Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, June 18th, 2025
the Week of Proper 6 / Ordinary 11
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Read the Bible

Good News Translation

1 Samuel 6:2

the people called the priests and the magicians and asked, "What shall we do with the Covenant Box of the Lord ? If we send it back where it belongs, what shall we send with it?"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Kirjath-Jearim;   Miracles;   Thompson Chain Reference - Divination;   Magic;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Ark of the Covenant;   Philistines, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Beth-Shemesh;   Ekron;   Gaza or Azzah;   Philistines;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ark;   Magic;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Priest, Priesthood;   Samuel, First and Second, Theology of;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Divination;   Ekron;   Soothsayer;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Philistia;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Divination and Magic;   Sabaoth;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Beth-Shemesh;   Magic, Divination, and Sorcery;   Philistines;   Samuel, Books of;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Divination;   Ekron;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for March 2;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
the Philistines summoned the priests and the diviners and pleaded, “What should we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we can send it back to its place.”
Hebrew Names Version
The Pelishtim called for the Kohanim and the diviners, saying, "What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Show us with which we shall send it to its place."
King James Version
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.
Lexham English Bible
and the Philistines called to the priests and to those who practiced divination, saying, "What should we do with the ark of Yahweh? Inform us how we should send it to its place."
English Standard Version
And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, "What shall we do with the ark of the Lord ? Tell us with what we shall send it to its place."
New Century Version
Then they called for their priests and magicians and said, "What should we do with the Ark of the Lord ? Tell us how to send it back home!"
New English Translation
the Philistines called the priests and the omen readers, saying, "What should we do with the ark of the Lord ? Advise us as to how we should send it back to its place."
Amplified Bible
And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners (seers), saying, "What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Let us know how we can send it back to its place."
New American Standard Bible
And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, "What are we to do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how we may send it to its place."
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the Philistims called the priests and the soothsayers, saying, What shall we doe with the Arke of the Lord? tell vs wherewith we shall send it home againe.
Legacy Standard Bible
And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, "What shall we do with the ark of Yahweh? Make us know how we shall send it to its place."
Contemporary English Version
the Philistines called in their priests and fortunetellers, and asked, "What should we do with this sacred chest? Tell us how to send it back where it belongs!"
Complete Jewish Bible
The P'lishtim summoned the priests and soothsayers and asked them, "What are we to do with the ark of Adonai ? Tell us how to send it back where it belongs."
Darby Translation
And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do with the ark of Jehovah? tell us wherewith we shall send it to its place.
Easy-to-Read Version
The Philistines called their priests and magicians and said, "What must we do with the Lord 's Box? Tell us how to send it back home."
George Lamsa Translation
And the Philistines called for the priests and the lords, saying, What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us by what means shall we send it to its place.
Literal Translation
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.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the Philistynes called their prestes and soythsayers, and sayde: What shal we do with the Arke of the LORDE? Shewe vs, wher with shal we sende it vnto hir place?
American Standard Version
And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do with the ark of Jehovah? show us wherewith we shall send it to its place.
Bible in Basic English
And the Philistines sent for the priests and those who were wise in secret arts, and said to them, What are we to do with the ark of the Lord? How are we to send it away to its place?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the Philistines called for the priestes and the soothsayers, saying: What shall we do with the arke of the Lord? Tell vs wherewith we shall sende it home againe:
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying: 'What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? declare unto us wherewith we shall send it to its place.'
King James Version (1611)
And the Philistines called for the priests and the diuiners, saying, What shall we doe to the Arke of the Lord ? Tell vs wherewith we shall send it to his place?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the Philistines call their priests, and their prophets, and their enchanters, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the Lord? teach us wherewith we shall send it away to its place.
English Revised Version
And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? shew us wherewith we shall send it to its place.
Berean Standard Bible
the Philistines summoned the priests and diviners, saying, "What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how to send it back to its place."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and aftir these thingis Filisteis clepiden preestis and false dyuynours, and seiden, What schulen we do of the arke of God? Shewe ye to vs, hou we schulen sende it in to his place.
Young's Literal Translation
and the Philistines call for priests and for diviners, saying, `What do we do to the ark of Jehovah? let us know wherewith we send it to its place?'
Update Bible Version
And the Philistines called for the priests and the fortune-tellers, saying, What shall we do with the ark of Yahweh? show us with which we shall sent it to its place.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the LORD? tell us with what we shall send it to its place.
World English Bible
The Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, "What shall we do with the ark of Yahweh? Show us with which we shall send it to its place."
New King James Version
And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, "What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how we should send it to its place."
New Living Translation
Then the Philistines called in their priests and diviners and asked them, "What should we do about the Ark of the Lord ? Tell us how to return it to its own country."
New Life Bible
The Philistines called for the religious leaders and those who were wise in secret ways, saying, "What should we do with the special box of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it to its place."
New Revised Standard
Then the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, "What shall we do with the ark of the Lord ? Tell us what we should send with it to its place."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then called the Philistines for the priests and for the diviners, saying, What shall we do with the ark of Yahweh? Let us know, wherewith we shall send it to its own place.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying: What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? tell us how we are to send it back to its place. And they said:
Revised Standard Version
And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, "What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us with what we shall send it to its place."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, "What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how we shall send it to its place."

