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Yahweh’s Hand Against the Philistines
5 Now the Philistines took the ark of God and (A)brought it from Ebenezer to (B)Ashdod. 2 Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it to (C)the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon. 3 Then the Ashdodites arose early the next morning, and behold, (D)Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of Yahweh. So they took Dagon and (E)set him in his place again. 4 But they arose early the next morning, and behold, (F)Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of Yahweh. And the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold; [a]only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. 5 Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor all who enter Dagon’s house (G)tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
6 Now (H)the hand of Yahweh was glorious against the Ashdodites, and (I)He made them desolate and struck them with (J)tumors, both Ashdod and its territories. 7 Thus the men of Ashdod saw that it was so and said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is severe on us and on Dagon our god.” 8 So they sent and (K)gathered all the lords of the Philistines to them and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” And they said, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath.” And they brought the ark of the God of Israel around. 9 Now it happened after they had brought it around, that (L)the hand of Yahweh was against the city with very great confusion; and He struck the men of the city, both young and old, so that (M)tumors broke out on them. 10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And as the ark of God came to Ekron the Ekronites cried out, saying, “They have brought the ark of the God of Israel around to [b]us, to put [c]us and [d]our people to death.” 11 They (N)sent therefore and gathered 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, so that it will not put [e]us and [f]our people to death.” For there was a deadly confusion throughout the city; (O)the hand of God was very glorious there. 12 Now the men who did not die were struck with tumors and (P)the cry of the city went up to heaven.
The Ark Returned to Israel
6 Now the ark of Yahweh had been in the [g]fields of the Philistines seven months. 2 And (Q)the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the ark of Yahweh? Make us know [h]how we shall send it to its place.” 3 So they said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, (R)do not send it empty; but you shall surely (S)return to Him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why His hand is not turned away from you.” 4 Then they said, “What shall be the guilt offering which we shall return to Him?” And they said, “Five golden (T)tumors and five golden mice (U)according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for one plague was on all of [i]you and on your lords. 5 So you shall make likenesses of your tumors and likenesses of your mice that bring the land to ruin, and (V)you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps (W)He will ease His hand from you, (X)your gods, and your land. 6 Why then do you [j]harden your hearts (Y)as the Egyptians and Pharaoh [k]hardened their hearts? When He had abused them, (Z)did they not allow [l]the people to go, and they went? 7 So now, take and (AA)make a new cart and two milch cows on which there (AB)has never been a yoke; and hitch the cows to the cart and take their calves home, away from them. 8 And take the ark of Yahweh and place it on the cart; and put (AC)the articles of gold which you return to Him as (AD)a guilt offering in a box by its side. Then send it away that it may go. 9 See, if it goes up by the way of its own territory to (AE)Beth-shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then (AF)we will know that it was not His hand that smote us; it happened to us by chance.”
10 Then the men did so and took two milch cows and hitched them to the cart and shut up their calves at home. 11 And they put the ark of Yahweh on the cart, as well as the box with the golden mice and the likenesses of their tumors. 12 And the cows took the straight way in the [m]direction of (AG)Beth-shemesh; they went along (AH)the highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right or to the left. And the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth-shemesh.
13 Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley, and they raised their eyes and saw the ark and were glad to see it. 14 And the cart came into the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite and stood there, and a large stone was there; and they split the wood of the cart and (AI)offered the cows as a burnt offering to Yahweh. 15 (AJ)And the Levites took down the ark of Yahweh and the box that was with it, in which were the articles of gold, and put them on the large stone; and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices that day to Yahweh. 16 So the (AK)five lords of the Philistines saw it and returned to Ekron that day.
17 (AL)Now these are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned for a guilt offering to Yahweh: 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, (AM)both of fortified cities and of country villages. (AN)The large [n]stone on which they set the ark of Yahweh is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite.
19 (AO)Then He struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of Yahweh. He struck down of all the people, 50,070 men, and the people mourned because Yahweh had struck the people with a great slaughter. 20 And the men of Beth-shemesh said, “(AP)Who is able to stand before Yahweh, this holy God? And to whom shall He go up from us?” 21 So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of (AQ)Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought back the ark of Yahweh; come down and take it up to you.”
7 And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and brought the ark of Yahweh up and (AR)brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill and set apart Eleazar his son as holy in order to keep the ark of Yahweh. 2 Now it happened from the day when the ark remained at Kiriath-jearim, that the time was long; it was twenty years. And all the house of Israel lamented after Yahweh.
Samuel Judges Israel
3 Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “(AS)If you are to return to Yahweh with all your heart, then (AT)remove the foreign gods and the (AU)Ashtaroth from among you and (AV)set your hearts toward Yahweh and (AW)serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the sons of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth and served Yahweh alone.
