The Ark Returned to Israel

6 When the ark of the Lord had been in Philistine territory seven months, ² the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners^(A) and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it back to its place.”

³ They answered, “If you return the ark of the god of Israel, do not send it back to him without a gift;^(B) by all means send a guilt offering^(C) to him. Then you will be healed, and you will know why his hand^(D) has not been lifted from you.”

⁴ The Philistines asked, “What guilt offering should we send to him?”

They replied, “Five gold tumors and five gold rats, according to the number^(E) of the Philistine rulers, because the same plague^(F) has struck both you and your rulers. ⁵ Make models of the tumors^(G) and of the rats that are destroying the country, and give glory^(H) to Israel’s god. Perhaps he will lift his hand from you and your gods and your land. ⁶ Why do you harden^(I) your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? When Israel’s god dealt harshly with them,^(J) did they^(K) not send the Israelites out so they could go on their way?

⁷ “Now then, get a new cart^(L) ready, with two cows that have calved and have never been yoked.^(M) Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up. ⁸ Take the ark of the Lord and put it on the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending back to him as a guilt offering. Send it on its way, ⁹ but keep watching it. If it goes up to its own territory, toward Beth Shemesh,^(N) then the Lord has brought this great disaster on us. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us but that it happened to us by chance.”

¹⁰ So they did this. They took two such cows and hitched them to the cart and penned up their calves. ¹¹ They placed the ark of the Lord on the cart and along with it the chest containing the gold rats and the models of the tumors. ¹² Then the cows went straight up toward Beth Shemesh, keeping on the road and lowing all the way; they did not turn to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth Shemesh.

¹³ Now the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat^(O) in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the sight. ¹⁴ The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and there it stopped beside a large rock. The people chopped up the wood of the cart and sacrificed the cows as a burnt offering^(P) to the Lord. ¹⁵ The Levites^(Q) took down the ark of the Lord, together with the chest containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock.^(R) On that day the people of Beth Shemesh^(S) offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord. ¹⁶ The five rulers of the Philistines saw all this and then returned that same day to Ekron.

¹⁷ These are the gold tumors the Philistines sent as a guilt offering to the Lord—one each^(T) for Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron. ¹⁸ And the number of the gold rats was according to the number of Philistine towns belonging to the five rulers—the fortified towns with their country villages. The large rock on which the Levites set the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.

¹⁹ But God struck down^(U) some of the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy^[a] of them to death because they looked^(V) into the ark of the Lord. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the Lord had dealt them. ²⁰ And the people of Beth Shemesh asked, “Who can stand^(W) in the presence of the Lord, this holy^(X) God? To whom will the ark go up from here?”

²¹ Then they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim,^(Y) saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to your town.” 7 ¹ So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark^(Z) of the Lord. They brought it to Abinadab’s^(AA) house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the Lord. ² The ark remained at Kiriath Jearim^(AB) a long time—twenty years in all.

Samuel Subdues the Philistines at Mizpah

Then all the people of Israel turned back to the Lord.^{(AC) 3} So Samuel said to all the Israelites, “If you are returning^(AD) to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid^(AE) yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths^(AF) and commit^(AG) yourselves to the Lord and serve him only,^(AH) and he will deliver^(AI) you out of the hand of the Philistines.” ⁴ So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only.

⁵ Then Samuel^(AJ) said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah,^(AK) and I will intercede^(AL) with the Lord for you.” ⁶ When they had assembled at Mizpah,^(AM) they drew water and poured^(AN) it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” Now Samuel was serving as leader^[b](AO) of Israel at Mizpah.

⁷ When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. When the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid^(AP) because of the Philistines. ⁸ They said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying^(AQ) out to the Lord our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.” ⁹ Then Samuel^(AR) took a suckling lamb and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him.^(AS)

¹⁰ While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered^(AT) with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic^(AU) that they were routed before the Israelites. ¹¹ The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Kar.

¹² Then Samuel took a stone^(AV) and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer,^[c](AW) saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”

¹³ So the Philistines were subdued^(AX) and they stopped invading Israel’s territory. Throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines. ¹⁴ The towns from Ekron^(AY) to Gath that the Philistines had captured from Israel were restored to Israel, and Israel delivered the neighboring territory from the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.^(AZ)

¹⁵ Samuel^(BA) continued as Israel’s leader^(BB) all^(BC) the days of his life. ¹⁶ From year to year he went on a circuit from Bethel^(BD) to Gilgal^(BE) to Mizpah, judging^(BF) Israel in all those places. ¹⁷ But he always went back to Ramah,^(BG) where his home was, and there he also held court^(BH) for Israel. And he built an altar^(BI) there to the Lord.

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath^(A)(B)

12 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain^(C) and eat them. ² When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”^(D)

³ He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?^{(E) 4} He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests.^{(F) 5} Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath^(G) and yet are innocent? ⁶ I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.^{(H) 7} If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’^[a](I) you would not have condemned the innocent. ⁸ For the Son of Man^(J) is Lord of the Sabbath.”

⁹ Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, ¹⁰ and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus,^(K) they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”^(L)

¹¹ He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out?^{(M) 12} How much more valuable is a person than a sheep!^(N) Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

¹³ Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. ¹⁴ But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.^(O)

God’s Chosen Servant

¹⁵ Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill.^{(P) 16} He warned them not to tell others about him.^{(Q) 17} This was to fulfill^(R) what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

Jesus and Beelzebul^(V)

²² Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see.^{(W) 23} All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”^(X)

²⁴ But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul,^(Y) the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”^(Z)

²⁵ Jesus knew their thoughts^(AA) and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. ²⁶ If Satan^(AB) drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? ²⁷ And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul,^(AC) by whom do your people^(AD) drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. ²⁸ But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God^(AE) has come upon you.

²⁹ “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.

³⁰ “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.^{(AF) 31} And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.^{(AG) 32} Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age^(AH) or in the age to come.^(AI)

³³ “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.^{(AJ) 34} You brood of vipers,^(AK) how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks^(AL) what the heart is full of. ³⁵ A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. ³⁶ But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. ³⁷ For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”^(AM)

The Sign of Jonah^(AN)(AO)

³⁸ Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign^(AP) from you.”^(AQ)

³⁹ He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.^{(AR) 40} For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish,^(AS) so the Son of Man^(AT) will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.^{(AU) 41} The men of Nineveh^(AV) will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah,^(AW) and now something greater than Jonah is here. ⁴² The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came^(AX) from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.

⁴³ “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. ⁴⁴ Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. ⁴⁵ Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.^(AY) That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers^(AZ)

⁴⁶ While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother^(BA) and brothers^(BB) stood outside, wanting to speak to him. ⁴⁷ Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”

⁴⁸ He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” ⁴⁹ Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. ⁵⁰ For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven^(BC) is my brother and sister and mother.”