Font Size
1 Samuel 6
Expanded Bible
1 Samuel 6
Expanded Bible
The Ark of God Is Sent Home
6 The Philistines kept the ·Ark of God [4:3] in their ·land [territory; country] seven months. 2 Then the Philistines [4:1] called for their priests and ·magicians [diviners] and said, “What should we do with the Ark of the Lord? Tell us how to send it back ·home [to its place]!”
3 They answered, “If you send back the Ark of the God of Israel, don’t send it back ·empty [without a gift]. ·You must give [Return it to him with] a ·penalty [guilt] offering. If you are then healed, you will know that it was ·because of the Ark that you had such trouble [L his hand that has been lifted from you].”
4 The Philistines asked, “What kind of ·penalty [guilt] offering should we send to ·Israel’s God [L him]?”
They answered, “Make five gold ·models [likenesses; images] of the ·growths on your skin [tumors] and five gold ·models [likenesses; images] of ·rats [or mice]. ·The number of ·models [likenesses; images] must match the number of Philistine ·kings [rulers; lords], because the same ·sickness [plague] has ·come on [struck; afflicted] you and your ·kings [rulers; lords]. 5 Make ·models [likenesses; images] of the ·growths [tumors] and the ·rats [or mice] that are ·ruining [destroying; ravaging] the ·country [land], and give ·honor [glory] to Israel’s God. Then maybe he will ·stop being so hard on [L lift his hand from] you, your gods, and your ·land [country]. 6 ·Don’t be stubborn [L Why do you harden your hearts…?] like the ·king [L Pharaoh] of Egypt and the Egyptians [Ex. 7:13; 8:15; 9:34]. After God ·punished them terribly [brought disaster on; or made fools of them], ·they let the Israelites leave Egypt [L did they not send the Israelites out, and they departed?].
7 “You must ·build [prepare] a new cart and get two cows that have just had calves. These must be cows that have never had yokes on their necks. Hitch the cows to the cart, and take the calves ·home, away from their mothers [away from them and put them in a pen]. 8 Put the Ark of the Lord [4:3] on the cart and the gold ·models [likenesses; objects] you are sending him for the ·penalty [guilt] offering in a ·box [chest] beside the Ark. Then send the cart ·straight on its way [to go its own way]. 9 Watch the cart. If it goes toward Beth Shemesh [C a town on the border with Philistia about 24 miles west of Jerusalem] in ·Israel’s own land [its own territory], [then] the Lord has ·given us this great sickness [brought this great disaster/harm on us]. But if it doesn’t, we will know that ·Israel’s God has not punished us [it was not God’s hand that struck us]. It just happened by chance.”
10 ·The Philistines did what the priests and magicians said [L The men did so]. They took two cows that had just had calves and hitched them to the cart, but they kept their calves ·at home [in a pen]. 11 They put the Ark of the Lord and the ·box [chest] with the gold rats and ·models [likenesses; images] of ·growths [tumors] on the cart. 12 Then the cows went straight toward Beth Shemesh. They stayed on the road, ·mooing [lowing] all the way, and did not turn right or left. The Philistine ·kings [rulers; lords] followed the cows as far as the border of Beth Shemesh.
13 Now the people of Beth Shemesh were ·harvesting [reaping] their wheat in the valley. When they ·looked up [L raised their eyes] and saw the Ark of the Lord, they were ·very happy [joyful to see it]. 14 The cart came to the field belonging to Joshua of Beth Shemesh and stopped near a large rock. The people of Beth Shemesh chopped up the wood of the cart. Then they ·sacrificed [offered] the cows as burnt offerings to the Lord. 15 The Levites took down the Ark of the Lord and the ·box [chest] that had the gold ·models [likenesses; images], and they put both on the large rock. That day the people of Beth Shemesh offered whole burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord. 16 After the five Philistine ·kings [rulers; lords] saw this, they went back to Ekron [5:10] the same day.
