1 Then the Philistines took the ark of God, and they transported it from the Stone of Assistance into Ashdod.
2 And the Philistines took the ark of God, and carried it into the temple of Dagon. And they stationed it beside Dagon.
3 And when the Ashdodites had risen up at first light on the next day, behold, Dagon was lying prone on the ground before the ark of the Lord. And they took Dagon, and they set him again in his place.
4 And again, on the next day, rising up in the morning, they found Dagon lying on his face upon the ground, before the ark of the Lord. But the head of Dagon, and both palms of his hands had been cut off upon the threshold.
5 Moreover, only the trunk of Dagon remained in its place. For this reason, the priests of Dagon, and all who enter his temple, do not tread upon the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod, even to this day.
6 Now the hand of the Lord weighed heavily upon the Ashdodites, and he destroyed them. And he struck Ashdod and its borders at the inner part of the buttocks. And in the villages and fields, in the midst of that region, mice rose up and burst forth. And this caused a great tumult unto death in the city.
7 Then the men of Ashdod, seeing this kind of plague, said: “The ark of the God of Israel shall not remain with us. For his hand is harsh, over us and over Dagon, our god.”
8 And sending, they gathered together all the princes of the Philistines to them, and they said, “What shall we do about the ark of the God of Israel?” And the Gathites responded, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be led around.” And they led the ark of the God of Israel around.
9 And as they were carrying it around, the hand of the Lord fell upon every single city with an exceedingly great slaughter. And he struck down the men of each and every city, from the small even to the great. And cysts were festering at their buttocks. And the Gathites took counsel, and they made for themselves seat covers from pelts.
10 Therefore, they sent the ark of God into Ekron. And when the ark of God had arrived at Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, saying, “They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to us, so that it may kill us and our people!”
11 And so they sent and gathered together all the princes of the Philistines, and they said: “Release the ark of the God of Israel, and return it to its own place. And let it not kill us, with our people.”
12 For the fear of death fell upon every single city, and the hand of God was very heavy. Also, the men who did not die were being afflicted in the inner part of the buttocks. And the wailing of each city was ascending to heaven.
1 Now the ark of the Lord was in the region of the Philistines for seven months.
2 And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying: “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Reveal to us in what manner we should send it back to its place.” And they said:
3 If you send back the ark of the God of Israel, do not choose to release it empty. Instead, repay to him what you owe because of sin. And then you will be cured. And you will know why his hand did not withdraw from you.
4 And they said, “What is it that we ought to repay to him because of transgression?” And they responded:
5 In accord with the number of the provinces of the Philistines, you shall fashion five gold cysts and five gold mice. For the same plague has been upon all of you and your princes. And you shall fashion a likeness of your cysts and a likeness of the mice, which have destroyed the land. And so shall you give glory to the God of Israel, so that perhaps he may lift off his hand from you, and from your gods, and from your land.
6 Why have you hardened your hearts, just as Egypt and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he was struck, did he not then release them, and they went away?
7 Now therefore, fashion and take a new cart, with two cows that have given birth, but on which no yoke has been imposed. And yoke them to the cart, but retain their calves at home.
8 And you shall take the ark of the Lord, and you shall place it upon the cart, with the articles of gold that you have paid to him on behalf of transgression. You shall place these in a little box at its side. And release it, so that it may go.
9 And you shall watch. And if, indeed, it ascends by the way of his own parts, toward Beth-shemesh, then he has done this great evil to us. But if not, then we shall know that it is by no means his hand that has touched us, but instead it happened by chance.”
10 Therefore, they did it in this way. And taking two cows that were feeding calves, they yoked them to the cart, and they enclosed their calves at home.
11 And they placed the ark of God upon the cart, with the little box that held the gold mice and the likenesses of the cysts.
12 But the cows went directly along the way that leads to Beth-shemesh. And they advanced only in one direction, lowing as they went. And they did not turn aside, neither to the right, nor to the left. Moreover, the princes of the Philistines followed them, as far as the borders of Beth-shemesh.
13 Now the Beth-shemeshites were harvesting wheat in the valley. And lifting up their eyes, they saw the ark, and they were glad when they had seen it.
14 And the cart went into the field of Joshua, a Beth-shemeshite, and it stood still there. Now in that place was a great stone, and so they cut up the wood of the cart, and they placed the cows upon it as a holocaust to the Lord.
15 But the Levites took down the ark of God, and the little box that was at its side, in which were the articles of gold, and they placed them upon the great stone. Then the men of Beth-shemesh offered holocausts and immolated victims, on that day, to the Lord.
16 And the five princes of the Philistines saw, and they returned to Ekron on the same day.
17 Now these are the gold cysts, which the Philistines repaid to the Lord for transgression: for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ashkelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one.
18 And there were gold mice, according to the number of the cities of the Philistines, of the five provinces, from the fortified city to the village that was without a wall, and even to the great stone upon which they placed the ark of the Lord, which was, at last in that day, in the field of Joshua, the Beth-shemeshite.
19 Then he struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had seen the ark of the Lord. And he struck down some of the people: seventy men, and fifty thousand of the common people. And the people lamented, because the Lord had struck the people with a great slaughter.
20 And the men of Beth-shemesh said: “Who will be able to stand in the sight of the Lord, this holy God? And who will ascend to him from us?”
21 And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying: “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Descend and lead it back to you.”
1 Then the men of Kiriath-jearim arrived, and they led away the ark of the Lord. And they brought it into the house of Abinadab, in Gibeah. Then they sanctified Eleazar, his son, so that he might care for the ark of the Lord.
