1 Samuel 6
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 #Deut. 18:10; [Gen. 41:8; Ex. 7:11; Dan. 2:2; 5:7]the 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 #[Lev. 5:15, 16] a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why #ver. 9his 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 #ch. 5:6, 9, 12 tumors and five golden mice, #ver. 17, 18; Josh. 13:3; Judg. 3:3according 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 #[See ver. 4 above] tumors and images of your mice that ravage the land, #[Josh. 7:19] and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps #[ch. 5:6, 9, 11] he will lighten his hand from off you #ch. 5:3, 4, 7and your gods and your land. 6Why should you harden your hearts as #[Ex. 14:17] the Egyptians and #Ex. 8:15, 32; [Ex. 7:13; 9:7, 35; 10:1] Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, #Ex. 12:31did they not send the people away, and they departed? 7Now then, take and prepare #[2 Sam. 6:3] a new cart and two milk cows #[Num. 19:2]on 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 #ver. 4, 5 the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as #[See ver. 3 above]a 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 #Josh. 15:10 Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm, but if not, then we shall know that it is not #ver. 3his 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 #Josh. 21:16 Beth-shemesh along #Num. 20:19one 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 #Josh. 21:16 Beth-shemesh. 13Now the people of #[See ver. 12 above]Beth-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. #ver. 18A 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 #[See ver. 14 above] the great stone. And the men of #[See ver. 12 above]Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices on that day to the Lord. 16And when #See ver. 4the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron.
17These are the golden tumors that the Philistines returned as a #ver. 3, 8guilt 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, #[Deut. 3:5] both fortified cities and unwalled villages. #ver. 14, 15The 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 # [Ex. 19:21; Num. 4:15, 20; 2 Sam. 6:7] And he struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked upon the ark of the Lord. He struck seventy men of them,#6:19 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, #[2 Sam. 6:9]“Who 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 #1 Chr. 13:5, 6; [Josh. 9:17; 18:14]Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to you.”
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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1 Samuel 6
6
1 Samuel 6
1¶ And the ark of the Lord was in the land of the Philistines seven months.
2Then the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we shall return it to his place.
3And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but ye shall pay unto him the expiation of guilt; then ye shall be healed, and ye shall know why his hand was not removed from you.
4Then said they, What shall be the expiation of guilt which we shall pay unto him? They answered, Five golden hemorrhoids and five golden rats, according to the number of the cardinals of the Philistines, for the same plague that is on you is also on your cardinals.
5Therefore, ye shall make images of your hemorrhoids and images of your rats that destroy 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.
6Why then do ye harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When he had dealt thus among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed?
7Now, therefore, make a new cart and take two milk cows, on which no yoke has been placed and tie the cows to the cart and bring their calves home from them.
8Then ye shall take the ark of the Lord and lay it upon the cart and put the jewels of gold, which ye pay him for expiation of guilt, in a coffer by the side thereof, and let it go.
9And see if it goes up by the way of his own border to Bethshemesh, then he has done us this great evil, but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us; it was an accident that happened to us.
10¶ And the men did so and took two milk cows and tied them to the cart and shut up their calves at home.
11Then they laid the ark of the Lord upon the cart and the coffer with the rats of gold and the images of their hemorrhoids.
12And the cows went straight down the way of Bethshemesh and went along the highway, lowing as they went and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left, and the cardinals of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Bethshemesh.
13And those of Bethshemesh 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 Bethshemite, and stopped there, for there was a great stone there; and they clave the wood of the cart and offered the cows in a burnt offering unto the Lord.
15And the Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the coffer that was with it, in which were the jewels of gold, and put them on the great stone, and the men of Bethshemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the Lord.
16And when the five cardinals of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.
17These, therefore are the golden hemorrhoids which the Philistines returned in expiation for their guilt unto the Lord, for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one,
18and the golden rats, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five cardinals; a ransom for those of the fenced cities and for the country dwellers even unto the great stone of Abel, upon which they placed the ark of the Lord in the field of Joshua, the Bethshemite, and this is remembered unto this day.
19¶ Then God smote those of Bethshemesh because they had looked at the ark of the Lord; he smote fifty thousand of the people and seventy principal men. And the people lamented because the Lord had smitten the people with such a great slaughter.
20And the men of Bethshemesh 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 Kirjathjearim, saying, The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord; come down, therefore, and carry it up to you.
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