17 The Philistines had sent these gold ·models [likenesses; images] of the ·growths [tumors] as ·penalty [guilt] offerings to the Lord. They sent one ·model [likeness; image] for each Philistine town: Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron [C the five chief cities of Philistia]. 18 And the Philistines also sent gold ·models [likenesses; images] of ·rats [or mice]. The number of ·rats [or mice] matched the number of towns belonging to the Philistine ·kings [rulers; lords], including both ·strong, walled [fortified] cities and country villages. The large rock on which they put the Ark of the Lord is still there [as a witness] in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.
19 But some of the men of Beth Shemesh looked into the Ark of the Lord. So God killed seventy of them. The people of Beth Shemesh ·cried [mourned] because the Lord had struck them ·down [so heavily; with a great slaughter]. 20 ·They [L The men of Beth Shemesh] said, “Who can stand ·before [in the presence of] the Lord, this holy God? ·Whom will he strike next [or To whom shall he/it go next]?”
21 Then they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim [C a town nine miles north of Jerusalem], saying, “The Philistines have ·brought back [returned] the Ark of the Lord. Come down and take it to your city.”
1 Samuel 6
New International Version
1 Samuel 6
New International Version
The Ark Returned to Israel
6 When the ark of the Lord had been in Philistine territory seven months, 2 the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners(A) and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it back to its place.”
3 They answered, “If you return the ark of the god of Israel, do not send it back to him without a gift;(B) by all means send a guilt offering(C) to him. Then you will be healed, and you will know why his hand(D) has not been lifted from you.”
4 The Philistines asked, “What guilt offering should we send to him?”
They replied, “Five gold tumors and five gold rats, according to the number(E) of the Philistine rulers, because the same plague(F) has struck both you and your rulers. 5 Make models of the tumors(G) and of the rats that are destroying the country, and give glory(H) to Israel’s god. Perhaps he will lift his hand from you and your gods and your land. 6 Why do you harden(I) your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? When Israel’s god dealt harshly with them,(J) did they(K) not send the Israelites out so they could go on their way?
7 “Now then, get a new cart(L) ready, with two cows that have calved and have never been yoked.(M) Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up. 8 Take the ark of the Lord and put it on the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending back to him as a guilt offering. Send it on its way, 9 but keep watching it. If it goes up to its own territory, toward Beth Shemesh,(N) then the Lord has brought this great disaster on us. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us but that it happened to us by chance.”
10 So they did this. They took two such cows and hitched them to the cart and penned up their calves. 11 They placed the ark of the Lord on the cart and along with it the chest containing the gold rats and the models of the tumors. 12 Then the cows went straight up toward Beth Shemesh, keeping on the road and lowing all the way; they did not turn to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth Shemesh.
13 Now the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat(O) in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the sight. 14 The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and there it stopped beside a large rock. The people chopped up the wood of the cart and sacrificed the cows as a burnt offering(P) to the Lord. 15 The Levites(Q) took down the ark of the Lord, together with the chest containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock.(R) On that day the people of Beth Shemesh(S) offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord. 16 The five rulers of the Philistines saw all this and then returned that same day to Ekron.
17 These are the gold tumors the Philistines sent as a guilt offering to the Lord—one each(T) for Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron. 18 And the number of the gold rats was according to the number of Philistine towns belonging to the five rulers—the fortified towns with their country villages. The large rock on which the Levites set the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.
19 But God struck down(U) some of the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy[a] of them to death because they looked(V) into the ark of the Lord. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the Lord had dealt them. 20 And the people of Beth Shemesh asked, “Who can stand(W) in the presence of the Lord, this holy(X) God? To whom will the ark go up from here?”
21 Then they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim,(Y) saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to your town.”
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 6:19 A few Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint 50,070
1 Samuel 6
Nueva Biblia Viva
1 Samuel 6
Nueva Biblia Viva
Los filisteos devuelven el cofre a Israel
6 El cofre estuvo en el país de los filisteos durante siete meses en total.
2 Los filisteos llamaron a sus sacerdotes y adivinos y les preguntaron:
―¿Qué haremos con el cofre del Señor? ¿De qué manera podemos devolverlo a su tierra?
