Study Desk

The Ark Returned to Israel

When the ark of the Lord had been in Philistine territory seven months,

the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners^(a) and said, "What shall we do with the ark of the Lord ? Tell us how we should send it back to its place."

They answered, "If you return the ark of the god of Israel, do not send it back to him without a gift;^(b) by all means send a guilt offering^(c) to him. Then you will be healed, and you will know why his hand^(d) has not been lifted from you."

The Philistines asked, "What guilt offering should we send to him?" They replied, "Five gold tumors and five gold rats, according to the number^(e) of the Philistine rulers, because the same plague^(f) has struck both you and your rulers.

Make models of the tumors^(g) and of the rats that are destroying the country, and give glory^(h) to Israel's god. Perhaps he will lift his hand from you and your gods and your land.

Why do you harden⁽ⁱ⁾ your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? When Israel's god dealt harshly with them,^(j) did they^(k) not send the Israelites out so they could go on their way?

"Now then, get a new cart^(l) ready, with two cows that have calved and have never been yoked.^(m) Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up.

Take the ark of the Lord and put it on the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending back to him as a guilt offering. Send it on its way,

but keep watching it. If it goes up to its own territory, toward Beth Shemesh,⁽ⁿ⁾ then the Lord has brought this great disaster on us. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us but that it happened to us by chance."

So they did this. They took two such cows and hitched them to the cart and penned up their calves.

They placed the ark of the Lord on the cart and along with it the chest containing the gold rats and the models of the tumors.

Then the cows went straight up toward Beth Shemesh, keeping on the road and lowing all the way; they did not turn to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth Shemesh.

Now the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat^(o) in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the sight.

The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and there it stopped beside a large rock. The people chopped up the wood of the cart and sacrificed the cows as a burnt offering^(p) to the Lord .

The Levites^(q) took down the ark of the Lord , together with the chest containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock.^(r) On that day the people of Beth Shemesh^(s) offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord .

The five rulers of the Philistines saw all this and then returned that same day to Ekron.

These are the gold tumors the Philistines sent as a guilt offering to the Lord —one each^(t) for Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron.

And the number of the gold rats was according to the number of Philistine towns belonging to the five rulers—the fortified towns with their country villages. The large rock on which the Levites set the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.

But God struck down^(u) some of the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy^[a] of them to death because they looked^(v) into the ark of the Lord . The people mourned because of the heavy blow the Lord had dealt them.

And the people of Beth Shemesh asked, "Who can stand^(w) in the presence of the Lord , this holy^(x) God? To whom will the ark go up from here?"

Then they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim,^(y) saying, "The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord . Come down and take it up to your town."

¹So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark^(a) of the Lord . They brought it to Abinadab's^(b) house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the Lord .

The ark remained at Kiriath Jearim^(c) a long time—twenty years in all. Then all the people of Israel turned back to the Lord .^(d)

So Samuel said to all the Israelites, "If you are returning^(e) to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid^(f) yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths^(g) and commit^(h) yourselves to the Lord and serve him only,⁽ⁱ⁾ and he will deliver^(j) you out of the hand of the Philistines."

So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only.

Then Samuel^(k) said, "Assemble all Israel at Mizpah,^(l) and I will intercede^(m) with the Lord for you."

When they had assembled at Mizpah,⁽ⁿ⁾ they drew water and poured^(o) it out before the Lord . On that day they fasted and there they confessed, "We have sinned against the Lord ." Now Samuel was serving as leader^[a](p) of Israel at Mizpah.

When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. When the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid^(q) because of the Philistines.

They said to Samuel, "Do not stop crying^(r) out to the Lord our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines."

Then Samuel^(s) took a suckling lamb and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord . He cried out to the Lord on Israel's behalf, and the Lord answered him.^(t)

While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered^(u) with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic^(v) that they were routed before the Israelites.

The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Kar.

Then Samuel took a stone^(w) and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer,^[b](x) saying, "Thus far the Lord has helped us."

So the Philistines were subdued^(y) and they stopped invading Israel's territory. Throughout Samuel's lifetime, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines.

The towns from Ekron^(z) to Gath that the Philistines had captured from Israel were restored to Israel, and Israel delivered the neighboring territory from the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.^(aa)

Samuel^(ab) continued as Israel's leader^(ac) all^(ad) the days of his life.

From year to year he went on a circuit from Bethel^(ae) to Gilgal^(af) to Mizpah, judging^(ag) Israel in all those places.

But he always went back to Ramah,^(ah) where his home was, and there he also held court^(ai) for Israel. And he built an altar^(aj) there to the Lord .