1 Samuel 6
6
The Philistines Return the Ark
1And the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months. 2And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the Lord? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place. 3And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you. 4Then said they, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your lords. 5Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land. 6Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed? 7Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them: 8and take the ark of the Lord, and lay it upon the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which ye return him for a trespass offering, in a coffer by the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go. 9And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Beth–she´mesh, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us; it was a chance that happened to us.
10And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home: 11and they laid the ark of the Lord upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods. 12And the kine took the straight way to the way of Beth–she´mesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Beth–she´mesh. 13And they of Beth–she´mesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. 14And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Beth–she´mite, and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine a burnt offering unto the Lord. 15And the Levites took down the ark of the Lord, and the coffer that was with it, wherein the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone: and the men of Beth–she´mesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the Lord. 16And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.
17And these are the golden emerods which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering unto the Lord; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ash´kelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one; 18and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fenced cities, and of country villages, even unto the great stone of Abel, whereon they set down the ark of the Lord: which stone remaineth unto this day in the field of Joshua, the Beth–she´mite.
19And he smote the men of Beth–she´mesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the Lord had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter. 20And the men of Beth–she´mesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? and to whom shall he go up from us? 21And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kir´jath–je´arim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the Lord; come ye down, and fetch it up to you.
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1 Samuel 6: KJVAAE
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King James Version 1611, spelling, punctuation and text formatting modernized by ABS in 1962; typesetting © 2010 American Bible Society.
Shmuel Alef 6
6
1And the Aron Hashem was in the territory of the Pelishtim (Philistines) shivah chodashim.
2And the Pelishtim (Philistines) called for the#6:2 Dagon kohanim and the kosemim (sorcerers), saying, What shall we do with the Aron Hashem? Tell us wherewith we shall send it to its makom (place).
3And they said, If ye send away the Aron Elohei Yisroel, send it not away empty; but ye shall surely return to Him an asham (trespass offering); then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why His Yad is not removed from you.
4Then they said, What shall be the asham (trespass offering) which we shall return to Him? They answered, Five techorim of zahav, and five akhbarim (rats) of zahav, according to the number of rulers of the Pelishtim: for one magefah (plague) was on you all, and on your rulers.
5So ye shall make tzalmei techorim (likenesses of tumors) of yours, and tzalmei akhabarim (likenesses of rats) of yours, of that which mar the land; and ye shall give kavod unto Elohei Yisroel; perhaps He will lighten His Yad from off you, and from off eloheichem (your g-ds), and from off your land.
6Now then why do ye harden levavchem, as the Mitzrayim and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not send them away, so that they departed?
7Now therefore make an agalah chadashah (new cart, wagon), and take two milch#6:7 milk-yielding cows,#6:7 i.e., nursing cows on which there hath come no ol (yoke), and hitch the cows to the agalah, and take their calves home, away from them;
8And take the Aron Hashem, and lay it upon the agalah; and put the kelei hazahav, which ye send back to Him for an asham (trespass offering), in a box by the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go.
9And see: if it#6:9 the Aron Hashem goeth up by the derech of its own territory#6:9 i.e., Eretz Yisroel toward Beit-Shemesh, then He hath done us this ra'ah hagedolah (great disaster); but if not, then we shall know that it is not His Yad that struck us; the evil came upon us mikreh (by chance, by accident).
10And the anashim did so; and took two milch cows, and hitched them to the agalah, and penned up their calves babayit;
11And they laid the Aron Hashem upon the agalah, and the box with the akhbarim of zahav and the tzalmei techorim (likenesses of tumors) of theirs.
12And the cows took the straight derech to the derech Beit-Shemesh, and went along the path, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the yamin or to the semol; and the rulers of the Pelishtim went after them as far as the border of Beit-Shemesh.
13And they of Beit-Shemesh were kotzerim (harvesting) their ketzir chittim (wheat harvest) in the valley; and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the Aron, and they rejoiced to see it.
14And the agalah came into the sadeh of Yehoshua, a man of Beit-Shemesh, and stopped there, where there was an even gedolah (a large rock); and they chopped up the wood of the agalah, and offered the cows as an olah (burnt offering) unto Hashem.
15And the Levi'im took down the Aron Hashem, and the box that was with it, wherein were the kelei zahav, and put them on the even hagedolah (large rock); and the anashim of Beit-Shemesh offered olot (burnt offerings) and sacrificed zevakhim (sacrifices) on that day unto Hashem.
16And when the five rulers of the Pelishtim saw it, they returned to Ekron on that same day.
17And these are the techorim (tumors) of zahav which the Pelishtim (Philistines) returned for an asham (trespass offering) unto Hashem; for Ashdod one, for Azah (Gaza) one, for Ashkelon one, for Gat one, for Ekron one;
18And the akhbarim of zahav, according to the mispar of all the towns of the Pelishtim (Philistines) belonging to the five rulers, both of fortified cities and of country villages, even unto Avel HaGedolah, whereon they set down the Aron Hashem; it [the even hagedolah]#6:18 See verse 15 remaineth unto this day in the sadeh of Yehoshua, the man of Beit-Shemesh.
19And He struck down the anashim of Beit-Shemesh, because they had looked into the Aron Hashem,#6:19 Num 4:20 even He struck down of HaAm shivim ish;#6:19 and chamishim elef ish and HaAm mourned, because Hashem had struck down many of HaAm with a makkah gedolah (a great stroke, blow).
20And the anashim of Beit-Shemesh said, Who is able to stand before Hashem HaElohim HaKadosh Hazeh (Hashemthis holy G-d)? And to whom shall He#6:20 Hashem dwelling with the Aron Hashem go up from us?
21And they sent malachim to the inhabitants of Kiryat-Ye'arim saying, The Pelishtim (Philistines) have returned the Aron Hashem; come ye down, and take it up to you.
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THE ORTHODOX JEWISH BIBLE
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