they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. 15The Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the chest that was with it, in which were the articles of gold, and put them on the large stone. Then the men of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices the same day to the Lord. 16So when #1 Sam. 12:17the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.
17#Josh. 13:3; Judg. 3:3These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned as a trespass offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for #1 Sam. 6:4Gath, one for Ekron; 18and the golden rats, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and country villages, even as far as the large stone of Abel on which they set the ark of the Lord, which stone remains to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.
19Then #1 Sam. 5:8He struck the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. He #Ex. 19:21; Num. 4:5, 15, 16, 20struck fifty thousand and seventy men of the people, and the people lamented because the Lord had struck the people with a great slaughter.
The Ark at Kirjath Jearim
20And the men of Beth Shemesh said, #2 Sam. 6:7“Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? And to whom shall it go up from us?” 21So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of #Lev. 11:44, 45; Ps. 24:3, 4; Mal. 3:2; Rev. 6:17Kirjath Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought back the ark of the Lord; come down and take it up with you.”
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.