Study Desk

After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer^(a) to Ashdod,^(b)

brought it into the temple of Dagon^[a](c) and placed it next to his statue.^[b]

When the people of Ashdod got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen with his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord .^(d) So they took Dagon and returned him to his place.

But when they got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen with his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord . This time, both Dagon's head and the palms of his hands were broken off and lying on the threshold. Only Dagon's torso remained.^[c]

That is why, to this day, the priests of Dagon and everyone who enters the temple of Dagon in Ashdod do not step on Dagon's threshold.

The Lord 's hand was heavy on the people of Ashdod,^(e) terrorizing^(f) and afflicting the people of Ashdod and its territory with tumors.^[d][e](g)

When the men of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, "The ark of Israel's God must not stay here with us, because His hand is strongly against us and our god Dagon."

So they called all the Philistine rulers together^(h) and asked, "What should we do with the ark of Israel's God?" "The ark of Israel's God should be moved to Gath," they replied. So the men of Ashdod moved the ark.

After they had moved it, the Lord 's hand was against the city of Gath,⁽ⁱ⁾ causing a great panic. He afflicted the men of the city, from the youngest to the oldest, with an outbreak of tumors.^(j)

The Gittites then sent the ark of God to Ekron, but when it got there, the Ekronites cried out, "They've moved the ark of Israel's God to us to kill us and our people!"^[f]

The Ekronites called all the Philistine rulers together.^(k) They said, "Send the ark of Israel's God away. It must return to its place so it won't kill us and our people!"^[g] For the fear of death pervaded the city; God's hand was oppressing them.^(l)

The men who did not die were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.^(m)

When the ark of the Lord had been in the land of the Philistines for seven months,

the Philistines summoned the priests and the diviners^(a) and pleaded, "What should we do with the ark of the Lord ? Tell us how we can send it back to its place."

They replied, "If you send the ark of Israel's God away, you must not send it without an offering.^(b) You must send back a restitution offering to Him,^(c) and you will be healed. Then the reason His hand hasn't been removed from you will be revealed."^[a]

They asked, "What restitution offering should we send back to Him?" And they answered, "Five gold tumors and five gold mice^(d) corresponding to the number of Philistine rulers,^(e) since there was one plague for both you^[b] and your rulers.

Make images of your tumors and of your mice that are destroying the land. Give glory to Israel's God,^(f) and perhaps He will stop oppressing you,^[c](g) your gods, and your land.^(h)

Why harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened theirs?⁽ⁱ⁾ When He afflicted them, didn't they send Israel away, and Israel left?^(j)

"Now then, prepare one new cart and two milk cows that have never been yoked.^(k) Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up.

Take the ark of the Lord , place it on the cart, and put the gold objects that you're sending Him as a restitution offering in a box^(l) beside the ark.^(m) Send it off and let it go its way.

Then watch: If it goes up the road to its homeland toward Beth-shemesh,⁽ⁿ⁾ it is the Lord who has made this terrible trouble for us. However, if it doesn't, we will know that it was not His hand that punished^(o) us—it was just something that happened to us by chance."

The men did this: They took two milk cows, hitched them to the cart, and confined their calves in the pen.

Then they put the ark of the Lord on the cart, along with the box containing the gold mice and the images of their tumors.

The cows went straight up the road to Beth-shemesh.^(p) They stayed on that one highway,^(q) lowing as they went; they never strayed to the right or to the left. The Philistine rulers were walking behind them to the territory of Beth-shemesh.

The people of Beth-shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they were overjoyed to see it.

The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there near a large rock. The people of the city chopped up the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord .^(r)

The Levites^(s) removed the ark of the Lord , along with the box containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock. That day the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord .

When the five Philistine rulers^(t) observed this, they returned to Ekron that same day.

As a restitution offering to the Lord , the Philistines had sent back one gold tumor for each city:^(u) Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron.

The number of gold mice also corresponded to the number of Philistine cities of the five rulers, the fortified cities and the outlying villages.^(v) The large rock^[d](w) on which the ark of the Lord was placed is in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh to this day.

God struck down the men of Beth-shemesh because they looked inside the ark of the Lord .^[e](x) He struck down 70 men out of 50,000 men.^[f] The people mourned because the Lord struck them with a great slaughter.

The men of Beth-shemesh asked, "Who is able to stand in the presence of this holy Lord God?^(y) Who should the ark go to from here?"

They sent messengers to the residents of Kiriath-jearim,^(z) saying, "The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord . Come down and get it."^[g]

So the men of Kiriath-jearim came for the ark of the Lord and took it to Abinadab's house on the hill.^(a) They consecrated his son Eleazar to take care of it.

Time went by until 20 years had passed since the ark had been taken to Kiriath-jearim. Then the whole house of Israel began to seek the Lord .

Samuel told them, "If you^(b) are returning to the Lord ^(c) with all your heart,^(d) get rid of the foreign gods^(e) and the Ashtoreths that are among you, dedicate yourselves to^[a] the Lord , and worship only Him.^(f) Then He will rescue you from the hand of the Philistines."

So the Israelites removed the Baals and the Ashtoreths^(g) and only worshiped the Lord .

