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19 Forsooth the Lord smote of the men of Bethshemesh, for they had seen the ark of the Lord, and he smote of the people seventy men, and fifty thousand of the poor-all[a]. And the people mourned, for the Lord had smitten the people with [a] great vengeance. (But the Lord struck down the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked inside the Ark of the Lord, and so he struck down seventy men of the people there. And the people mourned, for the Lord had struck down the people with such a great slaughter.)

20 And men of Bethshemesh said, Who shall now stand in the sight of the Lord God of this holy thing, and to whom shall it go up from us? (And the men of Bethshemesh said, Who can now stand before the Lord, yea, this holy God, and to whom shall we send this Ark away from us?/and to whom shall he go away from us?)

21 And they sent messengers to the dwellers of Kiriathjearim, and said, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the Lord; come ye down, and lead it again to you. (And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriathjearim, who said, The Philistines have returned the Ark of the Lord; come ye down, and take it away with you.)

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 6:19 Hebrews understand thus the number of men slain here; they say that only seventy men were smitten, which were of so great (a) reputation, that they were (each) comparisoned to (almost) one thousand of the common people.