Living to Please God

4 As for other matters, brothers and sisters,^(A) we instructed you how to live^(B) in order to please God,^(C) as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. ² For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

³ It is God’s will^(D) that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;^{(E) 4} that each of you should learn to control your own body^[a](F) in a way that is holy and honorable, ⁵ not in passionate lust^(G) like the pagans,^(H) who do not know God;^{(I) 6} and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.^[b](J) The Lord will punish^(K) all those who commit such sins,^(L) as we told you and warned you before. ⁷ For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.^{(M) 8} Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.^(N)

⁹ Now about your love for one another^(O) we do not need to write to you,^(P) for you yourselves have been taught by God^(Q) to love each other.^{(R) 10} And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia.^(S) Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more,^{(T) 11} and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands,^(U) just as we told you, ¹² so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders^(V) and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

Believers Who Have Died

¹³ Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed^(W) about those who sleep in death,^(X) so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.^{(Y) 14} For we believe that Jesus died and rose again,^(Z) and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.^{(AA) 15} According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord,^(AB) will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.^{(AC) 16} For the Lord himself will come down from heaven,^(AD) with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel^(AE) and with the trumpet call of God,^(AF) and the dead in Christ will rise first.^{(AG) 17} After that, we who are still alive and are left^(AH) will be caught up together with them in the clouds^(AI) to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord^(AJ) forever. ¹⁸ Therefore encourage one another^(AK) with these words.

Psalm 49^[a]

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

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) 2} Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon.^{(C) 3} When 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. ⁴ But 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. ⁵ That 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)

⁶ The 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) 7} When 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.” ⁸ So 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.

⁹ But 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] 10} So 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.” ¹¹ So 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. ¹² Those who did not die^(O) were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.

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^(P) 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;^(Q) by all means send a guilt offering^(R) to him. Then you will be healed, and you will know why his hand^(S) 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^(T) of the Philistine rulers, because the same plague^(U) has struck both you and your rulers. ⁵ Make models of the tumors^(V) and of the rats that are destroying the country, and give glory^(W) to Israel’s god. Perhaps he will lift his hand from you and your gods and your land. ⁶ Why do you harden^(X) your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? When Israel’s god dealt harshly with them,^(Y) did they^(Z) not send the Israelites out so they could go on their way?

⁷ “Now then, get a new cart^(AA) ready, with two cows that have calved and have never been yoked.^(AB) 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,^(AC) 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^(AD) 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^(AE) to the Lord. ¹⁵ The Levites^(AF) took down the ark of the Lord, together with the chest containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock.^(AG) On that day the people of Beth Shemesh^(AH) 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^(AI) 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^(AJ) some of the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy^[d] of them to death because they looked^(AK) 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^(AL) in the presence of the Lord, this holy^(AM) God? To whom will the ark go up from here?”

²¹ Then they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim,^(AN) saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to your town.” 7 ¹ So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark^(AO) of the Lord. They brought it to Abinadab’s^(AP) house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the Lord. ² The ark remained at Kiriath Jearim^(AQ) a long time—twenty years in all.

Samuel Subdues the Philistines at Mizpah

Then all the people of Israel turned back to the Lord.^{(AR) 3} So Samuel said to all the Israelites, “If you are returning^(AS) to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid^(AT) yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths^(AU) and commit^(AV) yourselves to the Lord and serve him only,^(AW) and he will deliver^(AX) you out of the hand of the Philistines.” ⁴ So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only.

⁵ Then Samuel^(AY) said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah,^(AZ) and I will intercede^(BA) with the Lord for you.” ⁶ When they had assembled at Mizpah,^(BB) they drew water and poured^(BC) it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” Now Samuel was serving as leader^[e](BD) of Israel at Mizpah.

⁷ When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. When the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid^(BE) because of the Philistines. ⁸ They said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying^(BF) out to the Lord our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.” ⁹ Then Samuel^(BG) took a suckling lamb and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him.^(BH)

¹⁰ While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered^(BI) with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic^(BJ) that they were routed before the Israelites. ¹¹ The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Kar.

¹² Then Samuel took a stone^(BK) and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer,^[f](BL) saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”

¹³ So the Philistines were subdued^(BM) and they stopped invading Israel’s territory. Throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines. ¹⁴ The towns from Ekron^(BN) to Gath that the Philistines had captured from Israel were restored to Israel, and Israel delivered the neighboring territory from the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.^(BO)

¹⁵ Samuel^(BP) continued as Israel’s leader^(BQ) all^(BR) the days of his life. ¹⁶ From year to year he went on a circuit from Bethel^(BS) to Gilgal^(BT) to Mizpah, judging^(BU) Israel in all those places. ¹⁷ But he always went back to Ramah,^(BV) where his home was, and there he also held court^(BW) for Israel. And he built an altar^(BX) there to the Lord.