1 Samuel 6:1-7
New American Standard Bible
The Ark Returned to Israel
6 Now the ark of the Lord had been in the territory of the Philistines for seven months. 2 And (A)the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What are we to do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us [a]how we may send it to its place.” 3 And they said, “If you are going to send the ark of the God of Israel away, (B)do not send it empty; but you shall certainly (C)return to Him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be revealed to you why His hand does not leave you.” 4 Then they said, “What is to be the guilt offering that we shall return to Him?” And they said, “Five gold (D)tumors and five gold mice (E)corresponding to the number of the governors of the Philistines, since one plague was on all of [b]you and on your governors. 5 So you shall make likenesses of your tumors and likenesses of your mice that are ruining the land, and (F)you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps (G)He will lighten His hand from you, (H)your gods, and your land. 6 Why then do you harden your hearts (I)as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He had severely dealt with them, (J)did they not let [c]the people go, and they left? 7 Now then, take and (K)prepare a new cart and two milk cows on which there (L)has never been a yoke; and hitch the cows to the cart and take their calves back home, away from them.
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- 1 Samuel 6:2 Or what...send with it
- 1 Samuel 6:4 Lit them
- 1 Samuel 6:6 Lit them
1 Samuel 6:1-7
King James Version
6 And the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
2 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.
3 And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you.
4 Then said they, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.
5 Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.
6 Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed?
7 Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them:
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1 Samuel 6:1-7
Living Bible
6 The Ark remained in the Philistine country for seven months in all. 2 Then the Philistines called for their priests and diviners and asked them, “What shall we do about the Ark of God? What sort of gift shall we send with it when we return it to its own land?”
3 “Yes, send it back with a gift,” they were told. “Send a guilt offering so that the plague will stop. Then, if it doesn’t, you will know God didn’t send the plague upon you after all.”
4-5 “What guilt offering shall we send?” they asked.
And they were told, “Send five gold models of the tumor caused by the plague, and five gold models of the rats that have ravaged the whole land—the capital cities and villages alike. If you send these gifts and then praise the God of Israel, perhaps he will stop persecuting you and your god. 6 Don’t be stubborn and rebellious as Pharaoh and the Egyptians were. They wouldn’t let Israel go until God had destroyed them with dreadful plagues. 7 Now build a new cart and hitch to it two cows that have just had calves—cows that never before have been yoked—and shut their calves away from them in the barn.
Read full chapterNew American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.