Contextual Overview

1 After the Lord 's Covenant Box had been in Philistia for seven months, 2 the people called the priests and the magicians and asked, "What shall we do with the Covenant Box of the Lord ? If we send it back where it belongs, what shall we send with it?" 3 They answered, "If you return the Covenant Box of the God of Israel, you must, of course, send with it a gift to him to pay for your sin. The Covenant Box must not go back without a gift. In this way you will be healed, and you will find out why he has kept on punishing you." 4 "What gift shall we send him?" the people asked. They answered, "Five gold models of tumors and five gold mice, one of each for each Philistine king. The same plague was sent on all of you and on the five kings. 5 You must make these models of the tumors and of the mice that are ravaging your country, and you must give honor to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will stop punishing you, your gods, and your land. 6 Why should you be stubborn, as the king of Egypt and the Egyptians were? Don't forget how God made fools of them until they let the Israelites leave Egypt. 7 So prepare a new wagon and two cows that have never been yoked; hitch them to the wagon and drive their calves back to the barn. 8 Take the Lord 's Covenant Box, put it on the wagon, and place in a box beside it the gold models that you are sending to him as a gift to pay for your sins. Start the wagon on its way and let it go by itself. 9 Then watch it go; if it goes toward the town of Beth Shemesh, this means that it is the God of the Israelites who has sent this terrible disaster on us. But if it doesn't, then we will know that he did not send the plague; it was only a matter of chance."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

called: Genesis 41:8, Exodus 7:11, Isaiah 47:12, Isaiah 47:13, Daniel 2:2, Daniel 5:7, Matthew 2:4

wherewith: Micah 6:6-9

Reciprocal: Judges 18:17 - the graven Jonah 1:11 - What

Cross-References

Genesis 3:6
The woman saw how beautiful the tree was and how good its fruit would be to eat, and she thought how wonderful it would be to become wise. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, and he also ate it.
Genesis 4:26
Seth had a son whom he named Enosh. It was then that people began using the Lord 's holy name in worship.
Genesis 6:1
When people had spread all over the world, and daughters were being born,
Genesis 6:2
some of the heavenly beings saw that these young women were beautiful, so they took the ones they liked.
Genesis 6:3
Then the Lord said, "I will not allow people to live forever; they are mortal. From now on they will live no longer than 120 years."
Genesis 6:4
In those days, and even later, there were giants on the earth who were descendants of human women and the heavenly beings. They were the great heroes and famous men of long ago.
Genesis 6:6
he was sorry that he had ever made them and put them on the earth. He was so filled with regret
Genesis 6:7
that he said, "I will wipe out these people I have created, and also the animals and the birds, because I am sorry that I made any of them."
Genesis 6:8
But the Lord was pleased with Noah.
Genesis 6:12
God looked at the world and saw that it was evil, for the people were all living evil lives.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the Philistines called for the priests and for the diviners,.... The one were skilled in the rites and ceremonies of religion, not only of their own, but of other nations, particularly of Israel; and that they were not strangers to the history and affairs of that people is plain from 1 Samuel 6:6 and the other were skilled in judicial astrology, and knowledge of future events, at least as they pretended to; and therefore were both thought fit persons to advise with on the occasion of the ark, and the circumstances they were in through that:

saying, what shall we do to the ark of the Lord? shall we send it back to its own land, or not? the Ekronites had moved it might be sent back, and the five lords sent for the priests and diviners to have their advice upon it, whether it was right or not, and what they should do to it, or with it; for if it was advisable to send it back, then another question follows:

tell us wherewith we shall send it to its place; whether on men's shoulders, or on horses or asses, or on a carriage; and whether just as it was taken, or with some presents with it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The word for “priest” here is the same as that used for the priests of the true God; that for diviners is everywhere used of idolatrous or superstitious divining. Three modes of divination are described Ezekiel 21:21-22, by arrows, by teraphim, and by the entrails of beasts. (Compare Exodus 7:11; Daniel 2:2).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 6:2. The diviners — קסמים kosemim, from קסם kasam, to presage or prognosticate. See Deuteronomy 18:10. In what their pretended art consisted, we know not.


 
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