1 Samuelsboken 6
Svenska Folkbibeln 2015
Arken återförs till Israels land
6 När Herrens ark hade varit i filisteernas land i sju månader, 2 kallade filisteerna till sig präster och spåmän och sade: ”Vad ska vi göra med Herrens ark? Säg oss hur vi ska sända den tillbaka till dess plats.” 3 De svarade: ”Om ni vill sända i väg Israels Guds ark ska ni inte sända bort den utan gåvor. Ni måste i varje fall ge honom ett skuldoffer. Då ska ni bli botade, och ni ska förstå varför hans hand inte drar sig tillbaka från er.”
4 De frågade: ”Vad för slags skuldoffer ska vi sända honom?” De svarade: ”Fem bölder av guld och fem råttor av guld, lika många som filisteernas furstar, för samma plåga har drabbat er alla och era furstar. 5 (A) Ni ska göra avbildningar av era bölder och avbildningar av råttorna som fördärvar ert land. Ge så ära åt Israels Gud. Kanske lättar han då sin hand över er och era gudar och ert land. 6 (B) Varför förhärdar ni era hjärtan så som farao och egyptierna gjorde? När han visade sin makt mot dem, släppte de då inte israeliterna och lät dem gå?
7 Så gör nu en ny vagn och ta två kor som ger di och som inte har burit något ok. Spänn korna för vagnen, men ta hem deras kalvar från dem. 8 Sätt Herrens ark på vagnen och lägg ner guldföremålen som ni ger honom som skuldoffer[a] i ett skrin vid sidan av den. Sänd sedan i väg vagnen. 9 Se efter om den tar vägen till sitt eget land, till Bet-Shemesh. Då var det han som vållade oss den stora olyckan. Men annars vet vi att det inte var hans hand som slog oss utan att det drabbade oss av en slump.”
10 Männen gjorde så. De tog två kor som gav di och spände dem för vagnen. Men kornas kalvar stängde de in hemma. 11 Och de satte Herrens ark på vagnen och även skrinet med guldråttorna och med avbildningarna av deras bölder. 12 Korna gick raka vägen mot Bet-Shemesh[b]. De gick hela tiden samma väg. De gick där och råmade utan att vika av vare sig till höger eller till vänster. Filisteernas furstar följde efter dem ända till gränsen mot Bet-Shemesh.
13 Folket i Bet-Shemesh höll på med veteskörd[c] i dalen. De lyfte sin blick och fick syn på arken, och de blev mycket glada när de såg den. 14 När vagnen nådde åkern hos Josua från Bet-Shemesh stannade den där, och där låg en stor sten. Då högg de upp trävirket från vagnen och offrade korna till brännoffer åt Herren. 15 Leviterna lyfte ner Herrens ark, tillsammans med skrinet med guldföremålen som stod där bredvid, och satte det på den stora stenen. Invånarna i Bet-Shemesh offrade på den dagen brännoffer och slaktoffer åt Herren. 16 När filisteernas fem furstar hade sett detta, vände de samma dag tillbaka till Ekron.
17 De bölder av guld som filisteerna gav som skuldoffer åt Herren var: en för Ashdod, en för Gaza, en för Ashkelon, en för Gat, en för Ekron. 18 Men guldråttorna var lika många som filisteernas alla städer under de fem furstarna, och då medräknades både befästa städer och landsbygdens byar. Den stora stenen där de satte ner Herrens ark är ett vittne, och den finns kvar än i dag på betshemeshiten Josuas åker.
19 (C) Av invånarna i Bet-Shemesh blev några slagna för att de hade sett in i Herrens ark.[d] Herren dödade sjuttio man bland folket, femtio var hövdingar.[e] Och folket sörjde över att Herren hade slagit så många bland dem.
Arken i Kirjat-Jearim
20 Invånarna i Bet-Shemesh sade: ”Vem kan bestå inför Herren, denne helige Gud? Till vem ska han dra vidare härifrån oss?” 21 De skickade sändebud till dem som bodde i Kirjat-Jearim[f] och sade: ”Filisteerna har sänt tillbaka Herrens ark. Kom ner hit och hämta upp den till er.”
Footnotes
- 6:8 skuldoffer Ett ödmjukt erkännande att en synd har begåtts (jfr Israels offerregler i 3 Mos 6).
- 6:12 Bet-Shemesh Stad vid gränsen, ca 3 mil från Ashdod och lika långt från Jerusalem. Byggnader från Samuels tid på 1000-talet har grävts ut.
- 6:13 höll på med veteskörd Vetet skördas vid pingst i maj-juni.
- 6:19 sett in i HERRENS ark Endast de utvalda leviterna fick hantera den heliga arken (jfr 2 Sam 6:6f, 3 Mos 16:2, 4 Mos 4:5, 15).
