The Philistines and the Ark

5 When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from ^(A)Ebenezer to ^(B)Ashdod. ² Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside ^(C)Dagon. ³ And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, ^(D)Dagon had fallen face down on the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place. ⁴ But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face down on the ground before the ark of the Lord, ^(E)and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. ⁵ This is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon ^(F)do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.

^6 (G)The hand of the Lord was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with ^(H)tumours, both in Ashdod and its territory. ⁷ And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for his hand is hard against us and against Dagon our god.” ⁸ So they sent and gathered together all ^(I)the lords of the Philistines and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought round to Gath.” So they brought the ark of the God of Israel there. ⁹ But after they had brought it round, ^(J)the hand of the Lord was against the city, causing a very great panic, and he afflicted the men of the city, both young and old, so that ^(K)tumours broke out on them. ¹⁰ So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But as soon as the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought round to us the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people.” ^11 (L)They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people.” For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city. ^(M)The hand of God was very heavy there. ¹² The men who did not die were struck with ^(N)tumours, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

The Ark Returned to Israel

6 The ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines for seven months. ² And the Philistines called for the priests and ^(A)the diviners and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us with what we shall send it to its place.” ³ They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him ^(B)a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why ^(C)his hand does not turn away from you.” ⁴ And they said, “What is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?” They answered, “Five golden ^(D)tumours and five golden mice, ^(E)according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. ⁵ So you must make images of your ^(F)tumours and images of your mice that ravage the land, ^(G)and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps ^(H)he will lighten his hand from off you ^(I)and your gods and your land. ⁶ Why should you harden your hearts as ^(J)the Egyptians and ^(K)Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, ^(L)did they not send the people away, and they departed? ⁷ Now then, take and prepare ^(M)a new cart and two milk cows ^(N)on which there has never come a yoke, and yoke the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them. ⁸ And take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart and put in a box at its side ^(O)the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as ^(P)a guilt offering. Then send it off and let it go its way ⁹ and watch. If it goes up on the way to its own land, to ^(Q)Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm, but if not, then we shall know that it is not ^(R)his hand that struck us; it happened to us by coincidence.”

¹⁰ The men did so, and took two milk cows and yoked them to the cart and shut up their calves at home. ¹¹ And they put the ark of the Lord on the cart and the box with the golden mice and the images of their tumours. ¹² And the cows went straight in the direction of ^(S)Beth-shemesh along ^(T)one highway, lowing as they went. They turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of ^(U)Beth-shemesh. ¹³ Now the people of ^(V)Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And when they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they rejoiced to see it. ¹⁴ The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. ^(W)A great stone was there. And they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. ¹⁵ And the Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the box that was beside it, in which were the golden figures, and set them upon ^(X)the great stone. And the men of ^(Y)Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices on that day to the Lord. ¹⁶ And when ^(Z)the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron.

¹⁷ These are the golden tumours that the Philistines returned as a ^(AA)guilt offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron, ¹⁸ and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, ^(AB)both fortified cities and unwalled villages. ^(AC)The great stone beside which they set down the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.

^19 (AD)And he struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked upon the ark of the Lord. He struck seventy men of them,^[a] and the people mourned because the Lord had struck the people with a great blow. ²⁰ Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, ^(AE)“Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?” ²¹ So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of ^(AF)Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to you.”

Peace with God Through Faith

5 ^(A)Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, ^(B)we^[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. ² Through him we have also ^(C)obtained access by faith^[b] into this grace ^(D)in which we stand, and ^(E)we^[c] rejoice^[d] in hope of the glory of God. ³ More than that, we ^(F)rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering ^(G)produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵ and ^(H)hope does not put us to shame, because God's love ^(I)has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

⁶ For ^(J)while we were still weak, at the right time ^(K)Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— ⁸ but ^(L)God shows his love for us in that ^(M)while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Since, therefore, ^(N)we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from ^(O)the wrath of God. ¹⁰ For if ^(P)while we were enemies ^(Q)we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by ^(R)his life. ¹¹ More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received ^(S)reconciliation.

