The Bible, Douay-Rheims Part 165

5:7. And the men of Azotus seeing this kind of plague, said: The ark of the G.o.d of Israel shall not stay with us: for his hand is heavy upon us, and upon Dagon, our G.o.d.

5:8. And sending, they gathered together all the lords of the Philistines to them, and said: What shall we do with the ark of the G.o.d of Israel? And the Gethites answered: Let the ark of the G.o.d of Israel be carried about. And they carried the ark of the G.o.d of Israel about.

5:9. And while they were carrying it about, the hand of the Lord came upon every city with an exceeding great slaughter: and he smote the men of every city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts. And the Gethites consulted together, and made themselves seats of skins.

5:10. Therefore they sent the ark of G.o.d into Accaron. And when the ark of G.o.d was come into Accaron, the Accaronites cried out, saying: They have brought the ark of the G.o.d of Israel to us, to kill us and our people.

5:11. They sent therefore, and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines: and they said: Send away the ark of the G.o.d of Israel, and let it return into its own place, and not kill us and our people.

5:12. For there was the fear of death in every city, and the hand of G.o.d was exceeding heavy. The men also that did not die, were afflicted with the emerods: and the cry of every city went up to heaven.

1 Kings Chapter 6

The ark is sent back to Bethsames: where many are slain for looking through curiosity into it.

6:1. Now the ark of G.o.d was in the land of the Philistines seven months.

6:2. And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying: What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? tell us how we are to send it back to its place. And they said:

6:3. If you send back the ark of the G.o.d of Israel, send it not away empty, but render unto him what you owe for sin, and then you shall be healed: and you shall know why his hand departeth not from you.

6:4. They answered: What is it we ought to render unto him for sin? and they answered:

6:5. According to the number of the provinces of the Philistines you shall make five golden emerods, and five golden mice: for the same plague hath been upon you all, and upon your lords. And you shall make the likeness of your emerods, and the likeness of the mice, that have destroyed the land, and you shall give glory to the G.o.d of Israel: to see if he will take off his hand from you, and from your G.o.ds, and from your land.

6:6. Why do you harden your hearts, as Egypt and Pharao hardened their hearts? did not he, after he was struck, then let them go, and they departed?

6:7. Now, therefore, take and make a new cart: and two kine that have calved, on which there hath come no yoke, tie to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.

6:8. And you shall take the ark of the Lord, and lay it on the cart, and the vessels of gold, which you have paid him for sin, you shall put into a little box at the side thereof: and send it away, that it may go.

6:9. And you shall look: and if it go up by the way of his own coasts, towards Bethsames, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, we shall know that it is not his hand hath touched us, but it hath happened by chance.

6:10. They did therefore in this manner: and taking two kine, that had sucking calves, they yoked them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.

6:11. And they laid the ark of G.o.d upon the cart, and the little box that had in it the golden mice, and the likeness of the emerods.

6:12. And the kine took the straight way, that leadeth to Bethsames, and they went along the way, lowing as they went: and turned not aside neither to the right hand nor to the left: and the lords of the Philistines followed them as far as the borders of Bethsames.

6:13. Now the Bethsamites were reaping wheat in the valley: and lifting up their eyes, they saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.

6:14. And the cart came into the field of Josue, a Bethsamite, and stood there. And there was a great stone, and they cut in pieces the wood of the cart, and laid the kine upon it a holocaust to the Lord.

6:15. And the Levites took down the ark of G.o.d, and the little box that was at the side of it, wherein were the vessels of gold, and they put them upon the great stone. The men also of Bethsames offered holocausts, and sacrificed victims that day to the Lord.

6:16. And the five princes of the Philistines saw, and they returned to Accaron the same day.

6:17. And these are the golden emerods, which the Philistines returned for sin to the Lord: For Azotus one, for Gaza one, for Ascalon one, for Geth one, for Accaron one:

6:18. And the golden mice, according to the number of the cities of the Philistines, of the five provinces, from the fenced city to the village that was without wall, and to the great Abel (the stone) whereon they set down the ark of the Lord, which was till that day in the field of Josue the Bethsamite.

6:19. But he slew of the men of Bethsames, because they had seen the ark of the Lord, and he slew of the people seventy men, and fifty thousand of the common people. And the people lamented, because the Lord had smitten the people with a great slaughter.

Seen... And curiously looked into. It is likely this plague reached to all the neighbouring country, as well as the city of Bethsames.

6:20. And the men of Bethsames said: Who shall be able to stand before the Lord this holy G.o.d? and to whom shall he go up from us?

6:21. And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Cariathiarim, saying: The Philistines have brought back the ark of the Lord, come ye down and fetch it up to you.

1 Kings Chapter 7

The ark is brought to Cariathiarim. By Samuel's exhortation the people cast away their idols and serve G.o.d alone. The Lord defeateth the Philistines, while Samuel offereth sacrifice.

7:1. And the men of Cariathiarim came, and fetched up the ark of the Lord, and carried it into the house of Abinadab, in Gabaa: and they sanctified Eleazar, his son, to keep the ark of the Lord.

In Gabaa... That is, on the hill, for Gabaa signifieth a hill.

7:2. And it came to pa.s.s, that from the day the ark of the Lord abode in Cariathiarim, days were multiplied (for it was now the twentieth year) and all the house of Israel rested, following the Lord.

7:3. And Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying: If you turn to the Lord with all your heart, put away the strange G.o.ds from among you, Baalim and Astaroth: and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.

7:4. Then the children of Israel put away Baalim and Astaroth, and served the Lord only.

7:5. And Samuel said: Gather all Israel to Masphath, that I may pray to the Lord for you.

7:6. And they gathered together to Masphath, and they drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, and they fasted on that day, and they said there: We have sinned against the Lord. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Masphath.

7:7. And the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Masphath, and the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard this, they were afraid of the Philistines.

7:8. And they said to Samuel: Cease not to cry to the Lord our G.o.d for us, that he may save us out of the hand of the Philistines.

7:9. And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it whole for a holocaust to the Lord: and Samuel cried to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord heard him.

7:10. And it came to pa.s.s, when Samuel was offering the holocaust, the Philistines began the battle against Israel: but the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and terrified them, and they were overthrown before the face of Israel.

7:11. And the men of Israel going out of Masphath, pursued after the Philistines, and made slaughter of them till they came under Bethchar.

7:12. And Samuel took a stone, and laid it between Masphath and Sen: and he called the place The stone of help. And he said: Thus far the Lord hath helped us.

7:13. And the Philistines were humbled, and they did not come any more into the borders of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines, all the days of Samuel.

7:14. And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel, were restored to Israel, from Accaron to Geth, and their borders: and he delivered Israel from the hand of the Philistines, and there was peace between Israel and the Amorrhites.

7:15. And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life:

7:16. And he went every year about to Bethel and to Galgal and to Masphath, and he judged Israel in the foresaid places.

7:17. And he returned to Ramatha: for there was his house, and there he judged Israel: he built also there an altar to the Lord.