The First Book of Shemu'el, starting at chapter 4
{4:1} The word of Shemu'el came to all Yisra'el. Now Yisra'el went
out against the Pelishtim to battle, and encamped beside Even-Ha`ezer:
and the Pelishtim encamped in Afek. {4:2} The Pelishtim put themselves
in array against Yisra'el: and when they joined battle, Yisra'el was
struck before the Pelishtim; and they killed of the army in the field
about four thousand men. {4:3} When the people were come into the
camp, the Zakenim of Yisra'el said, Why has the LORD struck us today
before the Pelishtim? Let us get the ark of the covenant of the LORD
out of Shiloh to us, that it may come among us, and save us out of the
hand of our enemies. {4:4} So the people sent to Shiloh; and they
brought from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of Hosts, who
sits [above] the Keruvim: and the two sons of `Eli, Hofni and
Pinechas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. {4:5} When
the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Yisra'el
shouted with a great shout, so that the [1>]eretz[<1] rang again.
{4:6} When the Pelishtim heard the noise of the shout, they said, What
means the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? They
understood that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp. {4:7} The
Pelishtim were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. They
said, Woe to us! for there has not been such a thing heretofore. {4:8}
Woe to us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods?
these are the gods that struck the Mitzrim with all manner of plagues
in the wilderness. {4:9} Be strong, and behave yourselves like men, O
you Pelishtim, that you not be servants to the Hebrews, as they have
been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight. {4:10} The Pelishtim
fought, and Yisra'el was struck, and they fled every man to his tent:
and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Yisra'el
thirty thousand footmen. {4:11} The ark of God was taken; and the two
sons of `Eli, Hofni and Pinechas, were slain. {4:12} There ran a man
of Binyamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day, with his
clothes torn, and with dirt on his head. {4:13} When he came, behold,
`Eli was sitting on his seat by the road watching; for his heart
trembled for the ark of God. When the man came into the city, and told
it, all the city cried out. {4:14} When `Eli heard the noise of the
crying, he said, What means the noise of this tumult? The man hurried,
and came and told `Eli. {4:15} Now `Eli was ninety-eight years old;
and his eyes were set, so that he could not see. {4:16} The man said
to `Eli, I am he who came out of the army, and I fled today out of the
army. He said, How went the matter, my son? {4:17} He who brought the
news answered, Yisra'el is fled before the Pelishtim, and there has
been also a great slaughter among the people, and your two sons also,
Hofni and Pinechas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken. {4:18} It
happened, when he made mention of the ark of God, that [`Eli] fell
from off his seat backward by the side of the gate; and his neck
broke, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. He had judged
Yisra'el forty years. {4:19} His daughter-in-law, Pinechas' wife, was
with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the news that the
ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-law and her husband were
dead, she bowed herself and brought forth; for her pains came on her.
{4:20} About the time of her death the women who stood by her said to
her, Don't be afraid; for you have brought forth a son. But she didn't
answer, neither did she regard it. {4:21} She named the child Ikhavod,
saying, The glory is departed from Yisra'el; because the ark of God
was taken, and because of her father-in-law and her husband. {4:22}
She said, The glory is departed from Yisra'el; for the ark of God is
taken.
{5:1} Now the Pelishtim had taken the ark of God, and they brought
it from Even-Ha`ezer to Ashdod. {5:2} The Pelishtim took the ark of
God, and brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.
