1 Samuel 5-6
King James Version
5 And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod.
2 When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.
3 And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again.
4 And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.
5 Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day.
6 But the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof.
7 And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god.
8 They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither.
9 And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the Lord was against the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts.
10 Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people.
11 So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to his own place, that it slay us not, and our people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.
12 And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
6 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 wherewith 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 emerods, 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 Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.
6 Wherefore 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 milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine 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 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 milch kine, 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 emerods.
12 And the kine 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 clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine 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 emerods which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering unto the Lord; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon 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 fenced 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 again the ark of the Lord; come ye down, and fetch it up to you.
1 Samuel 5-6
1599 Geneva Bible
5 2 The Philistines bring the Ark into the house of Dagon, which idol fell down before it. 6 The men of Ashdod are plagued. 8 The Ark is carried into Gath, and after to Ekron.
1 Then the Philistines took the Ark of God and carried it from Ebenezer unto [a]Ashdod,
2 Even the Philistines took the Ark of God, and brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by [b]Dagon.
3 And when they of Ashdod rose the next day in the morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face on the ground before the Ark of the Lord, and they took up Dagon, and set him in his place again.
4 Also they rose up early in the morning the next day, and behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face on the ground before the Ark of the Lord, and the head of Dagon and the two palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold: only the stump of Dagon was left to him.
5 Therefore the Priests of Dagon, and all that come into Dagon’s house, [c]tread not on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod, unto this day.
6 But the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and destroyed them, and smote them with the (A)emerods, both Ashdod, and the coasts thereof.
7 And when the men of Ashdod saw this, they said, Let not the Ark of the God of Israel abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us and upon Dagon our god.
8 They sent therefore, and gathered all the princes of the Philistines unto them, and said, [d]What shall we do with the Ark of the God of Israel? And they answered, Let the Ark of the God of Israel be carried about unto Gath: and they carried the Ark of the God of Israel about.
9 And when they had carried it about, the hand of the Lord was against the city with a very great destruction, and he smote the men of the city both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts.
10 ¶ Therefore they sent the Ark of God to Ekron: and as soon as the Ark of God came to Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have brought the Ark of the God of Israel to us to slay us and our people.
11 Therefore they sent, and gathered together all the princes of the Philistines, and said, Send [e]away the Ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to his own place, that it slay us not and our people: for there was a destruction and death throughout all the city, and the hand of God was very sore there.
12 And the men that died not, were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
6 1 The time that the Ark was with the Philistines, which they sent again with a gift. 12 It cometh to Beth Shemesh. 17 The Philistines offer golden emerods. 19 The men of Beth Shemesh are stricken for looking into the Ark.
1 So the Ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines [f]seven months.
2 And the Philistines called the Priests and the Soothsayers, saying, What shall we do with the Ark of the Lord? tell us wherewith we shall send it home again.
3 And they said, If you send away the Ark of the God of Israel, send it not away empty, but give unto it [g]a sin offering: then shall ye be healed, and it shall be known to you, why his hand departeth not from you.
4 Then said they, What shall be the sin offering, which we shall give unto it? And they answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the princes of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your princes.
5 Wherefore ye shall make the similitudes of your emerods, and the similitudes of your mice that destroy the land: so ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel, that he may take his hand from you, and from your [h]gods, and from your land.
6 Wherefore then should ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts, when he wrought wonderfully among them, (B)did they not let them go, and they departed?
7 Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine, on whom there hath come no yoke: and tie the kine to the cart, and bring the calves home from them.
8 Then take the Ark of the Lord, and set it upon the cart, and put the [i]jewels of gold which ye give it for a sin offering in a coffer by the side thereof, and send it away, that it may go.
9 And take heed, if it go up by the way of his own coast to Beth Shemesh, it is [j]he that did us this great evil: but if not, we shall know then, that it is not his hand that smote us, but it was a [k]chance that happened us.
10 And the men did so: for they took two kine that gave milk, and tied them to the cart, and shut the calves at home.
11 So they set the Ark of the Lord upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold, and with the similitudes of their emerods.
12 And the kine went the straight way to Beth Shemesh, and kept one path, and lowed as they went, and turned neither to the right hand nor to the left: also the princes of the Philistines went after [l]them unto the borders of Beth Shemesh.
13 Now they of Beth Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley, and they lift up their eyes, and spied the Ark, and rejoiced when they saw it.
14 ¶ And the cart came into the field of Joshua a Beth Shemite, and stood still there. There was also a great stone, and [m]they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine for 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 Beth Shemesh offered burnt offering, and sacrificed sacrifices that same day unto the Lord.
16 And when the five princes of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.
17 ¶ So these are the golden emerods, which the Philistines gave for a sin offering to the Lord: for [n]Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, and for Ekron one,
18 And golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines, belonging to the five princes, both of walled towns, and of towns unwalled unto the great stone of [o]Abel, whereon they set the Ark of the Lord: which stone remaineth unto this day in the field of Joshua the Beth Shemite.
19 And he smote of the men of Beth Shemesh, because they [p]had looked in the Ark of the Lord: he slew even among the people fifty thousand men and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the Lord had slain the people with so great a slaughter.
20 Wherefore the men of Beth Shemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? and to whom shall he go from us?
21 And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath Jearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the Ark of the Lord: come ye down, and take it up to you.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 5:1 Which was one of the five principal cities of the Philistines.
- 1 Samuel 5:2 Which was their chief idol, and as some write, from the navel downward was like a fish, and upward like a man.
- 1 Samuel 5:5 Thus instead of acknowledging the true God by this miracle, they fall to a further superstition.
- 1 Samuel 5:8 Though they had felt God’s power, and were afraid thereof, yet they would further try him, which thing God turned to their destruction and his glory.
- 1 Samuel 5:11 The wicked when they feel the hand of God, grudge and reject him, where the godly humble themselves, and cry for mercy.
- 1 Samuel 6:1 They thought by continuance of time the plague would have ceased, and so would have kept the Ark still.
- 1 Samuel 6:3 The idolaters confess there is a true God, who justifieth sin justly.
- 1 Samuel 6:5 This is God’s judgment upon the idolaters, that knowing the true God, they worship him not aright.
- 1 Samuel 6:8 Meaning, the golden emerods and the golden mice.
- 1 Samuel 6:9 The God of Israel.
- 1 Samuel 6:9 The wicked attribute almost all things to fortune and chance, whereas indeed there is nothing done without God’s providence and decree.
- 1 Samuel 6:12 For the trial of the matter.
- 1 Samuel 6:14 To wit, the men of Beth Shemesh, which was Israelites.
- 1 Samuel 6:17 These were the five principal cities of the Philistines, which were not all conquered unto the time of David.
- 1 Samuel 6:18 Or, the plaint, or lamentation.
- 1 Samuel 6:19 For it was not lawful to any either to touch or to see it, save only to Aaron and his sons, Num. 4:15, 20.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
