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Joshua 21

Amplified Bible, 2015 (AMP)

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¹ Then they said, "What shall the guilt offering be which we shall return to Him?" They answered, "[1] Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords (governors) of the Philistines, for one plague was on all of you and on your lords.

² So you shall make replicas of your tumors and of your mice that ravage the land, and give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will lighten His hand [of judgment] on you and your gods and your land. Why then do you harden your hearts [allowing pride to cause your downfall] just as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He had severely dealt with them and mocked them, did they not allow the people [of Israel] to go, and they departed?

³ Now then, make a new cart and prepare two[2] milk cows on which a yoke has never been placed; and hitch the cows to the cart and take their calves back home, away from them. Then take the ark of the LORD and put it on the cart; and put the articles of gold which you are returning to Him as a guilt offering in a box beside it. Then send it away [without a driver].

⁴ But watch,[3] if it goes up by the way of its own territory to[4] Beth-shemesh, then [you will know that] He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we will know that it was not His hand that struck us; this disaster happened to us by chance.

⁵ And the men did so, and took two milk cows and hitched them to the cart, and corralled their calves at home.

⁶ They put the ark of the LORD on the cart, and the box containing the golden mice and the replicas of their tumors.

⁷ And the cows went straight toward Beth-shemesh along the highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn away to the right or the left. And the Philistine lords (governors) followed them to the border of Beth-shemesh.

⁸ Now the men of Beth-shemesh were gathering their wheat harvest in the valley, and they looked up and saw the ark and rejoiced to see it.

⁹ The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. A large stone was there; and the men split up the wood of the cart [for firewood] and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD.

¹⁰ The Levites had taken down the ark of the LORD and the box beside it, in which were the articles of gold, and put them on the large stone. And the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices that day to the LORD.

¹¹ When the five lords of the Philistines saw what happened, they returned to Ekron that day.

¹² These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned as a guilt offering to the LORD: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath and one for Ekron [the five chief cities of the Philistines];

¹³ also the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and [unwalled] country villages. The large stone on which the Levites set the ark of the LORD remains a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.

¹⁴ The LORD struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the LORD. He struck down 50,070 men among the people, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter.

¹⁵ The men of Beth-shemesh said, "Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God? And to whom shall He go up from us?"

¹⁶ So they sent messengers to the residents of Kiriath-jearim, saying, "The Philistines have returned the ark of the LORD. Come down and take it up to you."

¹⁷ So the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and they consecrated Eleazar his son to care for the ark of the Lord.

¹⁸ And from that day the ark remained in Kiriath-jearim for a very long time, for it was twenty years [until the reign of King David]; and all the house of Israel lamented (wailed) and grieved after the LORD.

¹⁹ Then Samuel said to all the house of Israel, "If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth (pagan goddesses) from among you and direct your hearts to the LORD and serve Him only; and He will rescue you from the hand of the Philistines."

²⁰ So the Israelites removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth and served the LORD alone.

²¹ Samuel said, "Gather all Israel together at Mizpah and I will pray to the LORD for you."

²² So they gathered at Mizpah, and drew water and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day and said there, "We have sinned against the LORD." And Samuel judged the Israelites at Mizpah.

²³ Now when the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, the lords (governors) of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the Israelites heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.

²⁴ And the sons of Israel said to Samuel, "Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God for us, so that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines."

²⁵ So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD; and Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel and the LORD answered him.

²⁶ As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines approached for the battle against Israel. Then the LORD thundered with a great voice that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated and fled before Israel.

²⁷ And the men of Israel came out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and struck them down as far as [the territory] below Beth-car.

²⁸ Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and he named it Ebenezer (stone of help), saying, "Thus far the LORD has helped us."

²⁹ So the Philistines were subdued and they did not come anymore into Israelite territory. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

³⁰ The cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath; and Israel recovered the cities' territory from the Philistines. Also there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

³¹ Now Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.

³² He used to go annually on a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and he judged Israel in all these places.

³³ Then he would return to Ramah, because his home was there; and there he judged Israel, and there he built an altar to the LORD.

³⁴ And it came about when Samuel was old that he appointed his sons as judges over Israel.

³⁵ Now the name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judging in Beersheba.

³⁶ His sons, however, did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.

³⁷ Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah

³⁸ and said to him, "Look, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint us a king to judge us [and rule over us] like all the other nations."

³⁹ But their demand[1] displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge and rule over us." So Samuel prayed to the LORD.

⁴⁰ The LORD said to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being King over them.

⁴¹ Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day—in that they have abandoned (rejected) Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also.

⁴² So now listen to their voice; only solemnly warn them and tell them the ways of the king who will reign over them."

⁴³ So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king.

⁴⁴ He said, "These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them for himself to his chariots and among his horsemen and they will run before his chariots.

