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before the Philistines; and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.

And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Wherefore hath Jehovah smitten us to-day before the Philistines? Let us take unto us the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of Shiloh, that it may come into the midst of us and save us out of the hand of our enemies." 4 So the people sent to Shiloh, and brought from thence the ark of the covenant of Jehovah who dwelleth between the cherubim and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, 5 were there with the ark of the covenant of God. And when the ark of the covenant of Jehovah came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang.

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And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, "What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews?" And they understood that 7 the ark of Jehovah was come into the camp. And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, "God is come into the camp." And they said, And they said, "Woe unto us! for there hath s not been such a thing heretofore. Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with every plague in 9 the wilderness. Take courage, and be men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you; yea, be men, and fight."

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And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent; and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand 11 footmen. And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

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And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with 13 earth upon his head. And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching; for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, 14 and told it, all the city cried out. And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, "What meaneth the noise of this tumult?" And the man came in hastily and told Eli. 15 Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were 16 dim, that he could not see. And the man said unto Eli, "I am am he that came out of the army, and I fled to-day out of the army." And he said, "What are the tidings, my

son?" And the messenger answered and said, "Israel hath 17 fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken." And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of 18 God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck was broken, and he died; for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.

And his daughter in law, Phinehas' wife, was with child 19 near to be delivered; and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her. And about the time of her death 20 the women that stood by her said unto her, "Fear not; for thou hast borne a son." But she answered not, neither did she regard it. And she named the child I-chabod, [NO GLORY] 21 saying, "The glory is departed from Israel;" because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband. And she said, "The glory is departed from Israel; 22 for the ark of God is taken."

CHAP. V. And the Philistines took the ark of God, 1 and brought it from Eben-ezer unto Ashdod. And the 2 Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it into the house of Dagon, and placed it by Dagon. And when they 3 of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of Jehovah. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again. And 4 when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of Jehovah; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the fishshaped part was left to him. Therefore neither the priests 5 of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day.

And the hand of Jehovah was heavy upon them of 6. Ashdod, and he wasted them, and smote them with boils, even Ashdod and the territories thereof. And when the men 7 of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, "The ark of the God of Israel shall not remain with us; for his hand is severe upon us, and upon Dagon our god." They sent therefore and 8 gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said,

"What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?" And they answered, "Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried to Gath." And they carried the ark of the God of 9 Israel thither. And it came to pass, after they had carried it, that the hand of Jehovah was upon the city with very great consternation; and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and boils broke out upon them.

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Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, "They have brought the ark of 11 the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people." So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, "Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to its own place, that it slay us not, and our people;" for there was deadly consternation throughout 12 all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there. And the men that died not were smitten with the boils: and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

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CHAP. VI. And the ark of Jehovah was in the country 2 of the Philistines seven months. And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, "What shall we do to the ark of Jehovah ? tell us wherewith we shall send it 3 to its place." And they said, "If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass-offering; then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you." 4 Then said they, "What shall be the trespass-offering which we shall return to him?" And they said, "Five golden boils, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines; for one plague was on you all, and on your 5 lords. Wherefore ye shall make images of your boils, and images of your mice that destroy the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and 6 from off your land. Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not 7 let the people go, and they departed? Now therefore make a new wagon, and take two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke, and bind the kine to the wagon, and 8 bring their calves home from them: and take the ark of Jehovah, and lay it upon the wagon; and put the jewels of

gold, which ye return him for a trespass-offering, in a coffer by the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go. And see, if it goeth up by the way of its own border to 9 Beth-shemesh, then he hath done us this great evil; but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us; it was a chance that happened to us."

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And the men did so; and took two milch kine and bound 10 them to the wagon, and shut up their calves at home; and they laid the ark of Jehovah upon the wagon, and 11 the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their boils. And the kine took the straight way on the way to 12 Beth-shemesh; they went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them, unto the border of Beth-shemesh. And they of Beth-shemesh were 13 reaping the wheat-harvest in the valley and they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. And the wagon came into the field of Joshua, a Beth- 14 shemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone; and they clave the wood of the wagon, and offered the kine a burnt-offering unto Jehovah. And the Levites took 15 down the ark of Jehovah, and the coffer that was with it, wherein the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone: and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt-offerings, and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto Jehovah. And 16 when the five lords of the Philistines had seen this, they returned to Ekron the same day.

And these are the golden boils which the Philistines re- 17 turned for a trespass-offering unto Jehovah; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one; and the golden mice, according to the number of all 18 the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fenced cities and of country villages. And the great stone whereon they set down the ark of Jehovah, is a witness unto this day in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite.

And the men of Beth-shemesh were smitten, because they 19 had looked into the ark of Jehovah, even of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men were smitten; and the people lamented, because Jehovah had smitten the people with a great slaughter. And the men of Beth-shemesh said, 20 "Who is able to stand before Jehovah, this holy God? and to whom shall he go up from us?" And they sent mes- 21 sengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim, saying, "The

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Philistines have brought back the ark of Jehovah; come ye down, and fetch it up to you."

CHAP. VII. And the men of Kirjath-jearim came, and fetched up the ark of Jehovah, and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of Jehovah.

And it came to pass, from the day when the ark remained in Kirjath-jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years; and all the house of Israel lamented after Jehovah. 3 And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, “If ye do return unto Jehovah with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto Jehovah, and serve him only; and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines." 4 Then the children of Israel did put away the Baalim and the Ashtaroth, and served Jehovah only.

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And Samuel said, "Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will 6 pray for you unto Jehovah." And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before Jehovah, and fasted on that day, and said there, "We have sinned against Jehovah." And Samuel judged the children

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of Israel in Mizpeh.

And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel ⚫ were gathered together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel 8 heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. And the children of Israel said to Samuel, "Cease not to cry unto Jehovah our God for us, that he may save us out of the hand of the 9 Philistines." And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a whole burnt-offering unto Jehovah. And Samuel cried unto Jehovah for Israel; and Jehovah heard him. 10 And as Samuel was offering up the burnt-offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel; but Jehovah thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel. 11 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them until they came under Beth-car. 12 Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer, saying, "Hitherto 13 hath Jehovah helped us." So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the territory of Israel; and the hand of Jehovah was against the Philistines all the days of