Back to BooksSimple English

1 Samuel

Tells about Samuel, the last judge, and the beginning of Israel's monarchy with King Saul and young David.

Chapter 6

Back to Chapters

1 And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months.

*The ark of God was with the Philistines for seven months.

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 Philistines asked the priests and fortune tellers, "What should we do with God's ark? Tell us how to send it to its proper place."

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.

*They said, "If you remove the Ark of God from Israel, don't send it empty. Instead, give a sacrifice for your wrongdoing. This will heal you and make it clear why God's punishment hasn't stopped."

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.

*Then they asked, "What should be our offering to make up for our wrongdoing?" They replied, "Give five gold-emerods and five gold-mice, matching the number of Philistine rulers. Since one plague affected everyone, including your leaders, this is what you must do."

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.

*So, you should create pictures of your boils and pictures of your mice that harm the land. Then, you will honor the God of Israel. Maybe he will stop punishing you, your gods, and your land.

6 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?

*Why do you make your hearts stubborn like the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? Even after seeing amazing things, they didn't let the people leave, and they eventually left anyway.

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:

*So now, create a new cart, get two cows that haven't been yoked before, attach them to the cart, and take their calves away from them.

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.

*Put the Lord's box on a cart and add gold jewels as a sorry offering. Place them in a box next to it, then send it on its way.

9 And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Bethshemesh, 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.

*If it goes up along its own coast to Bethshemesh, it has greatly harmed us. But if not, then we will know it isn't his hand that hurt us; it was just a random event.

10 And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home:

*The men followed these instructions. They got two cows that gave milk, attached them to a cart, and kept their young ones 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.

*So, they placed the Lord's special box on a cart, along with a chest containing gold mice and statues of their painful sores.

12 And the kine took the straight way to the way of Bethshemesh, 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 Bethshemesh.

*The cows followed a straight path towards Bethshemesh, walking along the road while mooing, not veering left or right. The Philistine leaders followed behind them to the edge of Bethshemesh.

13 And they of Bethshemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.

*The people from Bethshemesh were gathering wheat in the valley when they looked up and saw the ark, and they were very happy to see it.

14 And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite, 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.

*The cart moved to Joshua's field, a man from Bethlehem. It stopped near a big rock. They broke the cart's wood and used it to sacrifice cows as a burning offering to God.

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 Bethshemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the LORD.

*The Levites carried the LORD's box and the chest containing gold items, placing them on a large rock. The people of Bethshemesh then offered burned offerings and sacrifices to God that very day.

16 And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.

*When the five Philistine leaders saw it, they went back to Ekron that very day.

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;

*These are the gold figurines the Philistines gave as a mistake offering to God. They gave one each for Ashdod, Gaza, Askelon, Gath, and Ekron.

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 Bethshemite.

*The golden mice were placed based on the number of Philistine cities under five lords. This included fortified cities and rural areas, all the way to the big Abel stone. Here, they put the ark of God. This stone still exists today in Joshua's field in Bethshemesh.

19 And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, 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.

*He punished the people of Bethshemesh for looking at God's box, killing 50,070 men. The people were sad because many were killed in a big battle.

20 And the men of Bethshemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall he go up from us?

*The people of Bethshemesh asked, "Who can face this powerful God? Where will he go instead of us?"

21 And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjathjearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD; come ye down, and fetch it up to you.

*They told the people of Kirjathjearim, "The Philistines have returned God's box. Come get it."

Back to Chapters

* work in progress, there will be mistakes

Copyright © 2025 - Gema369 All Rights Reserved