3 ―Sí, devolvámoslo con un presente —dijeron todos—. Si quieren devolverlo, deben enviarlo con una ofrenda por la falta a fin de que se detenga la plaga. Si no se detiene sabremos que el Señor no envió la plaga sobre nosotros.
4-5 ―¿Y qué expiación enviaremos? —preguntaron.
Y les respondieron:
―Envíen figuras de oro de los tumores y de las ratas que están asolando la tierra. Cinco figuras de los tumores y cinco de las ratas por cada uno de ustedes y por los príncipes. Si envían este presente y luego honran al Dios de Israel, quizás él deje de asolarlos a ustedes, a su dios y a su tierra. 6 No sean soberbios ni rebeldes como el faraón y los egipcios. Ellos no quisieron dejar salir a Israel hasta que Dios los destruyó con plagas terribles. 7 Hagan, pues, un carro nuevo y consigan dos vacas que estén criando, vacas que no hayan sido enyugadas antes, y guarden sus becerros en el establo. 8 Coloquen el cofre del Señor sobre el carro junto a la caja que contendrá los modelos de oro de las ratas y de los diviesos y luego dejen que las vacas vayan por el camino que quieran. 9 Si cruzan la frontera de nuestra tierra y entran en Bet Semes, que es territorio de ellos, sabremos que fue el Señor quien envió este gran mal sobre nosotros; pero si no, si las vacas regresan a buscar a sus becerros, sabremos que la plaga fue simplemente una coincidencia y que no fue enviada por el Señor.
10 Siguieron las instrucciones: dos vacas nuevas fueron uncidas al carro, y encerraron en el establo sus becerros. 11 Entonces colocaron el cofre del Señor y la caja que contenía las ratas de oro y los diviesos de oro sobre el carro. 12 Las vacas tomaron el camino derecho hacia Bet Semes, y mugían mientras avanzaban; las autoridades filisteas las siguieron hasta la frontera misma de Bet Semes. 13 Los de Bet Semes, que cosechaban el trigo en el valle, cuando vieron el cofre, salieron gozosos a su encuentro.
14 El carro entró en el campo de un hombre llamado Josué y se detuvo junto a una gran roca. Entonces el pueblo partió la madera del carro para encender fuego, y mató las vacas y las sacrificó al Señor como holocausto. 15 Varios hombres de la tribu de Leví levantaron el cofre y la caja que contenía las ofrendas de oro y los sacaron del carro y los pusieron sobre la roca. Aquel día los hombres de Bet Semes ofrecieron muchos holocaustos y sacrificios al Señor.
16 Después que los cinco dirigentes filisteos observaron lo sucedido, regresaron a Ecrón aquel mismo día. 17 Las cinco figuras de tumores enviadas por los filisteos como expiación al Señor eran presentes de los jefes de las ciudades principales: Asdod, Gaza, Ascalón, Gat y Ecrón. 18 Las ratas de oro fueron para aplacar al Señor por las demás ciudades filisteas, fueran ciudades fortificadas o pueblos satélites controlados por las cinco capitales. Como prueba puede verse hasta hoy la gran roca de Bet Semes en el campo de Josué. 19 Pero el Señor dio muerte a setenta hombres de Bet Semes porque se atrevieron a mirar dentro del cofre. Y el pueblo hizo duelo a causa de los muchos que el Señor había matado. 20 «¿Quién puede estar delante del Señor de este Dios Santo? —gritaban—. ¿A dónde podemos enviar el cofre desde aquí?». 21 Y enviaron mensajeros a los habitantes de Quiriat Yearín y les dijeron que los filisteos habían devuelto el cofre del Señor. «Vengan y llévenselo» —les rogaron.
Expanded Bible (EXB)
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
Nueva Biblia Viva (NBV)
Nueva Biblia Viva, © 2006, 2008 por Biblica, Inc.® Usado con permiso de Biblica, Inc.® Reservados todos los derechos en todo el mundo.