1 Samuel 6

The Ark Returned to Israel

1 The ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months. 2 And the Philistines called for the priests and a 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." 3 They said, "If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him b a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why c his hand does not turn away from you." 4 And they said, "What is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?" They answered, "Five golden d tumors and five golden mice, e according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. 5 So you must make images of your d tumors and images of your mice that ravage the land, f and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps g he will lighten his hand from off you h and your gods and your land. 6 Why should you harden your hearts as i the Egyptians and j Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, k did they not send the people away, and they departed? 7 Now then, take and prepare l a new cart and two milk cows m on which there has never come a yoke, and yoke the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them. 8 And take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart and put in a box at its side n the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as b a guilt offering. Then send it off and let it go its way 9 and watch. If it goes up on the way to its own land, to o Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm, but if not, then we shall know that it is not p his hand that struck us; it happened to us by coincidence."

10 The men did so, and took two milk cows and yoked them to the cart and shut up their calves at home. 11 And they put the ark of the Lord on the cart and the box with the golden mice and the images of their tumors. 12 And the cows went straight in the direction of q Beth-shemesh along r one 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 q Beth-shemesh. 13 Now the people of q 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. 14 The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. s A great stone was there. And they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. 15 And 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 s the great stone. And the men of q Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices on that day to the Lord. 16 And when t the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron.

17 These are the golden tumors that the Philistines returned as a u guilt offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron, 18 and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, v both fortified cities and unwalled villages. w The 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 x 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, 1 and the people mourned because the Lord had struck the people with a great blow. 20 Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, y "Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?" 21 So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of z Kiriath-jearim, saying, "The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to you."

  1. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 18:10
    There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer
    Genesis 41:8
    So in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was none who could interpret them to Pharaoh.
    Exodus 7:11
    Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts.
    Daniel 2:2
    Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king.
    Daniel 5:7
    The king called loudly to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. The king declared to the wise men of Babylon, "Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.
  2. Cross References
    Leviticus 5:15 - 16
    If anyone commits a breach of faith and sins unintentionally in any of the holy things of the Lord, he shall bring to the Lord as his compensation, a ram without blemish out of the flock, valued in silver shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, for a guilt offering.
  3. Cross References
    1 Samuel 6:9
    And watch. If it goes up on the way to its own land, to Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm, but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us; it happened to us by coincidence.
  4. Cross References
    1 Samuel 5:6
    The hand of the Lord was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory.
    1 Samuel 5:9
    But after they had brought it around, the hand of the Lord was against the city, causing a very great panic, and he afflicted the men of the city, both young and old, so that tumors broke out on them.
    1 Samuel 5:12
    The men who did not die were struck with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
  5. Cross References
    1 Samuel 6:17 - 18
    These are the golden tumors that the Philistines returned as a guilt offering to the Lord : one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron.
    Joshua 13:3
    (from the Shihor, which is east of Egypt, northward to the boundary of Ekron, it is counted as Canaanite; there are five rulers of the Philistines, those of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron), and those of the Avvim.
    Judges 3:3
    These are the nations: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath.
  6. Cross References
    1 Samuel 6:4
    And they said, "What is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?" They answered, "Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague was on all of you and on your lords.
  7. Cross References
    Joshua 7:19
    Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel and give praise to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.
  8. Cross References
    1 Samuel 5:6
    The hand of the Lord was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory.
    1 Samuel 5:9
    But after they had brought it around, the hand of the Lord was against the city, causing a very great panic, and he afflicted the men of the city, both young and old, so that tumors broke out on them.
    1 Samuel 5:11
    They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, "Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people." For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city. The hand of God was very heavy there.
  9. Cross References
    1 Samuel 5:3 - 4
    And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place.
    1 Samuel 5:7
    And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, "The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for his hand is hard against us and against Dagon our god.
  10. Cross References
    Exodus 14:17
    And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen.
  11. Cross References
    Exodus 8:15
    But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, ...
    Exodus 8:32
    But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, ...
    Exodus 7:13
    Still Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he woul...
    Exodus 9:7
    And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not one of the li...
    Exodus 9:35
    So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he di...
    Exodus 10:1
    Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh,...
  12. Cross References
    Exodus 12:31
    Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, "Up, go out from among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as you have said.
  13. Cross References
    2 Samuel 6:3
    And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart.
  14. Cross References
    Numbers 19:2
    This is the statute of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, in which there is no blemish, and on which a yoke has never come.
  15. Cross References
    1 Samuel 6:4 - 5
    And they said, "What is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?" They answered, "Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague was on all of you and on your lords.
  16. Cross References
    1 Samuel 6:3
    They said, "If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why his hand does not turn away from you.
  17. Cross References
    Joshua 15:10
    And the boundary circles west of Baalah to Mount Seir, passes along to the northern shoulder of Mount Jearim (that is, Chesalon), and goes down to Beth-shemesh and passes along by Timnah.
  18. Cross References
    1 Samuel 6:3
    They said, "If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why his hand does not turn away from you.
  19. Cross References
    Joshua 21:16
    Ain with its pasturelands, Juttah with its pasturelands, Beth-shemesh with its pasturelands - nine cities out of these two tribes.
  20. Cross References
    Joshua 21:16
    Ain with its pasturelands, Juttah with its pasturelands, Beth-shemesh with its pasturelands - nine cities out of these two tribes.
  21. Cross References
    Numbers 20:19
    And the people of Israel said to him, "We will go up by the highway, and if we drink of your water, I and my livestock, then I will pay for it. Let me only pass through on foot, nothing more.
  22. Cross References
    1 Samuel 6:12
    And the cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh along one 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 Beth-shemesh.
  23. Cross References
    1 Samuel 6:18
    And the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and unwalled villages. The 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.
  24. Cross References
    1 Samuel 6:14
    The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. A great stone was there. And they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord.
  25. Cross References
    1 Samuel 6:12
    And the cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh along one 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 Beth-shemesh.
  26. Cross References
    1 Samuel 6:4
    And they said, "What is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?" They answered, "Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague was on all of you and on your lords.
  27. Cross References
    1 Samuel 6:3
    They said, "If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why his hand does not turn away from you.
    1 Samuel 6:8
    And take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart and put in a box at its side the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as a guilt offering. Then send it off and let it go its way
  28. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 3:5
    All these were cities fortified with high walls, gates, and bars, besides very many unwalled villages.
  29. Cross References
    1 Samuel 6:14 - 15
    The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. A great stone was there. And they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord.
  30. Cross References
    Exodus 19:21
    And the Lord said to Moses, "Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the Lord to look and many of them perish.
    Numbers 4:15
    And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the things of the tent of meeting that the sons of Kohath are to carry.
    Numbers 4:20
    But they shall not go in to look on the holy things even for a moment, lest they die.
    2 Samuel 6:7
    And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God.
  31. Cross References
    2 Samuel 6:9
    And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, "How can the ark of the Lord come to me?
  32. Cross References
    1 Chronicles 13:5 - 6
    So David assembled all Israel from the Nile of Egypt to Lebo-hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.
    Joshua 9:17
    And the people of Israel set out and reached their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim.
    Joshua 18:14
    Then the boundary goes in another direction, turning on the western side southward from the mountain that lies to the south, opposite Beth-horon, and it ends at Kiriath-baal ( that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city belonging to the people of Judah. This forms the western side.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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