2 And it happened that, from that day, the ark of the Lord remained in Kiriath-jearim. And the days were multiplied (for it was now the twentieth year) and all the house of Israel rested, following the Lord.
3 Then Samuel spoke to the entire house of Israel, saying: “If you would return to the Lord with your whole heart, take away strange gods from among you, the Baals and Ashtaroth, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve him alone. And he will rescue you from the hand of the Philistines.”
4 Therefore, the sons of Israel took away the Baals and Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord alone.
5 And Samuel said, “Gather all of Israel at Mizpah, so that I may pray for you to the Lord.”
6 And they convened at Mizpah. And they drew water, and they poured it out in the sight of the Lord. And on that day they fasted, and in that place they said, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the sons of Israel at Mizpah.
7 And the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel had gathered together at Mizpah. And the princes of the Philistines ascended against Israel. And when the sons of Israel had heard this, they were afraid before the face of the Philistines.
8 And they said to Samuel, “May you not cease to cry out to the Lord our God on our behalf, so that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.”
9 Then Samuel took one suckling lamb, and he offered it whole, as a holocaust to the Lord. And Samuel cried out to the Lord on behalf of Israel, and the Lord heeded him.
10 Then it happened that, while Samuel was offering the holocaust, the Philistines began the battle against Israel. But the Lord thundered with a great crash, on that day, over the Philistines, and he terrified them, and they were cut down before the face of Israel.
11 And the men of Israel, departing from Mizpah, pursued the Philistines, and they struck them down as far as the place which was below Bethcar.
12 Then Samuel took a single stone, and he placed it between Mizpah and Shen. And he called the name of this place: The Stone of Assistance. And he said, “For in this place the Lord gave assistance to us.”
13 And the Philistines were humbled, and they no longer drew near, so that they might enter into the borders of Israel. And so, the hand of the Lord was over the Philistines during all the days of Samuel.
14 And the cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron as far as Gath, with their borders. And he freed Israel from the hand of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
15 And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.
16 And he went each year, traveling around to Bethel, and to Gilgal, and to Mizpah, and he judged Israel in the above-stated places.
17 And he returned to Ramah. For his house was there, and he judged Israel there. And then he built an altar to the Lord there.
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1 This was the vision of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And I saw, and I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of someone speaking. And he said to me: “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.”
2 And after this was spoken to me, the Spirit entered into me, and he set me on my feet. And I heard him speaking to me,
3 and saying: “Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to an apostate nation, which has withdrawn from me. They and their fathers have betrayed my covenant, even to this day.
4 And those to whom I am sending you are sons with a hard face and an unyielding heart. And you shall say to them: ‘Thus says the Lord God.’
5 Perhaps it may be that they will hear, and perhaps they may be quieted. For they are a provoking house. And they shall know that there has been a prophet in their midst.
6 But as for you, son of man, you should not fear them, and you should not dread their words. For you are among unbelievers and subversives, and you are living with scorpions. You should not fear their words, and you should not dread their faces. For they are a provoking house.
7 Therefore, you shall speak my words to them, so that perhaps they may hear and be quieted. For they are provoking.
8 But as for you, son of man, listen to all that I say to you. And do not choose to be provoking, as that house is a provoker. Open your mouth, and eat whatever I give to you.”
9 And I looked, and behold: a hand was put forth toward me; there was a scroll rolled up in it. And he spread it out before me, and there was writing on the inside and on the outside. And there were written in it lamentations, and verses, and woes.
7 Let not them be ashamed for me, who look for thee, O Lord, the Lord of hosts. Let them not be confounded on my account, who seek thee, O God of Israel.
8 Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face.
9 I am become a stranger to my brethren, and an alien to the sons of my mother.
10 For the zeal of thy house hath eaten me up: and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.
11 And I covered my soul in fasting: and it was made a reproach to me.
12 And I made haircloth my garment: and I became a byword to them.
13 They that sat in the gate spoke against me: and they that drank wine made me their song.
1 And Jesus, while passing by, saw a man blind from birth.
2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?”
3 Jesus responded: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but it was so that the works of God would be made manifest in him.
4 I must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day: the night is coming, when no one is able to work.
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 When he had said these things, he spat on the ground, and he made clay from the spittle, and he smeared the clay over his eyes.
7 And he said to him: “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated as: one who has been sent). Therefore, he went away and washed, and he returned, seeing.
8 And so the bystanders and those who had seen him before, when he was a beggar, said, “Is this not the one who was sitting and begging?” Some said, “This is he.”
9 But others said, “Certainly not, but he is similar to him.” Yet truly, he himself said, “I am he.”
10 Therefore, they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?”
11 He responded: “That man who is called Jesus made clay, and he anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ And I went, and I washed, and I see.”
12 And they said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”
13 They brought the one who had been blind to the Pharisees.
14 Now it was the Sabbath, when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.
15 Therefore, again the Pharisees questioned him as to how he had seen. And he said to them, “He placed clay over my eyes, and I washed, and I see.”
16 And so certain Pharisees said: “This man, who does not keep the Sabbath, is not from God.” But others said, “How could a sinful man accomplish these signs?” And there was a schism among them.
17 Therefore, they spoke again to the blind man, “What do you say about him who opened your eyes?” Then he said, “He is a Prophet.”
18 Therefore, the Jews did not believe, about him, that he had been blind and had seen, until they called the parents of him who had seen.
