Chapter 6

The Ark Is Returned. ¹ The ark of the Lord had been in the land of the Philistines seven months ² when they summoned priests and diviners to ask, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us what we should send back with it.” ³ They replied: “If you intend to send back the ark of the God of Israel, you must not send it alone, but must, by all means, make amends to God through a reparation offering.^[a] Then you will be healed, and will learn why God continues to afflict you.” ⁴ When asked further, “What reparation offering should be our amends to God?” they replied: “Five golden tumors and five golden mice to correspond to the number of Philistine leaders, since the same plague has struck all of you and your leaders. ⁵ Therefore, make images of the tumors and of the mice that are devastating your land and so give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps then God will lift his hand from you, your gods, and your land. ⁶ Why should you become stubborn, the way the Egyptians and Pharaoh were stubborn? Was it not after he had dealt ruthlessly with them that the Israelites were released and departed?^{(A) 7} So now set to work and make a new cart. Then take two milk cows that have not borne the yoke; hitch them to the cart, but drive their calves indoors away from them.^{[b](B) 8} You shall next take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart, putting the golden articles that you are offering as reparation for your guilt in a box beside it. Start it on its way, and let it go. ⁹ Then watch! If it goes up to Beth-shemesh^[c] along the route to the Lord’s territory, then it was the Lord who brought this great calamity upon us; if not, we will know that it was not the Lord’s hand, but a bad turn, that struck us.”

The Ark in Beth-shemesh. ¹⁰ They acted upon this advice. Taking two milk cows, they hitched them to the cart but shut up their calves indoors. ¹¹ Then they placed the ark of the Lord on the cart, along with the box containing the golden mice and the images of the tumors. ¹² The cows went straight for the route to Beth-shemesh and continued along this road, mooing as they went, turning neither right nor left. The Philistine leaders followed them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh. ¹³ The people of Beth-shemesh were harvesting the wheat in the valley. They looked up and rejoiced when they saw the ark. ¹⁴ The cart came to the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite and stopped there. At a large stone in the field, the wood of the cart was split up and the cows were offered as a burnt offering to the Lord.^{(C) 15} The Levites, meanwhile, had taken down the ark of God and the box beside it, with the golden articles, and had placed them on the great stone. The people of Beth-shemesh also offered other burnt offerings and sacrifices to the Lord that day.^{(D) 16} After witnessing this, the five Philistine leaders returned to Ekron the same day.

¹⁷ The golden tumors the Philistines sent back as a reparation offering to the Lord were as follows: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, and one for Ekron. ¹⁸ The golden mice, however, corresponded to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five leaders, including fortified cities and open villages.^[d] The large stone on which the ark of the Lord was placed is still in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite at the present time.^(E)

Penalty for Irreverence. ¹⁹ The descendants of Jeconiah did not join in the celebration with the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh when they saw the ark of the Lord, and seventy of them were struck down. The people mourned over this great calamity which the Lord had inflicted upon them. ²⁰ The men of Beth-shemesh asked, “Who can stand in the presence of the Lord, this Holy God? To whom can the ark go so that we are rid of it?” ²¹ They then sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord; come down and get it.”

Chapter 7

¹ So the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim came for the ark of the Lord and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, appointing his son Eleazar as guardian of the ark of the Lord.

Samuel the Judge. ² From the day the ark came to rest in Kiriath-jearim, a long time, twenty years, elapsed, and the whole house of Israel turned to the Lord. ³ Then Samuel addressed the whole house of Israel: “If you would return to the Lord with your whole heart, remove your foreign gods and your Astartes, fix your hearts on the Lord, and serve him alone, then the Lord will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.”^{(F) 4} So the Israelites removed their Baals and Astartes,^[e] and served the Lord alone. ⁵ Samuel then gave orders, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, that I may pray to the Lord for you.”^{(G) 6} When they had gathered at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out^[f] on the ground before the Lord, and they fasted that day, saying, “We have sinned against the Lord.” It was at Mizpah that Samuel began to judge the Israelites.^(H)

