Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options

1 Samuel 5:6-6:9
New English Translation

6 The Lord attacked[a] the residents of Ashdod severely, bringing devastation on them. He struck the people of[b] both Ashdod and the surrounding area with sores.[c] 7 When the people[d] of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel should not remain with us, for he has attacked[e] both us and our god Dagon!”

8 So they assembled[f] all the leaders of the Philistines and asked, “What should we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They replied, “The ark of the God of Israel should be moved to Gath.” So they moved the ark of the God of Israel.

9 But after it had been moved the Lord attacked[g] that city as well, causing a great deal of panic. He struck all the people of that city[h] with sores.[i] 10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron.

But when the ark of God arrived at Ekron, the residents of Ekron cried out saying, “They have brought the ark of the God of Israel here[j] to kill our[k] people!” 11 So they assembled[l] all the leaders of the Philistines and said, “Get the ark of the God of Israel out of here! Let it go back to its own place so that it won’t kill us[m] and our[n] people!” The terror[o] of death was throughout the entire city; God was attacking them very severely there.[p] 12 The people[q] who did not die were struck with sores; the city’s cry for help went all the way up to heaven.

The Philistines Return the Ark

6 When the ark of the Lord had been in the land[r] of the Philistines for seven months,[s] 2 the Philistines called the priests and the omen readers, saying, “What should we do with the ark of the Lord? Advise us as to how we should send it back to its place.”

3 They replied, “If you are going to send the ark of[t] the God of Israel back, don’t send it away empty. Be sure to return it with a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and you will understand why his hand has not been removed from you.” 4 They inquired, “What is the guilt offering that we should send to him?”

They replied, “The Philistine leaders number five. So send five gold sores and five gold mice, for it is the same plague that has afflicted both you and your leaders. 5 You should make images of the sores and images of the mice[u] that are destroying the land. You should honor the God of Israel. Perhaps he will release his grip on you, your gods, and your land.[v] 6 Why harden your hearts like the Egyptians and Pharaoh did?[w] When God[x] treated them harshly, didn’t the Egyptians send the Israelites on their way?[y] 7 So now go and make a new cart. Get two cows that have calves and that have never had a yoke placed on them. Harness the cows to the cart, and take their calves from them back to their stalls. 8 Then take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart, and put in a chest beside it the gold objects you are sending to him as a guilt offering. You should then send it on its way. 9 But keep an eye on it. If it should go up by the way of its own border to Beth Shemesh, then he has brought this great calamity on us. But if that is not the case, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us; rather, it just happened to us by accident.”

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 5:6 tn Heb “the hand of the Lord was heavy upon.”
  2. 1 Samuel 5:6 tn The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  3. 1 Samuel 5:6 tc The LXX and Vulgate add the following: “And mice multiplied in their land, and the terror of death was throughout the entire city.”tn Or “tumors” (so ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NCV “growths on their skin”; KJV “emerods”; NAB “hemorrhoids.”
  4. 1 Samuel 5:7 tn Heb “men.”
  5. 1 Samuel 5:7 tn Heb “for his hand is severe upon.”
  6. 1 Samuel 5:8 tn Heb “and they sent and gathered.”
  7. 1 Samuel 5:9 tn Heb “the hand of the Lord was against the city.”
  8. 1 Samuel 5:9 tn Heb “and he struck the men of the city from small and to great.”
  9. 1 Samuel 5:9 tn See the note on this term in v. 6. Cf. KJV “and they had emerods in their secret parts.”
  10. 1 Samuel 5:10 tn Heb “to me.”
  11. 1 Samuel 5:10 tn Heb “my.”
  12. 1 Samuel 5:11 tn Heb “and they sent and gathered.”
  13. 1 Samuel 5:11 tn Heb “me.”
  14. 1 Samuel 5:11 tn Heb “my.”
  15. 1 Samuel 5:11 tn Or “panic.”
  16. 1 Samuel 5:11 tn Heb “the hand of God was very heavy there.”
  17. 1 Samuel 5:12 tn Heb “men.”
  18. 1 Samuel 6:1 tn Heb “field.”
  19. 1 Samuel 6:1 tc The LXX adds “and their land swarmed with mice.”
  20. 1 Samuel 6:3 tc The LXX and a Qumran ms add “the covenant of the Lord.”
  21. 1 Samuel 6:5 tn Heb “your mice.” A Qumran ms has simply “the mice.”
  22. 1 Samuel 6:5 tn Heb “Perhaps he will lighten his hand from upon you and from upon your gods and from upon your land.”
  23. 1 Samuel 6:6 tn Heb “like Egypt and Pharaoh hardened their heart.”
  24. 1 Samuel 6:6 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  25. 1 Samuel 6:6 tn Heb “and they sent them away and they went.”
Next
1 Samuel 4
1 Samuel 7
Next
dropdown
New English Translation (NET)

NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.