Nevi'im
Shemu'el Alef4
1 Samuel · Chapter 4
And the word of Shemu'el came to all Yisra'el. Now Yisra'el went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Eben-ezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek.
And the Philistines put themselves in array against Yisra'el: and when they joined battle, Yisra'el was smitten 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 Yisra'el said, Wherefore hath 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 (YHWH) smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the b'rit of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 (YHWH) out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.
So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the b'rit of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 (YHWH) of hosts, which dwelleth
between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas,
were there with the ark of the b'rit of Elohim.
And when the ark of the b'rit of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 (YHWH) came into the camp, all Yisra'el shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again.
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 the ark of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 (YHWH) was come into the camp.
And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, Elohim is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath 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 all the plagues in the wilderness.
Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight.
And the Philistines fought, and Yisra'el was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Yisra'el thirty thousand footmen.
And the ark of Elohim was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.
And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with 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 Elohim. And when the man came into the city, 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.
Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see.
And the man said unto Eli, I
am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son?
And the messenger answered and said, Yisra'el is 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 Elohim is taken.
And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of Elohim, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Yisra'el forty years.
And his daughter in torah, Phinehas’ wife, was with child,
near
to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of Elohim was taken, and that her father in torah and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her.
And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard
it.
And she named the child I-chabod, saying, The glory is departed from Yisra'el: because the ark of Elohim was taken, and because of her father in torah and her husband.
And she said, The glory is departed from Yisra'el: for the ark of Elohim is taken.
Nevi'im
Shemu'el Alef5
1 Samuel · Chapter 5
And the Philistines took the ark of Elohim, and brought it from Eben-ezer unto Ashdod.
When the Philistines took the ark of Elohim, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.
And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon
was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 (YHWH). And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again.
And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon
was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 (YHWH); and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands
were cut off upon the threshold; only
the stump of Dagon was left to him.
Therefore neither the kohanim of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon’s house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day.
But the hand of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 (YHWH) was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods,
even Ashdod and the coasts thereof.
And when the men of Ashdod saw that
it was so, they said, The ark of the Elohim of Yisra'el shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our elohim.
They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the Elohim of Yisra'el? And they answered, Let the ark of the Elohim of Yisra'el be carried about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the Elohim of Yisra'el about
thither.
And it was
so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 (YHWH) was against the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts.
Therefore they sent the ark of Elohim to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of Elohim came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have brought about the ark of the Elohim of Yisra'el 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 Elohim of Yisra'el, and let it go again to his own place, that it slay us not, and our people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of Elohim was very heavy there.
And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to shamayim.
Nevi'im
Shemu'el Alef6
1 Samuel · Chapter 6
And the ark of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 (YHWH) was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
And the Philistines called for the kohanim and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 (YHWH)? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place.
And they said, If ye send away the ark of the Elohim of Yisra'el, 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.
Then said they, What
shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice,
according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.
Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the Elohim of Yisra'el: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and 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 let the people go, and they departed?
Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them:
And take the ark of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 (YHWH), and lay it upon the cart; 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 his own coast to 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.
And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home:
And they laid the ark of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 (YHWH) upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods.
And the kine took the straight way to the way of Beth-shemesh,
and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside
to the right hand or
to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Beth-shemesh.
And
they of Beth-shemesh
were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see
it.
And the cart came into the field of Yehoshua, a Beth-shemite, and stood there, where
there was a great stone: and they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine a burnt offering unto 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 (YHWH).
And the Levites took down the ark of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 (YHWH), 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 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 (YHWH).
And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen
it, they returned to Ekron the same day.
And these
are the golden emerods which the Philistines returned
for a trespass offering unto 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 (YHWH); 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 the cities of the Philistines
belonging to the five lords,
both
of fenced cities, and of country villages, even unto the great
stone of Abel, whereon they set down the ark of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 (YHWH):
which stone remaineth unto this day in the field of Yehoshua, the Beth-shemite.
And he smote the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 (YHWH), even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 (YHWH) had smitten
many
of the people with a great slaughter.
And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 (YHWH) Elohim? and to whom shall he go up from us?
And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 (YHWH); come ye down,
and fetch it up to you.