Death in Adam, Life in Christ

¹² Therefore, just as ^(T)sin came into the world through one man, and ^(U)death through sin, and ^(V)so death spread to all men because ^(W)all sinned— ¹³ for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but ^(X)sin is not counted where there is no law. ¹⁴ Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not ^(Y)like the transgression of Adam, ^(Z)who was a type of ^(AA)the one who was to come.

¹⁵ But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for ^(AB)many. ¹⁶ And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For ^(AC)the judgement following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought ^(AD)justification. ¹⁷ For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness ^(AE)reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

¹⁸ Therefore, as one trespass^[e] led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness^[f] leads to justification and life for ^(AF)all men. ¹⁹ For as by the one man's ^(AG)disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's ^(AH)obedience the many will be made righteous. ²⁰ Now ^(AI)the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, ^(AJ)grace abounded all the more, ²¹ so that, ^(AK)as sin reigned in death, ^(AL)grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Warning Against Going to Egypt

42 Then ^(A)all the commanders of the forces, and ^(B)Johanan the son of Kareah and Jezaniah the son of ^(C)Hoshaiah, and all the people ^(D)from the least to the greatest, came near ² and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Let ^(E)our plea for mercy come before you, and ^(F)pray to the Lord your God for us, for all ^(G)this remnant—^(H)because we are left with but a few, as your eyes see us— ³ that ^(I)the Lord your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing that we should do.” ⁴ Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Behold, I will pray to the Lord your God according to your request, and ^(J)whatever the Lord answers you I will tell you. ^(K)I will keep nothing back from you.” ⁵ Then they said to Jeremiah, ^(L)“May the Lord be a true and ^(M)faithful witness against us ^(N)if we do not act according to all the word ^(O)with which the Lord your God sends you to us. ⁶ Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, ^(P)that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.”

^7 (Q)At the end of ten days the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. ⁸ Then he summoned ^(R)Johanan the son of Kareah and ^(S)all the commanders of the forces who were with him, and all the people ^(T)from the least to the greatest, ⁹ and said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ^(U)to whom you sent me to present your plea for mercy before him: ¹⁰ If you will remain in this land, ^(V)then I will build you up and not pull you down; I will plant you, and not pluck you up; ^(W)for I relent of the disaster that I did to you. ^11 (X)Do not fear the king of Babylon, ^(Y)of whom you are afraid. ^(Z)Do not fear him, declares the Lord, ^(AA)for I am with you, to save you and to deliver you from his hand. ^12 (AB)I will grant you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and let you remain in your own land. ^13 (AC)But if you say, ‘We will not remain in this land’, disobeying the voice of the Lord your God ¹⁴ and saying, ‘No, ^(AD)we will go to the land of Egypt, where we shall not see war or ^(AE)hear the sound of the trumpet or ^(AF)be hungry for bread, and we will dwell there’, ¹⁵ then hear the word of the Lord, O remnant of Judah. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ^(AG)If you set your faces to enter Egypt ^(AH)and go to live there, ¹⁶ then the sword ^(AI)that you fear shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine of which you are afraid shall follow close after you to Egypt, ^(AJ)and there you shall die. ¹⁷ All the men who set their faces to go to Egypt to live there shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. They shall have ^(AK)no remnant or survivor from the disaster that I will bring upon them.

¹⁸ “For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ^(AL)As my anger and my wrath were poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so my wrath will be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. ^(AM)You shall become an execration, a horror, a curse, and a taunt. You shall see this place no more. ¹⁹ The Lord has said to you, O remnant of Judah, ^(AN)‘Do not go to Egypt.’ ^(AO)Know for a certainty that I have warned you this day ²⁰ that you have gone astray at the cost of your lives. ^(AP)For you sent me to the Lord your God, saying, ^(AQ)‘Pray for us to the Lord our God, and ^(AR)whatever the Lord our God says declare to us and we will do it.’ ²¹ And I have this day declared it to you, but you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God in anything ^(AS)that he sent me to tell you. ^22 (AT)Now therefore know for a certainty that you shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place where you desire to go to live.”