1 Samuel 4


The Philistines and the Israelites have a war.


All of the people in Israel heard about Samuel.

The Philistines came to fight with the Israelites. The Israelite army went out to fight back.  The Philistines were camping in the place called Aphek.  The Israelites camped in the place call Ebenezer. 
[1] And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Eben-ezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek.


The Philistines and Israelites had a war.  The Philistines won the war.  4,000 Israelite soldiers died.
[2] And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.
 

Model of the Ark of the Covenant.  The rock tablets with the Ten Commandments are inside. The top of the Ark is the Mercy Seat. God sits on the Mercy Seat. From BiblePlaces.com

The Israelites didn't understand why so many soldiers died. They wanted to bring the Ark of the Covenant from its place in Shiloh. They wanted to carry it with them the next time they had a war.
[3] And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.

The Israelites take the Ark with them to the next war.


They sent people to Shiloh to bring the Ark back.  The Mercy Seat is on the Ark. God sits on top of the Mercy Seat.  They wanted God to be with them in the next war.  Eli's sons, the priests Hophni and Phinehas, came with the Ark.
[4] So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.


When the Ark came into the Israelites' camp, everyone cheered and yelled loudly. They yelled loudly and made the ground shake.
[5] And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again.


The Philistines heard the loud yelling.  They asked why the Israelites were yelling. They learned that the Israelites had the Ark.  Then the Philistines were afraid. They knew that God was in the camp with the Israelites. They knew that God had helped the Israelites back when they were in Egypt. The Philistines asked who would save them from the Israelites.
[6] 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 the LORD was come into the camp.
[7] And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore.
[8] 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.


The Philistines told their soldiers to be brave and fight hard. In the past, the Israelites were slaves of the Philistines. Now if the Philistines do not fight and win, they will become the Israelites' slaves.
[9] 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.
 

The Philistines steal the Ark and kill both of Eli's sons.

 
The Philistines and Israelites had a war. The Philistines killed 13,000 Israelite soldiers. The Israelites ran away to their homes.
[10] 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 footmen.


The Philistines stole the Ark and killed Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas.
[11] And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.


An Israelite from the Benjamin tribe ran to Shiloh. He tore his clothes and put dirt on his head to show that he was upset.
[12] 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.


Eli was sitting outside and waiting.  He was worried about the Ark. The man came running into the city and told everyone what happened. Everyone in the city started crying. Eli asked why everyone was crying. Eli was 98 years old. He was blind.
[13] 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, and told it, all the city cried out.
[14] 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 dim, that he could not see.


The man said that he was from the army. He left the war. Eli asked him what happened at the war. The man told Eli that many Israelite soldiers died.  He said that Eli's sons Hophni and Phinehas were dead. He told him that the Philistines stole the Ark.
[16] 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?
[17] And the messenger answered and said, Israel 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 God is taken.


Eli had been Israel's judge for 40 years. Eli was old, and he was very fat. When the man told him about the Ark, he fell off the chair. He fell off backwards. He broke his neck and died.  
[18] And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, 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 Israel forty years.


Eli's daughter-in-law (Phinehas' wife) was pregnant. When she heard all of the bad news:  that the Philistines stole the Ark,  that Phinehas was killed, and that Eli had died, she started to have labor pains.
[19] And his daughter in law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, 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.


Phinehas' wife died after she had her baby. When she was close to death, the other women told her that she had a baby boy.  But she did not say anything.
[20] 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.


She named the baby I-chabod.  The name means that Israel was not glorious or special anymore. She felt that way because the Ark was gone and her husband and father-in-law were dead.
[21] And she named the child I-chabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband.
[22] And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.

 

1Samuel 5


The Philistines take the Ark to their home land. God punishes the Philistines.


The Philistines took the Ark back to their home in the place called Ashdod. They took it to the place where they worshiped their false god named Dagon. They set the Ark next to the statue of Dagon.
[1] And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Eben-ezer unto Ashdod.
[2] When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.


The next morning, the Philistines saw that the statue of Dagon fell on the ground. The statue's face was down next to the ground. So, they picked up the statue and set it up again.
[3] And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again.


The next morning, they saw that the statue of Dagon fell again. It was on the ground.  This time, the head and hands were cut off. The head and hands were in the threshold (the doorway).
[4] And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; 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.


After that, none of the priests of Dagon walked on that part of the doorway.
[5] Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day.


God punished the Philistines at Ashdod and the area around Ashdod. He made them sick with boils and ulcers (bad sores).
[6] But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof.


The people of Ashdod wanted the Ark to leave.
[7] And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god.

All of the Philistine leaders had a meeting. They discussed what to do with the Ark. They decided to take it to the Philistine city named Gath.
[8] They sent therefore and 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 about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither.