⁴⁵ He will appoint them for himself to be commanders over thousands and over fifties, and some to do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his implements of war and equipment for his chariots.

#	AMP
1	Then they said, "What shall the guilt offering be which we shall return to Him?" They answered, "[1] Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords (governors) of the Philistines, for one plague was on all of you and on your lords.
2	So you shall make replicas of your tumors and of your mice that ravage the land, and give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will lighten His hand [of judgment] on you and your gods and your land. Why then do you harden your hearts [allowing pride to cause your downfall] just as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He had severely dealt with them and mocked them, did they not allow the people [of Israel] to go, and they departed?
3	Now then, make a new cart and prepare two[2] milk cows on which a yoke has never been placed; and hitch the cows to the cart and take their calves back home, away from them. Then take the ark of the LORD and put it on the cart; and put the articles of gold which you are returning to Him as a guilt offering in a box beside it. Then send it away [without a driver].
4	But watch,[3] if it goes up by the way of its own territory to[4] Beth-shemesh, then [you will know that] He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we will know that it was not His hand that struck us; this disaster happened to us by chance.
5	And the men did so, and took two milk cows and hitched them to the cart, and corralled their calves at home.
6	They put the ark of the LORD on the cart, and the box containing the golden mice and the replicas of their tumors.
7	And the cows went straight toward Beth-shemesh along the highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn away to the right or the left. And the Philistine lords (governors) followed them to the border of Beth-shemesh.
8	Now the men of Beth-shemesh were gathering their wheat harvest in the valley, and they looked up and saw the ark and rejoiced to see it.
9	The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. A large stone was there; and the men split up the wood of the cart [for firewood] and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD.
10	The Levites had taken down the ark of the LORD and the box beside it, in which were the articles of gold, and put them on the large stone. And the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices that day to the LORD.
11	When the five lords of the Philistines saw what happened, they returned to Ekron that day.
12	These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned as a guilt offering to the LORD: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath and one for Ekron [the five chief cities of the Philistines];
13	also the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and [unwalled] country villages. The large stone on which the Levites set the ark of the LORD remains a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.
14	The LORD struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the LORD. He struck down 50,070 men among the people, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter.
15	The men of Beth-shemesh said, "Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God? And to whom shall He go up from us?"
16	So they sent messengers to the residents of Kiriath-jearim, saying, "The Philistines have returned the ark of the LORD. Come down and take it up to you."
17	So the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and they consecrated Eleazar his son to care for the ark of the Lord.
18	And from that day the ark remained in Kiriath-jearim for a very long time, for it was twenty years [until the reign of King David]; and all the house of Israel lamented (wailed) and grieved after the LORD.
19	Then Samuel said to all the house of Israel, "If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth (pagan goddesses) from among you and direct your hearts to the LORD and serve Him only; and He will rescue you from the hand of the Philistines."
20	So the Israelites removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth and served the LORD alone.
21	Samuel said, "Gather all Israel together at Mizpah and I will pray to the LORD for you."
22	So they gathered at Mizpah, and drew water and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day and said there, "We have sinned against the LORD." And Samuel judged the Israelites at Mizpah.
23	Now when the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, the lords (governors) of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the Israelites heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
24	And the sons of Israel said to Samuel, "Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God for us, so that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines."
25	So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD; and Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel and the LORD answered him.
26	As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines approached for the battle against Israel. Then the LORD thundered with a great voice that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated and fled before Israel.
27	And the men of Israel came out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and struck them down as far as [the territory] below Beth-car.
28	Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and he named it Ebenezer (stone of help), saying, "Thus far the LORD has helped us."
29	So the Philistines were subdued and they did not come anymore into Israelite territory. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
30	The cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath; and Israel recovered the cities' territory from the Philistines. Also there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
31	Now Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.
32	He used to go annually on a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and he judged Israel in all these places.
33	Then he would return to Ramah, because his home was there; and there he judged Israel, and there he built an altar to the LORD.
34	And it came about when Samuel was old that he appointed his sons as judges over Israel.
35	Now the name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judging in Beersheba.
36	His sons, however, did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.
37	Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah
38	and said to him, "Look, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint us a king to judge us [and rule over us] like all the other nations."
39	But their demand[1] displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge and rule over us." So Samuel prayed to the LORD.
40	The LORD said to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being King over them.
41	Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day—in that they have abandoned (rejected) Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also.
42	So now listen to their voice; only solemnly warn them and tell them the ways of the king who will reign over them."
43	So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king.
44	He said, "These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them for himself to his chariots and among his horsemen and they will run before his chariots.
45	He will appoint them for himself to be commanders over thousands and over fifties, and some to do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his implements of war and equipment for his chariots.

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