Parallel Bible results for "1 samuel 6"

1 Samuel 6

Third Millennium Bible TMB

1 And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months.

2 And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, "What shall we do to the ark of the LORD? Tell us how we shall send it to his place."

3 And 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."

4 Then said they, "What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him?" They answered, "Five golden hemorrhoids 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.

5 Therefore ye shall make images of your hemorrhoids and images of your mice that mar the land, and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten his hand from you and from your gods and from your land.

6 Why 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?

7 Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milk cows on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the cows to the cart and bring their calves home from them.

8 And take the ark of the LORD and lay it upon the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which ye return to him for a trespass offering, in a coffer by the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go.

9 And see: If it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Bethshemesh, 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."

10 And the men did so; and took two milk cows and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.

11 And they laid the ark of the LORD upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their hemorrhoids.

12 And the cows took the straight way to 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 lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Bethshemesh.

13 And they 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.

14 And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite, and stood there where there was a great stone. And they cleaved the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering unto the LORD.

15 And 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 Bethshemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the LORD.

16 And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.

17 And these are the golden hemorrhoids which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering unto the LORD: 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 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 Bethshemite.

19 And He smote the men of Bethshemesh, 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.

20 And the men of Bethshemesh said, "Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? And to whom shall He go up from us?"

21 And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjathjearim, saying, "The Philistines have brought back the ark of the LORD. Come ye down and fetch it up to you."

GOD'S WORD Translation GW

1 The ark of the LORD had been in Philistine territory seven months

2 when the Philistines called for priests and people skilled in explaining omens. The Philistines asked, "What should we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how to return it to its [proper] place."

3 The priests answered, "If you're returning the ark of the God of Israel, don't send it away empty, but by all means return it to its [proper] place with a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and you will know why he would not turn his anger away from you."

4 The Philistines asked, "What kind of guilt offering should we give him?" The priests answered, "Five gold tumors and five gold mice for the [five] Philistine rulers because all of you and your rulers suffer from the same plague.

5 Make models of your tumors and your mice which are destroying the country, and give glory to the God of Israel. Maybe he will no longer be so hard on you, your gods, and your country.

6 Why should you be as stubborn as the Egyptians and their Pharaoh were? After he toyed with the Egyptians, didn't they send the Israelites on their way?

7 Now get a new cart ready for two dairy cows that have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart. Take their calves away, and leave them in their stall.

8 Take the ark of the LORD, and put it on the cart. Put the gold objects which you're giving him as a guilt offering in a box beside the ark. Send the cart on its way,

9 but then watch where it goes. If it goes up the road to its own country toward Beth Shemesh, then this disaster is the LORD's doing. But if not, we'll know it wasn't his hand that struck us, but what happened to us was an accident."

10 The people did this. They took two dairy cows, hitched them to a cart, and shut the calves in the stall.

11 They put the ark of the LORD and the box containing the gold mice and the models of their hemorrhoids on the cart.

12 The cows went straight up the road to Beth Shemesh. Continually mooing, they stayed on the road and didn't turn right or left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them to the border of Beth Shemesh.

13 The people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley. When they looked up and saw the ark, they were overjoyed.

14 The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh and stopped there by a large rock. The people chopped up the wood of the cart and sacrificed the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD.

15 (The Levites had already taken down [from the cart] the ark of the LORD and the box which contained the gold objects and put them on the large rock.) The people of Beth Shemesh presented burnt offerings and sacrifices to the LORD that day.

16 After the five rulers of the Philistines saw this, they went back to Ekron that same day.

17 The gold hemorrhoids which the Philistines sent as a guilt offering to the LORD were for the cities of Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron.

18 And the number of gold mice was the same as the number of Philistine cities belonging to the five rulers, including walled cities and farm villages. The large rock on which they put the ark of the LORD is a witness. It is still there today in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.

19 God struck down some of the people from Beth Shemesh because they looked inside the ark of the LORD. He struck down 70 people. The people mourned because the LORD struck them with such a great blow.

20 The people of Beth Shemesh asked, "Who can stand before the LORD, this holy God? And to which people will he go when he leaves us?"

21 They sent messengers to the people living at Kiriath Jearim to say, "The Philistines have brought back the ark of the LORD. Come and take it back with you."