THE ORIGINAL BIBLE for Modern Readers
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1 SAMUEL chapter
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1 Jehovah’s ark was in the country of the
Philistines seven months. 2 The Philistines called for the priests and the
diviners, saying, “What shall we do with Jehovah’s ark? Show us how we should
send it to its place.”
3 They said, “If you send away the ark of the God
of Israel, don’t send it empty; but by all means return a trespass offering to
him. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why his hand is not
removed from you.”
4 Then they said, “What should the trespass
offering be which we shall return to him?”
They said, “Five golden tumors, and five golden mice,
for the number of the lords of the Philistines; for one plague was on you all,
and on your lords. 5 Therefore you shall make images of your tumors, and
images of your mice that mar the land; and you shall give glory to the God of
Israel. Perhaps he will release his hand from you, from your gods, and from
your land. 6 Why then do you harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and
Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When he had worked wonderfully among them,
didn’t they let the people go, and they departed?
7 “Now therefore take and prepare yourselves a
new cart, and two milk cows, on which there has come no yoke; and tie the cows
to the cart, and bring their calves home from them; 8 and take Jehovah’s
ark, and lay it on the cart. Put the ornaments of gold, which you return him
for a trespass offering, in a coffer by its side; and send it away, that it may
go. 9 Behold; if it goes up by the way of its own border to Beth Shemesh,
then he has done us this great evil; but if not, then we shall know that it is
not his hand that struck us. It was a chance that happened to us.”
10 The men did so, and took two milk cows, and
tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. 11 They put Jehovah’s
ark on the cart, and the coffer with the golden mice and the images of their
tumors. 12 The cows took the straight way by the way to Beth Shemesh. They
went along the highway, lowing as they went, and didn’t turn aside to the right
hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them to the
border of Beth Shemesh.
13 The people of Beth Shemesh were reaping their
wheat harvest in the valley; and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark,
and rejoiced to see it. 14 The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth
Shemesh, and stood there, where there was a great stone. Then they split the
wood of the cart, and offered up the cows for a burnt offering to Jehovah. 15 The
Levites took down Jehovah’s ark, and the coffer that was with it, in which the ornaments
of gold were, and put them on the great stone; and the men of Beth Shemesh
offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day to Jehovah.
16 When the five lords of the Philistines had
seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day. 17 These are the golden
tumors which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering to Jehovah: for
Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ashkelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one; 18 and
the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines
belonging to the five lords, both of fortified cities and of country villages,
even to the great stone, on which they set down Jehovah’s ark. That stone
remains to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh. 19 He struck
of the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into Jehovah’s ark, he
struck fifty thousand seventy of the men. Then the people mourned, because Jehovah
had struck the people with a great slaughter. 20 The men of Beth Shemesh
said, “Who is able to stand before Jehovah, this holy God? To whom shall he go
up from us?”
21 They sent messengers to the inhabitants of
Kiriath Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought back Jehovah’s ark. Come
down, and bring it up to yourselves.”
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