Samuel said, "Gather all Israel at Mizpah,^(h) and I will pray to the Lord on your behalf."⁽ⁱ⁾

When they gathered at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out in the Lord 's presence.^(j) They fasted that day,^(k) and there they confessed, "We have sinned against the Lord ."^(l) And Samuel judged the Israelites at Mizpah.

When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, their rulers marched up toward Israel. When the Israelites heard about it, they were afraid because of the Philistines.

The Israelites said to Samuel, "Don't stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, so that He will save us from the hand of the Philistines."

Then Samuel took a young lamb^(m) and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord . He cried out to the Lord on behalf of Israel, and the Lord answered him.⁽ⁿ⁾

Samuel was offering the burnt offering as the Philistines drew near to fight against Israel. The Lord thundered loudly^(o) against the Philistines that day and threw them into such confusion that they fled before Israel.^(p)

Then the men of Israel charged out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines striking them down all the way to a place below Beth-car.

Afterward, Samuel took a stone and set it upright^(q) between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer,^[b] explaining, "The Lord has helped us to this point."

So the Philistines were subdued^(r) and^[c] did not invade Israel's territory again.^(s) The Lord 's hand was against the Philistines all of Samuel's life.

The cities from Ekron to Gath, which they had taken from Israel, were restored; Israel even rescued their surrounding territories from Philistine control. There was also peace between Israel and the Amorites.

Samuel judged Israel throughout his life.^(t)

Every year he would go on a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah and would judge Israel at all these locations.

Then he would return to Ramah^(u) because his home was there, he judged Israel there, and he built an altar to the Lord there.

When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel.^(a)

His firstborn son's name was Joel and his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beer-sheba.^(b)

However, his sons did not walk in his ways—they turned toward dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.^(c)

So all the elders of Israel gathered together and went to Samuel at Ramah.^(d)

They said to him, "Look, you are old, and your sons do not follow your example. Therefore, appoint a king to judge us the same as all the other nations have."^(e)

When they said, "Give us a king to judge us," Samuel considered their demand sinful, so he prayed to the Lord .

But the Lord told him, "Listen to the people and everything they say to you. They have not rejected you; they have rejected Me as their king.^(f)

They are doing the same thing to you that they have done to Me,^[a] since the day I brought them out of Egypt until this day, abandoning Me and worshiping other gods.

Listen to them, but you must solemnly warn them^(g) and tell them about the rights of the king who will rule over them."

Samuel told all the Lord 's words to the people who were asking him for a king.

He said, "These are the rights of the king who will rule over you: He will take your sons and put them to his use in his chariots, on his horses, or running in front of his chariots.

He can appoint them for his use as commanders of thousands or commanders of fifties,^(h) to plow his ground or reap his harvest, or to make his weapons of war or the equipment for his chariots.

He can take your daughters to become perfumers, cooks, and bakers.

He can take your best fields, vineyards, and olive orchards and give them to his servants.⁽ⁱ⁾

He can take a tenth of your grain and your vineyards and give them to his officials and servants.

He can take your male servants, your female servants, your best young men,^[b] and your donkeys and use them for his work.

He can take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves can become his servants.

When that day comes, you will cry out because of the king you've chosen for yourselves,^(j) but the Lord won't answer you on that day."^(k)

The people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We must have a king over us.

Then we'll be like all the other nations: our king will judge us, go out before us,^(l) and fight our battles."

Samuel listened to all the people's words and then repeated them to the Lord .^[c]

"Listen to them," the Lord told Samuel. "Appoint a king for them."^(m) Then Samuel told the men of Israel, "Each of you, go back to your city."

There was an influential man of Benjamin named Kish^(a) son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, son of a Benjaminite.

He had a son named Saul, an impressive young man.^(b) There was no one more impressive among the Israelites than he. He stood a head taller than anyone else.^[a](c)

One day the donkeys of Saul's father Kish wandered off. Kish said to his son Saul, "Take one of the attendants with you and go look for the donkeys."

Saul and his attendant went through the hill country of Ephraim^(d) and then through the region of Shalishah,^(e) but they didn't find them. They went through the region of Shaalim^(f)—nothing. Then they went through the Benjaminite region but still didn't find them.

When they came to the land of Zuph,^(g) Saul said to the attendant who was with him, "Come on, let's go back, or my father will stop worrying about the donkeys and start worrying about us."^(h)

"Look," the attendant said, "there's a man of God⁽ⁱ⁾ in this city who is highly respected; everything he says is sure to come true.^(j) Let's go there now. Maybe he'll tell us which way we should go."^(k)

"Suppose we do go," Saul said to his attendant, "what do we take the man? The food from our packs is gone, and there's no gift to take to the man of God.^(l) What do we have?"

The attendant answered Saul: "Here, I have a piece^[b] of silver. I'll give it to the man of God, and he will tell us our way."

Formerly in Israel, a man who was going to inquire of God would say, "Come, let's go to the seer," for the prophet of today was formerly called the seer.^(m)

"Good," Saul replied to his attendant. "Come on, let's go." So they went to the city where the man of God was.