Study Desk

The people who didn't die were struck with the tumors; and the city's cries for help reached the skies.

The ark of Adonai was in the country of the P'lishtim for seven months.

They said, "If you do send off the ark of the God of Isra'el, don't send it back empty, but return it with some sort of guilt offering for him. Then you will be cured, and you will learn why he has not stopped oppressing you."

but watch to see if it goes up the road to Beit-Shemesh in its own territory. If it does, he is responsible for this great tragedy; if not, we will know that it is not his oppression which has been over us, but that what has been happening to us has been only by chance."

The cows made straight for the road to Beit-Shemesh and took that route, mooing as they went and turning off neither to the right nor to the left. The leaders of the P'lishtim followed them as far as the border of Beit-Shemesh.

The gold tumors which the P'lishtim sent back as a guilt offering for Adonai were one each for Ashdod, ‘Azah, Ashkelon, Gat and ‘Ekron;

for [ Adonai ] struck the people of Beit-Shemesh for looking at the ark of Adonai . He killed 50,070 of the people; the people mourned because Adonai had struck them with such a terrible slaughter.

From the day that the ark arrived in Kiryat-Ye‘arim a long time elapsed, twenty years; and all the people of Isra'el yearned for Adonai .

Sh'mu'el said, "Gather all Isra'el to Mitzpah, and I will pray for you to Adonai ."

The people of Isra'el said to Sh'mu'el, "Don't stop crying out to Adonai our God for us, to save us from the power of the P'lishtim."

Sh'mu'el took a baby lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to Adonai . Then Sh'mu'el cried to Adonai for Isra'el, and Adonai answered him.

Adonai said to Sh'mu'el, "Listen to the people, to everything they say to you; for it is not you they are rejecting; they are rejecting me; they don't want me to be king over them.

Sh'mu'el reported everything Adonai had said to the people asking him for a king.

He will appoint them to serve him as officers in charge of a thousand or of fifty, plowing his fields, gathering his harvest, and making his weapons and the equipment for his chariots.

He will take your male and female servants, your best young men and your donkeys, and make them work for him.

Sh'mu'el heard everything the people said and repeated them for Adonai to hear.

Adonai said to Sh'mu'el, "Do what they ask, and set up a king for them." So Sh'mu'el told the men of Isra'el, "Each of you, return to his city."

Once the donkeys belonging to Kish Sha'ul's father got lost. Kish said to his son Sha'ul, "Please take one of the servants with you, go out, and look for the donkeys."

"But look," Sha'ul said to his servant, "if we go to the man, what can we bring him? We've used up all the bread in our packs, and there's nothing for us to give the man of God — what do we have left?"

As for your donkeys that got lost three days ago, don't worry about them; they've been found. Now, who is it that all Isra'el wants? Isn't it you, and all your father's household?"