5 Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to (AX)Mizpah, and (AY)I will pray to Yahweh for you.” 6 And they gathered to Mizpah and drew water and (AZ)poured it out before Yahweh and (BA)fasted on that day and said there, “(BB)We have sinned against Yahweh.” And Samuel judged the sons of Israel at Mizpah.
7 Then the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel had gathered to Mizpah. And the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. Then the sons of Israel heard it and (BC)were afraid of the Philistines. 8 So the sons of Israel said to Samuel, “(BD)Do not cease to cry out to Yahweh our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” 9 And Samuel took (BE)a suckling lamb and offered it for a whole burnt offering to Yahweh; and Samuel cried out to Yahweh for Israel, and (BF)Yahweh answered him. 10 Now Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, and the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But (BG)Yahweh thundered with a great [o]thunder on that day against the Philistines and (BH)confused them, so that they were [p]defeated before Israel. 11 So the men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them down as far as below Beth-car.
12 Then Samuel (BI)took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and he named it [q]Ebenezer. And he said, “Thus far Yahweh has helped us.” 13 (BJ)So the Philistines were subdued, and (BK)they did not come anymore within the border of Israel. And the hand of Yahweh was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14 And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even to Gath; and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. So there was peace between Israel and (BL)the Amorites.
15 Thus Samuel (BM)judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 And he used to go annually on circuit to (BN)Bethel and (BO)Gilgal and (BP)Mizpah, and he judged Israel in all these places. 17 But his return would be to (BQ)Ramah, for his house was there, and there he judged Israel; and he (BR)built there an altar to Yahweh.
Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
6 After these things (A)Jesus went away to the other side of (B)the Sea of Galilee (or (C)Tiberias). 2 Now a large crowd was following Him, because they were seeing the [a](D)signs which He was doing on those who were sick. 3 Then (E)Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He was sitting down with His disciples. 4 Now (F)the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. 5 Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, *said to (G)Philip, “Where should we buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 And this He was saying to (H)test him, for He Himself knew what He was going to do. 7 (I)Philip answered Him, “(J)Two hundred [b]denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.” 8 One of His (K)disciples, (L)Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, *said to Him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two (M)fish, but what are these for so many people?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people [c]sit down.” Now there was (N)much grass in the place. So the men [d]sat down, in number about (O)five thousand. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and (P)having given thanks, He distributed them to those who were seated; likewise also of the (Q)fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they were filled, He *said to His (R)disciples, “Gather up the leftover pieces so that nothing will be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up, and filled twelve (S)baskets with pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. 14 Therefore when the people saw the [e]sign which He had done, they were saying, “This is truly the (T)Prophet who is to come into the world.”
Jesus Walks on the Sea
15 So Jesus, knowing that they were going to come and take Him by force (U)to make Him king, (V)withdrew again to (W)the mountain by Himself alone.
16 Now when evening came, His (X)disciples went down to the sea, 17 and after getting into a boat, they began to cross the sea (Y)to Capernaum. It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 And the sea *was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. 19 Then, when they had rowed about [f]twenty-five or thirty stadia, they *saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened. 20 But He *said to them, [g]“It is I; [h](Z)do not be afraid.” 21 So they were willing to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
13 They quickly (A)forgot His works;
They (B)did not wait for His counsel,
14 But (C)craved intensely in the wilderness,
And (D)put God to the test in the wasteland.
15 So He (E)gave them their request,
But (F)sent a [a]wasting disease against their lives.
16 Then they became (G)envious of Moses in the camp,
And of Aaron, the holy one of Yahweh,
17 The (H)earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,
And covered up the [b]company of Abiram.
18 And a (I)fire burned up in their company;
The flame consumed the wicked.
19 They (J)made a calf in Horeb
And worshiped a molten image.
20 Thus they (K)exchanged their glory
For the image of an ox that eats grass.
21 They (L)forgot God their Savior,
Who had done (M)great things in Egypt,
22 (N)Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham
And awesome things by the [c]Red Sea.
23 Therefore (O)He said that He would destroy them,
Had not (P)Moses His chosen one stood in the breach before Him,
To turn away His wrath from [d]eradicating them.
24 Then they (Q)despised the (R)pleasant land;
They (S)did not believe in His word,
25 But (T)grumbled in their tents;
They did not listen to the voice of Yahweh.
26 So He [e](U)swore to them
To make them fall in the wilderness,
27 And to (V)make their seed fall among the nations
And to (W)scatter them in the lands.
28 They then (X)joined themselves to [f]Baal-peor,
And ate (Y)sacrifices offered to the dead.
29 Thus they (Z)provoked Him to anger with their actions,
And the plague broke out among them.
30 Then Phinehas (AA)stood up and interceded,
And so the (AB)plague was checked.
31 And it was (AC)counted to him for righteousness,
From generation to generation forever.
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