Rout of the Philistines. ⁷ When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, their leaders went up against Israel. Hearing this, the Israelites became afraid of the Philistines ⁸ and appealed to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, to save us from the hand of the Philistines.”^{(I) 9} Samuel therefore took an unweaned lamb and offered it whole as a burnt offering to the Lord.^(J) He cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. ¹⁰ While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near for battle with Israel. That day, however, the Lord thundered loudly against the Philistines, and threw them into such confusion that they were defeated by Israel.^{(K) 11} Thereupon the Israelites rushed out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, striking them down even beyond Beth-car. ¹² Samuel then took a stone and placed it between Mizpah and Jeshanah; he named it Ebenezer,^[g] explaining, “As far as this place the Lord has been our help.” ¹³ Thus were the Philistines subdued, never again to enter the territory of Israel, for the hand of the Lord was against them as long as Samuel lived.^{(L) 14} The cities from Ekron to Gath which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to them. Israel also freed the territory of these cities from Philistine domination. There was also peace between Israel and the Amorites.^[h]

¹⁵ Samuel judged Israel as long as he lived. ¹⁶ He made a yearly circuit, passing through Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpah^[i] and judging Israel at each of these places. ¹⁷ Then he used to return to Ramah, for that was his home. There, too, he judged Israel and built an altar to the Lord.^(M)

II. Establishment of the Monarchy

Chapter 8

Request for a King. ^1 [j]In his old age Samuel appointed his sons judges over Israel.^{(N) 2} His firstborn was named Joel, his second son, Abijah; they judged at Beer-sheba. ³ His sons did not follow his example, but looked to their own gain, accepting bribes and perverting justice.^{(O) 4} Therefore all the elders of Israel assembled and went to Samuel at Ramah ⁵ and said to him, “Now that you are old, and your sons do not follow your example, appoint a king over us, like all the nations, to rule us.”^(P)

⁶ Samuel was displeased when they said, “Give us a king to rule us.” But he prayed to the Lord. ⁷ The Lord said: Listen to whatever the people say. You are not the one they are rejecting. They are rejecting me as their king.^{(Q) 8} They are acting toward you just as they have acted from the day I brought them up from Egypt to this very day, deserting me to serve other gods. ⁹ Now listen to them; but at the same time, give them a solemn warning and inform them of the rights of the king who will rule them.

The Governance of the King. ¹⁰ Samuel delivered the message of the Lord in full to those who were asking him for a king. ¹¹ He told them: “The governance of the king who will rule you will be as follows: He will take your sons and assign them to his chariots and horses, and they will run before his chariot.^{(R) 12} He will appoint from among them his commanders of thousands and of hundreds. He will make them do his plowing and harvesting and produce his weapons of war and chariotry.^{(S) 13} He will use your daughters as perfumers, cooks, and bakers. ¹⁴ He will take your best fields, vineyards, and olive groves, and give them to his servants.^{(T) 15} He will tithe your crops and grape harvests to give to his officials^[k] and his servants.^{(U) 16} He will take your male and female slaves, as well as your best oxen and donkeys, and use them to do his work. ¹⁷ He will also tithe your flocks. As for you, you will become his slaves.^{(V) 18} On that day you will cry out because of the king whom you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you on that day.”

Persistent Demand. ¹⁹ The people, however, refused to listen to Samuel’s warning and said, “No! There must be a king over us.^{(W) 20} We too must be like all the nations, with a king to rule us, lead us in warfare, and fight our battles.” ²¹ Samuel listened to all the concerns of the people and then repeated them to the Lord. ²² The Lord said: Listen to them! Appoint a king to rule over them. Then Samuel said to the people of Israel, “Return, each one of you, to your own city.”^[l]

Shin

Taw

²¹ When Jesus had crossed again [in the boat] to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea.^{(A) 22} One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward.^(B) Seeing him he fell at his feet ²³ and pleaded earnestly with him, saying, “My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her^[a] that she may get well and live.” ²⁴ He went off with him, and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him.

²⁵ There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. ²⁶ She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse. ²⁷ She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. ^28 [b]She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” ²⁹ Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. ³⁰ Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?” ³¹ But his disciples said to him, “You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?’” ³² And he looked around to see who had done it. ³³ The woman, realizing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling. She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth. ³⁴ He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”^(C)

^35 [c]While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official’s house arrived and said, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?” ³⁶ Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” ³⁷ He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. ³⁸ When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official, he caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. ^39 [d](D)So he went in and said to them, “Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.” ⁴⁰ And they ridiculed him. Then he put them all out. He took along the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and entered the room where the child was. ^41 [e]He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” ⁴² The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. [At that] they were utterly astounded. ⁴³ He gave strict orders that no one should know this and said that she should be given something to eat.