After the Ark arrived in Gath, God destroyed the city. He killed many of the people there. He caused the people to be sick with boils and ulcers (bad sores).
[9] And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the LORD 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.


Then the Philistines took the Ark to their city named Ekron. When the Ark arrived in Ekron, the people who lived there were afraid. They said that the Philistines brought the Ark to them so that God would destroy them.
[10] 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 about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people.


God killed many people at Ekron. The city people had another meeting with the Philistine leaders. They wanted them to take the Ark away. They didn't want God to kill anymore of them.
[11] 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 his own place, that it slay us not, and our people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.


Some of the men in Ekron did not die. But they were sick with the bad sores. The people in Ekron cried loudly.
[12] And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to heaven.


 

1 Samuel 6


The Philistines send the Ark back to the Israelites.


The Philistines had the Ark for 7 months.
[1] And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months.


The Philistines asked their priests and magicians what they should do with the Ark.  They wanted to know how to send it back to the Israelites.
[2] And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the LORD? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place.


The priests and magicians said that they should not send the Ark back empty. They should send an offering with it. Then, if the Philistines get better of the sores, they will know for sure that God caused the sores.
[3] 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.


The Philistines asked what kind of offering they should send with the Ark.  The priests and magicians said they should send gold. They should make small gold statues or models. The gold models should be like their sores or tumors.  They should also make gold models of rats.  They should make 5 gold tumors and 5 gold rats because there are 5 leaders of the Philistines.
[4] 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.


They should make the gold models and send them for offerings to God.  Then maybe God will stop giving them sores and tumors.  Also God might stop the rats from eating their food.
[5] Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar 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 from off your land.


The priests and magicians remembered what happened with the Egyptians. They reminded the other Philistines.  Back in Egypt, the Egyptians would not let the Israelites leave. Then God did many bad things to the Egyptians. Then the Egyptians changed their minds and let the Israelites leave. 
[6] Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharoah hardened their hearts? when he had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed?


The priests and magicians told them what to do. They should get 2 young cows that never pulled a wagon before.  The cows should have calves, but the Philistines should keep the calves at home.
[7] 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:


They should put the Ark in the wagon. They should also put the gold models of rats and the gold models of tumors in the wagon, too. They should put the bag of gold models next to the ark. Then they should send the wagon away with no one driving it.
[8] And take the ark of the LORD, 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.


The cows maybe will pull the wagon to the Israelites' land in Beth-shemesh. If that happens, the Philistines will know that the bad things came from God.  Maybe the cows will pull the wagon someplace else.   Then the Philistines will say that the bad things happened by chance (just bad luck or coincidence).
[9] 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 is not his hand that smote us; it was a chance that happened to us.


The Philistine men did what the priests and magicians told them to do. They tied 2 young cows to the wagon. They left the cows' calves at home. They put the Ark and the gold models in the wagon.
[10] And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home:
[11] And they laid the ark of the LORD upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods.


The cows pulled the wagon straight to the Israelite land. They mooed while they walked. The leaders of the Philistines followed them and watched where they went.
[12] 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.
 

The Ark comes back to the Israelites.


The Israelites in Beth-shemesh were working on their farms. They looked up and saw the cows pulling the wagon with the Ark in it. They were very happy.
[13] 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.


The cows pulled the wagon into a field. The cows stopped by a big rock in a field.  A man named Joshua owned the field. Joshua lived in Beth-shemesh. The Israelites took the Ark and the bag of gold models off the wagon. They broke the cart and burned the wood. They used the cows for a burnt offering to God. They set the Ark and bag on the big rock.
[14] And the cart came into the field of Joshua, 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 the LORD.
[15] And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD, 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 the LORD.


The 5 Philistine leaders were watching. Then they went back to the city of Ekron before night.
[16] And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.
 

The bag had 5 gold models of tumors in it. There was one tumor for each Philistine city--Ashdod, Gaza, Askelon, Gath, and Ekron.
[17] And these are the golden emerods which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering unto the LORD; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one;


They also made gold models of rats. They made one model for each big Philistine city and each small Philistine  town.  The big rock in Joshua's field (where the Israelites set the Ark) was still there when this book of the Bible was written.
[18] 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 the LORD: which stone remaineth unto this day in the field of Joshua, the Beth-shemite.


Some of the Israelite men looked into the Ark. God killed them all.
[19] And he smote the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter.


The men in Beth-shemesh knew the Ark was powerful. They didn't know who could be near it. They wondered where they should send the Ark. 
[20] And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall he go up from us?


The Israelites in Beth-shemesh sent messengers to the place called Kirjath-jearim. They told them that the Ark was back from the Philistines. They wanted them to come and get it.
[21] And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD; come ye down, and fetch it up to you.