Samuel the judge

Now in those days the Philistines assembled to make war against Israel. Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and encamped at Ebenezer; and the Philistines encamped in Aphek. 2 The Philistines put themselves in array against Israel, and Israel was smitten before the Philistines, and the battle was hard fought and they slew in the ranks on the field about four thousand men. 3 But when the people returned to the camp, the elders of Israel said, ‘Why has the Lord smitten us today before the Philistines? Let us bring to us the ark of our God out of Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the hand of our enemies.’ 4 So they sent to Shiloh; and took from there the ark of the Lord of armies who sits enthroned above the cherubim. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of God. 5 When the ark of God the Lord came to the camp, all Israel shouted such a great shout that the earth rang.

6 When the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, ‘What does this great shouting in the Hebrew’s camp mean?’ When they learned that the ark of the Lord had come to the camp, 7 they were afraid, and said, ‘These are their gods. They have come to them to the camp. 8 Woe to Woe to us! Nothin like this has happened to us before! Who can deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who smote the Egyptians with every sort of plague and pesilence. 9 Be strong, and be men, O Philistines, so that you will not become slaves to the Hebrews, as they have been slaves to you.’

10 So the Philistines fought and there was great slaughter. Israel was defeated and each fled to his home. There fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. 11 The ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, perished.

12 A Benjamite ran from the ranks and came to Shiloh the same day with his garments torn and with earth on his head. 13 Just as he came, Eli was sitting upon his seat beside the gate watching the road, for his heart was trembling for the ark of God. When the man came to the city to inform it, all the city cried out. 14 When Eli heard the noise of the crying he said, ‘What is this tumultuous noise?’ The man came quickly and told Eli. 15 (Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were set, so that he could not see). 16 The man said to Eli, ‘I have come from the battle, for I fled today from the ranks.’ He said, ‘How went the matter, my son?’ 17 He that brought the tidings answered, ‘Israel fled before the Philistines, and there was also a great slaughter among the people, and your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.’ 18 When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell from his seat backward by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for he was old and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years.

19 His daughter-in-law, Phinehas’s wife, was pregnant and near her time. When she heard the report regarding the capture of the ark of God, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went into labor and crouched down and gave birth to a child. 20 As she lay dying, the women who stood by her said to her, ‘Do not fear, for you have given birth to a son.’ But she neither answered nor heeded. 21 She named the child Ichabod, saying, ‘The glory is taken away from Israel,’ meaning the capture of the ark of God, and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband. 22 ‘Glory has left Israel,’ she said, ‘because the ark of God is taken.’

5 The Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 Then the Philistines took the ark of the Lord and brought it to the house of Dagon and set it up by the side of Dagon. 3 When the Ashdodites arose early the next day, there was Dagon fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. They raised up Dagon and set him in his place again. 4 But when they arose early on the following morning, behold there was Dagon fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. The head of Dagon and both his hands were cut off upon the threshold, and only the body of Dagon was left. 5 This is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day, but step over it. 6 The hand of the Lord was heavy upon the Ashdodites, and he destroyed them, and struck them with tumors, both in Ashdod and its borders. 7 When the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they 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 gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, ‘What should we do with the ark of the God of Israel?’ They answered, ‘Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath.’ So they moved the ark of the God of Israel to Gath. 9 But after they had brought it to Gath, the hand of the Lord was against the city – there was a very great panic – and he struck the men of the city, both young and old, so that tomors broke out on them. 10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But when the ark of God came to Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, ‘They have brought around the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people.’ 11 They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, ‘Send away the ark of the God of Israel, let it go back to its own place and not kill us and our people.’ For a deadly panic had seized the entire city. The hand of God was very heavy there. 12 The men who did not die were stricken with the tumors, and the cry of lamentation from the city went up to heaven.

