1: And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the
Philistines seven months. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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? |
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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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8: And take the ark of the LORD, and lay it upon the cart; and
put the jewels of gold, which ye return him for a trespass offering, in
a coffer by the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go. |
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9: And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Beth-shemesh,
then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know
that is not his hand that smote us; it was a chance that happened to us.
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10: And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to
the cart, and shut up their calves at home: |
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11: And they laid the ark of the LORD upon the cart, and the
coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods. |
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12: And the kine took the straight way to the way of Beth-shemesh,
and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to
the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went
after them unto the border of Beth-shemesh. |
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13: And they of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in
the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced
to see it. |
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14: And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Beth-shemite,
and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they clave the wood
of the cart, and offered the kine a burnt offering unto the LORD. |
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15: And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD, and the coffer
that was with it, wherein the jewels of gold were, and put them on the
great stone: and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and
sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the LORD. |
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16: And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they
returned to Ekron the same day. |
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17: And these are the golden emerods which the Philistines
returned for a trespass offering unto the LORD; for Ashdod one, for Gaza
one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one; |
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18: And the golden mice, according to the number of all the
cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fenced
cities, and of country villages, even unto the great stone of Abel,
whereon they set down the ark of the LORD: which stone remaineth unto
this day in the field of Joshua, the Beth-shemite. |
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19: And he smote the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked
into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and
threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had
smitten many of the people with a great slaughter. |
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20: And the men of Beth-emesh said, Who is able to stand before
this holy LORD God? and to whom shall he go up from us? |
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21: And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim,
saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD; come ye
down, and fetch it up to you. |