Study Desk

And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God has come to the camp. And they said, Woe to us! For never has it been like this before.

And he came in. And, behold, Eli was sitting on the seat by the side of the highway, watching. For his heart trembled for the ark of God. And the man came in to report in the city. And all the city cried out.

And it happened when he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell off the seat backward, by the side of the gate. And his neck was broken, and he died. For the man was old and heavy. And he judged Israel forty years.

And his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was with child, about to bear. And she heard the report of the taking of the ark of God, and that her father-in-law and her husband had died. And she bowed and bore, for her pains hadturned in on her.

And at the time of her death, when the women who stood by her said, Fear not, for you have borne a son; she did not even answer, nor set her heart.

And she said, The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been taken.

And the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, and said, The ark of God of Israel shall not remain with us, for His hand has been hard on us, and on our god Dagon.

And they sent and gathered all the rulers of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its place, and it may not cause me and my people to die. For there had been a great destruction throughoutall the city. The hand of God had been very heavy there.

And the Philistines called for priests and for those divining, saying, What shall we do to the ark of Jehovah? Let us know with what we shall send it to its place.

And they said, If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, you shall not send it away empty. For turning back you shall return a guilt offering back to Him. Then you shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why His hand has not turned away from you.

And they said, What shall be the guilt offering which we shall send back to Him? And they said, The number of the rulers of the Philistines, five golden hemorrhoids, and five golden mice. For one plague has been on all of you, and on your rulers.

And you shall take the ark of Jehovah and put it on the cart, and the vessels of gold which you shall return to Him for a guilt offering. Put them in a coffer in its side and send it away; and let it go.

And these were the golden hemorrhoids which the Philistines sent back as a guilt offering to Jehovah: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron:

and the golden mice, the number of all the cities of the Philistines, for the five rulers, from the fortified city even to the hamlet of the villagers, even to the great meadow on which they placed the ark of Jehovah remain until this day in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite.

And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to Jehovah for you.

And the sons of Israel said to Samuel, Do not cease to cry to Jehovah our God for us, that He save us out of the hand of the Philistines.

And Samuel took a milk lamb and offered a whole burnt offering to Jehovah. And Samuel cried to Jehovah for Israel. And Jehovah answered him.

And he returned to Ramah, for his house was there. And there he judged Israel; and he built an altar to Jehovah there.

And Jehovah said to Samuel, Listen to the voice of the people, to all that they say to you. For they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from reigning over them.

And he said, This is the privilege of the king who shall reign over you. He shall take your sons and shall appoint them for himself among his chariots, and among his horsemen. And they shall run before his chariots.