Study Desk

Now when the ark of the covenant of Yahweh arrived at the camp, all Israel let out a loud shout so that the earth shook.

So the Philistines were afraid, for they said, "God has come to the camp." And they said, "Woe to us, for this has never happened before!

So the Philistines fought and Israel was defeated and each man fled to his tent, for the slaughter was very great. Thirty thousand foot soldiers from Israel fell.

When the Ashdodites got up early the next morning, there was Dagon fallen with his face to the ground before the ark of Yahweh! So they took Dagon and returned him to his place.

The men of Ashdod saw that it was so, and they said, "The ark of the God of Israel should not remain with us, because his hand is harsh on us and on Dagon our god!"

So they sent and gathered all the rulers of the Philistines to them, and they asked, "What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?" And they said, "Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around toward Gath." So they moved the ark of the God of Israel to Gath.

So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But when the ark of God came to Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, saying, "They have brought around the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people!"

So they sent and gathered all the rulers of the Philistines, and they said, "Send away the ark of the God of Israel and let it return to its place, so that it will not kill us and our people." For a deadly confusion was throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.

The men who did not die were struck with the tumors, so that the cry of the city for help went up to heaven.

Why should you harden your hearts like the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their heart? Is it not just like when he dealt with them wantonly so that they sent them away and they left?

So then, prepare one new utility cart and two milking cows that have never had a yoke on them, and you must harness the cows to the utility cart and then turn their calves from following them to their stall.

And you must take the ark of Yahweh and place it on the utility cart with the gold objects that you are returning to him as a guilt offering. You must place them in the container beside the ark and then send it off so that it goes away.

So the men did so; they took two milking cows and harnessed them to the utility cart, but they shut up their calves in the stall.

He struck seventy men among the men of Beth Shemesh because they looked into the ark of Yahweh. So the people mourned because Yahweh had struck a great blow among the people.

So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath Jearim saying, "The Philistines have returned the ark of Yahweh. Come down and take it up to yourselves."

So the Israelites removed the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and they served Yahweh alone.

So they gathered to Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before Yahweh. They fasted on that day and said there, "We have sinned against Yahweh!" So Samuel judged the Israelites at Mizpah.

Then the Israelites said to Samuel, "You must not cease from crying out to Yahweh our God, so that he will deliver us from the hand of the Philistines."

So Samuel took a single nursing lamb and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to Yahweh. Then Samuel cried out to Yahweh on behalf of Israel, and Yahweh answered him.

While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near for the battle against Israel. But Yahweh thundered against the Philistines with a great noise on that day and threw them into confusion so that they were defeated before Israel.