Samuel & King Saul

`And now, take and make one new cart, and two suckling kine, on which a yoke hath not gone up, and ye have bound the kine in the cart, and caused their young ones to turn back from after them to the house,

and ye have taken the ark of Jehovah, and put it on the cart, and the vessels of gold which ye have returned to Him--a guilt-offering--ye put in a coffer on its side, and have sent it away, and it hath gone;

and ye have seen, if the way of its own border it goeth up to Beth-Shemesh--He hath done to us this great evil; and if not, then we have known that His hand hath not come against us; an accident it hath been to us.'

And the men do so, and take two suckling kine, and bind them in the cart, and their young ones they have shut up in the house;

and they place the ark of Jehovah upon the cart, and the coffer, and the golden mice, and the images of their emerods.

And the kine go straight in the way, on the way to Beth-Shemesh, in one highway they have gone, going and lowing, and have not turned aside right or left; and the princes of the Philistines are going after them unto the border of Beth-Shemesh.

And the Beth-Shemeshites are reaping their wheat-harvest in the valley, and they lift up their eyes, and see the ark, and rejoice to see it .

And the cart hath come in unto the field of Joshua the Beth-Shemeshite, and standeth there, and there is a great stone, and they cleave the wood of the cart, and the kine they have caused to ascend--a burnt-offering to Jehovah.

And the Levites have taken down the ark of Jehovah, and the coffer which is with it, in which are the vessels of gold, and place them on the great stone; and the men of Beth-Shemesh have caused to ascend burnt-offerings and sacrifice sacrifices in that day to Jehovah;

and the five princes of the Philistines have seen it , and turn back to Ekron, on that day.

And these are the golden emerods which the Philistines have sent back--a guilt-offering to Jehovah: for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ashkelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one;

and the golden mice--the number of all the cities of the Philistines--for the five princes, from the fenced city even unto the hamlet of the villages, even unto the great meadow on which they placed the ark of Jehovah-- are unto this day in the field of Joshua the Beth-Shemeshite.

And He smiteth among the men of Beth-Shemesh, for they looked into the ark of Jehovah, yea, He smiteth among the people seventy men--fifty chief men; and the people mourn, because Jehovah smote among the people--a great smiting.

And the men of Beth-Shemesh say, `Who is able to stand before Jehovah, this holy God? and unto whom doth He go up from us?'

And they send messengers unto the inhabitants of Kirjath-Jearim, saying, `The Philistines have sent back the ark of Jehovah; come down, take it up unto you.'

And the men of Kirjath-Jearim come and bring up the ark of Jehovah, and bring it in unto the house of Abinadab, in the height, and Eleazar his son they have sanctified to keep the ark of Jehovah.

And it cometh to pass, from the day of the dwelling of the ark in Kirjath-Jearim, that the days are multiplied--yea, they are twenty years--and wail do all the house of Israel after Jehovah.

And Samuel speaketh unto all the house of Israel, saying, `If with all your heart ye are turning back unto Jehovah--turn aside the gods of the stranger from your midst, and Ashtaroth; and prepare your heart unto Jehovah, and serve Him only, and He doth deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.'

And the sons of Israel turn aside the Baalim and Ashtaroth, and serve Jehovah alone;

and Samuel saith, `Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I pray for you unto Jehovah.'

And they are gathered to Mizpeh, and draw water, and pour out before Jehovah, and fast on that day, and say there, `We have sinned against Jehovah;' and Samuel judgeth the sons of Israel in Mizpeh.

And the Philistines hear that the sons of Israel have gathered themselves to Mizpeh; and the princes of the Philistines go up against Israel, and the sons of Israel hear, and are afraid of the presence of the Philistines.

And the sons of Israel say unto Samuel, `Keep not silent for us from crying unto Jehovah our God, and He doth save us out of the hand of the Philistines.'

And Samuel taketh a fat lamb, and causeth it to go up--a burnt-offering whole to Jehovah; and Samuel crieth unto Jehovah for Israel, and Jehovah answereth him;

and Samuel is causing the burnt-offering to go up--and the Philistines have drawn nigh to battle against Israel--and Jehovah doth thunder with a great noise, on that day, upon the Philistines, and troubleth them, and they are smitten before Israel.