{5:3} When they of Ashdod arose early on the next day, behold, Dagon
was fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. They
took Dagon, and set him in his place again. {5:4} When they arose
early on the next day morning, behold, Dagon was fallen on his face to
the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both
the palms of his hands [lay] cut off on the threshold; only [the stump
of] Dagon was left to him. {5:5} Therefore neither the [1>]Kohanim[<1]
of Dagon, nor any who come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold
of Dagon in Ashdod, to this day. {5:6} But the hand of the LORD was
heavy on them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and struck them with
tumors, even Ashdod and the borders of it. {5:7} When the men of
Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Yisra'el
shall not abide with us; for his hand is sore on us, and on Dagon our
god. {5:8} They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the
Pelishtim to them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God
of Yisra'el? They answered, Let the ark of the God of Yisra'el be
carried about to Gat. They carried the ark of the God of Yisra'el
[there]. {5:9} It was so, that after they had carried it about, the
hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great confusion: and
he struck the men of the city, both small and great; and tumors broke
out on them. {5:10} So they sent the ark of God to `Ekron. It
happened, as the ark of God came to `Ekron, that the `Ekroni cried
out, saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Yisra'el to
us, to kill us and our people. {5:11} They sent therefore and gathered
together all the lords of the Pelishtim, and they said, Send away the
ark of the God of Yisra'el, and let it go again to its own place, that
it not kill us and our people. For there was a deadly confusion
throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there. {5:12}
The men who didn't die were struck with the tumors; and the cry of the
city went up to heaven.
{6:1} The ark of the LORD was in the country of the Pelishtim seven
months. {6:2} The Pelishtim called for the [1>]Kohanim[<1] and the
diviners, saying, "What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Show us
with which we shall send it to its place."
{6:3} They said, "If you send away the ark of the God of Yisra'el,
don't send it empty; but by all means return him a trespass-offering:
then you shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is
not removed from you."
{6:4} Then they said, "What shall be the trespass-offering which we
shall return to him?"
They said, "Five golden tumors, and five golden mice, [according to]
the number of the lords of the Pelishtim; for one plague was on you
all, and on your lords. {6:5} 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 Yisra'el: peradventure he will lighten his hand
from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land. {6:6}
Why then do you harden your hearts, as the Mitzrim and Par`oh hardened
their hearts? When he had worked wonderfully among them, didn't they
let the people go, and they departed? {6:7} Now therefore take and
prepare yourselves a new cart, and two milk cattle, on which there has
come no yoke; and tie the cattle to the cart, and bring their calves
home from them; {6:8} and take the ark of the LORD, and lay it on the
cart; and put the jewels of gold, which you return him for a
trespass-offering, in a coffer by the side of it; and send it away,
that it may go. {6:9} 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."
{6:10} The men did so, and took two milk cattle, and tied them to
the cart, and shut up their calves at home; {6:11} and they put the
ark of the LORD on the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and
the images of their tumors. {6:12} The cattle 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 Pelishtim went after them to the border of Beth-shemesh.
{6:13} They 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. {6:14} The cart came into the field of Yehoshua the
Beth-shemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they
split the wood of the cart, and offered up the cattle for a burnt
offering to the LORD. {6:15} The Levites took down the ark of the
LORD, and the coffer that was with it, in which the jewels 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 the
LORD. {6:16} When the five lords of the Pelishtim had seen it, they
returned to `Ekron the same day. {6:17} These are the golden tumors
which the Pelishtim returned for a trespass-offering to the LORD: for
Ashdod one, for `Aza one, for Ashkelon one, for Gat one, for `Ekron
one; {6:18} and the golden mice, according to the number of all the
cities of the Pelishtim belonging to the five lords, both of fortified
cities and of country villages, even to the great stone, whereon they
set down the ark of the LORD, [which stone remains] to this day in the
field of Yehoshua the Beth-shemite. {6:19} He struck of the men of
Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the [2>]teivah[<2] of the
LORD, he struck of the people fifty thousand seventy men; and the
people mourned, because the LORD had struck the people with a great
slaughter. {6:20} The men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand
before the LORD, this holy God? and to whom shall he go up from us?
{6:21} They sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiryat-Ye`arim,
saying, The Pelishtim have brought back the ark of the LORD; come you
down, and bring it up to you.
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Footnotes:
[1] {4:5} earth
[1] {5:5} priests
[1] {6:2} priests
[2] {6:19} ark
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