1 Samuel 5

New International Version

The Ark in Ashdod and Ekron

5 After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer^(A) to Ashdod.^(B) ²Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon.^(C) ³When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen^(D) on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! They took Dagon and put him back in his place. ⁴But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! His head and hands had been broken^(E) off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained. ⁵That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor any others who enter Dagon’s temple at Ashdod step on the threshold.^(F)

⁶The Lord’s hand^(G) was heavy on the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; he brought devastation^(H) on them and afflicted them with tumors.^[a]^(I) ⁷When the people of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the god of Israel must not stay here with us, because his hand is heavy on us and on Dagon our god.” ⁸So they called together all the rulers^(J) of the Philistines and asked them, “What shall we do with the ark of the god of Israel?”

They answered, “Have the ark of the god of Israel moved to Gath.^(K)” So they moved the ark of the God of Israel.

⁹But after they had moved it, the Lord’s hand was against that city, throwing it into a great panic.^(L) He afflicted the people of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors.^[b] ¹⁰So they sent the ark of God to Ekron.^(M)

As the ark of God was entering Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought the ark of the god of Israel around to us to kill us and our people.” ¹¹So they called together all the rulers^(N) of the Philistines and said, “Send the ark of the god of Israel away; let it go back to its own place, or it^[c] will kill us and our people.” For death had filled the city with panic; God’s hand was very heavy on it. ¹²Those who did not die^(O) were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.

Footnotes

1 Samuel 5:6 Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate tumors. And rats appeared in their land, and there was death and destruction throughout the city
1 Samuel 5:9 Or with tumors in the groin (see Septuagint)
1 Samuel 5:11 Or he

Job 22

New International Version

Eliphaz

22 Then Eliphaz the Temanite^(A) replied:

²“Can a man be of benefit to God?^(B)
Can even a wise person benefit him?^(C)
³What pleasure^(D) would it give the Almighty if you were righteous?^(E)
What would he gain if your ways were blameless?^(F)

⁴“Is it for your piety that he rebukes you
    and brings charges against you?^(G)
⁵Is not your wickedness great?
    Are not your sins^(H) endless?^(I)
⁶You demanded security^(J) from your relatives for no reason;^(K)
    you stripped people of their clothing, leaving them naked.^(L)
⁷You gave no water^(M) to the weary
    and you withheld food from the hungry,^(N)
⁸though you were a powerful man, owning land^(O)—
    an honored man,^(P) living on it.^(Q)
⁹And you sent widows^(R) away empty-handed^(S)
    and broke the strength of the fatherless.^(T)
¹⁰That is why snares^(U) are all around you,^(V)
    why sudden peril terrifies you,^(W)
¹¹why it is so dark^(X) you cannot see,
    and why a flood of water covers you.^(Y)

¹²“Is not God in the heights of heaven?^(Z)
    And see how lofty are the highest stars!
¹³Yet you say, ‘What does God know?^(AA)
    Does he judge through such darkness?^(AB)
¹⁴Thick clouds^(AC) veil him, so he does not see us^(AD)
    as he goes about in the vaulted heavens.’^(AE)
¹⁵Will you keep to the old path
    that the wicked^(AF) have trod?^(AG)
¹⁶They were carried off before their time,^(AH)
    their foundations^(AI) washed away by a flood.^(AJ)
¹⁷They said to God, ‘Leave us alone!
    What can the Almighty do to us?’^(AK)
¹⁸Yet it was he who filled their houses with good things,^(AL)
    so I stand aloof from the plans of the wicked.^(AM)
¹⁹The righteous see their ruin and rejoice;^(AN)
    the innocent mock^(AO) them, saying,
²⁰‘Surely our foes are destroyed,^(AP)
    and fire^(AQ) devours their wealth.’

²¹“Submit to God and be at peace^(AR) with him;^(AS)
    in this way prosperity will come to you.^(AT)
²²Accept instruction from his mouth^(AU)
    and lay up his words^(AV) in your heart.^(AW)
²³If you return^(AX) to the Almighty, you will be restored:^(AY)
    If you remove wickedness far from your tent^(AZ)
²⁴and assign your nuggets^(BA) to the dust,
    your gold^(BB) of Ophir^(BC) to the rocks in the ravines,^(BD)
²⁵then the Almighty will be your gold,^(BE)
    the choicest silver for you.^(BF)
²⁶Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty^(BG)
    and will lift up your face^(BH) to God.^(BI)
²⁷You will pray to him,^(BJ) and he will hear you,^(BK)
    and you will fulfill your vows.^(BL)
²⁸What you decide on will be done,^(BM)
    and light^(BN) will shine on your ways.^(BO)
²⁹When people are brought low^(BP) and you say, ‘Lift them up!’
    then he will save the downcast.^(BQ)
³⁰He will deliver even one who is not innocent,^(BR)
    who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”^(BS)

3 John

New International Version

¹The elder,^(A)

To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

²Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. ³It gave me great joy when some believers^(B) came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it.^(C) ⁴I have no greater joy than to hear that my children^(D) are walking in the truth.^(E)

⁵Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters,^[a]^(F) even though they are strangers to you.^(G) ⁶They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way^(H) in a manner that honors^(I) God. ⁷It was for the sake of the Name^(J) that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans.^(K) ⁸We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.

⁹I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. ¹⁰So when I come,^(L) I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers.^(M) He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.^(N)

¹¹Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good.^(O) Anyone who does what is good is from God.^(P) Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.^(Q) ¹²Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone^(R)—and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.^(S)