6 The ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines for seven months. 2 Then the Philistines summoned the priests and the diviners, and said, ‘What should we do with the ark of the Lord? Show us how we should send it to its place.’ 3 They said, ‘If you are sending the ark of the God of Israel, you must not send it away empty. You must return to him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed and it will be made known to you why his hand is not removed from you.’ 4 Then they were asked, ‘What should the guilt offering be which we should return to him?’ and they said, ‘Five golden tumors, and five golden rats, corresponding to the number of the lords of the Philistines; for one plague was upon you as well as upon your lords. 5 Therefore you should make images of your tumors, and images of your rats that ravage the land, and you should give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten his hand from on you and your gods and your land. 6 Why be stubborn, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh were stubborn? Remember how he made sport of them until they let Israel go?

7 So take and prepare a new cart, and two milch cows which have never been yoked, and fasten the cows to the cart. But leave their calves behind them at home. 8 Take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart and put the golden objects which you are returning to him as a guilt offering in a box at its side. Then send it on its way. 9 Watch; if it goes on the way to its own land, to Beth-shemesh, then it was the Lord was did us this great harm, but if not, then we will know that it was not his hand that stuck us but it was an accident that happened to us.’

10 The men did all this. They took two mulch cows and fastened them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. 11 They placed the ark of the Lord on the cart, and the box with the golden rats and the images of their tumors. 12 The cows took a straight course in the direction of Beth-shemesh. They went along the highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn left nor right. The lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth-shemesh. 13 The inhabitants of Beth-shemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley. They lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, and came rejoicing to meet it. 14 When the cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh, it stood still there, near a great stone. So they chopped up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. 15 The Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the box that was with it, in which were the golden objects, and placed them on the great stone. The men of Beth-shemesh offered to the Lord on that day burnt offerings and ordinary sacrifices. 16 When the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned to Ekron on that day.

17 These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned as a guilt offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, and one for Ekron. 18 The golden rats correspond to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fortified cities and of country villages. A witness is the great stone, by which they set down the ark of the Lord. To this day it is in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.

19 The descendents of Jechoniah, however, did not rejoice with the men of Beth-shemesh, when they welcomed the ark of the Lord. So he killed seventy of them, and the people mourned because the Lord had struck the people with such a great slaughter. 20 The people of Beth-shemesh said, ‘Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? To whom can we send him to be rid of him?’ 21 So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, ‘The Philistines have brought back the ark of the Lord. Come and take it back with you.’

7 So the people of Kiriath-jearim came, and took the ark of the Lord, and carried it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and consecrated Eleazar, his son, to guard the ark of the Lord.

2 Many years passed from the time the ark began to abide in Kiriath-jearim – twenty years. All the nation of Israel turned to the Lord, 3 and Samuel spoke to all the nation Israel, saying, ‘If with all your heart you are returning to the Lord, then put away the foreign gods and the Astartes from among you and direct your hearts towards the Lord and serve him alone, so that he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.’ 4 So the Israelites put away the Baals and the Astartes, and served the Lord only. 5 Then Samuel said, ‘Assemble all Israel at Mizpah and I will intercede for you with the Lord.’ 6 So they assembled at Mizpah, and drew water and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted all day and confessed, ‘We have sinned against the Lord.’ And Samuel judged the Israelites in Mizpah.

7 When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had assembled at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines marched against Israel. When the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines 8 and said to Samuel, ‘Don’t cease to cry to the Lord our God for us, so that he will save us out of the power of the Philistines.’ 9 Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord, and cried to the Lord on behalf of Israel, and the Lord answered him. 10 While Samuel was offering the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to fight against Israel. But the Lord thundered with a mighty voice on that day against the Philistines, and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. 11 The men of Israel went forth from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them until they were below Beth-car.

12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Jeshanah and named it Ebenezer, saying, ‘This is how far the Lord has helped us.’ 13 So the Philistines were subdued and came no more within the border of Israel. The hand of the Lord was against the Philistines as long as Samuel lived. 14 The cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel from Ekron to Gath. Israel recovered their territory from the power of the Philistines. There was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

15 Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 He used to go around from year to year in succession to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and he used to judge Israel in all those places. 17 But he always returned to Ramah, for there was his home, and there he judged Israel. There he built an altar to the Lord.