- 6:19 hövdingar Grundtextens ord betyder både ”tusen” och ”hövding” (över tusen). Jfr Mika 5:2, Matt 2:6.
- 6:21 Kirjat-Jearim Betyder ”skogsstaden”, ca en mil nordost om Bet-Shemesh. Se Jos 9:17, Ps 132:6.
1 Samuel 6
New King James Version
The Ark Returned to Israel
6 Now the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months. 2 And the Philistines (A)called for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it to its place.”
3 So they said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it (B)empty; but by all means return it to Him with (C)a trespass offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why His hand is not removed from you.”
4 Then they said, “What is the trespass offering which we shall return to Him?”
They answered, (D)“Five golden tumors and five golden rats, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines. For the same plague was on all of [a]you and on your lords. 5 Therefore you shall make images of your tumors and images of your rats that (E)ravage the land, and you shall (F)give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will (G)lighten[b] His hand from you, from (H)your gods, and from your land. 6 Why then do you harden your hearts (I)as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He did mighty things among them, (J)did they not let the people go, that they might depart? 7 Now therefore, make (K)a new cart, take two milk cows (L)which have never been yoked, and hitch the cows to the cart; and take their calves home, away from them. 8 Then take the ark of the Lord and set it on the cart; and put (M)the articles of gold which you are returning to Him as a trespass offering in a chest by its side. Then send it away, and let it go. 9 And watch: if it goes up the road to its own territory, to (N)Beth Shemesh, then He has done [c]us this great evil. But if not, then (O)we shall know that it is not His hand that struck us—it happened to us by chance.”
10 Then the men did so; they took two milk cows and hitched them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. 11 And they set the ark of the Lord on the cart, and the chest with the gold rats and the images of their tumors. 12 Then the cows headed straight for the road to Beth Shemesh, and went along the (P)highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right hand or the left. And the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh.
13 Now the people of Beth Shemesh were reaping their (Q)wheat harvest in the valley; and they lifted their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. 14 Then the cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and stood there; a large stone was there. So they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. 15 The Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the chest that was with it, in which were the articles of gold, and put them on the large stone. Then the men of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices the same day to the Lord. 16 So when (R)the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.
17 (S)These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned as a trespass offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for (T)Gath, one for Ekron; 18 and the golden rats, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and country villages, even as far as the large stone of Abel on which they set the ark of the Lord, which stone remains to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.
19 Then (U)He struck the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. [d]He (V)struck fifty thousand and seventy men of the people, and the people lamented because the Lord had struck the people with a great slaughter.
The Ark at Kirjath Jearim
20 And the men of Beth Shemesh said, (W)“Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? And to whom shall it go up from us?” 21 So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of (X)Kirjath Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought back the ark of the Lord; come down and take it up with you.”
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 6:4 Lit. them
- 1 Samuel 6:5 ease
- 1 Samuel 6:9 this calamity to us
- 1 Samuel 6:19 Or He struck seventy men of the people and fifty oxen of a man
1 Samuel 6
English Standard Version
The Ark Returned to Israel
6 The ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months. 2 And the Philistines called for the priests and (A)the diviners and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us with what we shall send it to its place.” 3 They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him (B)a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why (C)his hand does not turn away from you.” 4 And they said, “What is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?” They answered, “Five golden (D)tumors and five golden mice, (E)according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. 5 So you must make images of your (F)tumors and images of your mice that ravage the land, (G)and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps (H)he will lighten his hand from off you (I)and your gods and your land. 6 Why should you harden your hearts as (J)the Egyptians and (K)Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, (L)did they not send the people away, and they departed? 7 Now then, take and prepare (M)a new cart and two milk cows (N)on which there has never come a yoke, and yoke the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them. 8 And take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart and put in a box at its side (O)the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as (P)a guilt offering. Then send it off and let it go its way 9 and watch. If it goes up on the way to its own land, to (Q)Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm, but if not, then we shall know that it is not (R)his hand that struck us; it happened to us by coincidence.”
10 The men did so, and took two milk cows and yoked them to the cart and shut up their calves at home. 11 And they put the ark of the Lord on the cart and the box with the golden mice and the images of their tumors. 12 And the cows went straight in the direction of (S)Beth-shemesh along (T)one highway, lowing as they went. They turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of (U)Beth-shemesh. 13 Now the people of (V)Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And when they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they rejoiced to see it. 14 The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. (W)A great stone was there. And they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. 15 And the Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the box that was beside it, in which were the golden figures, and set them upon (X)the great stone. And the men of (Y)Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices on that day to the Lord. 16 And when (Z)the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron.
17 These are the golden tumors that the Philistines returned as a (AA)guilt offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron, 18 and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, (AB)both fortified cities and unwalled villages. (AC)The great stone beside which they set down the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.
19 (AD)And he struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked upon the ark of the Lord. He struck seventy men of them,[a] and the people mourned because the Lord had struck the people with a great blow. 20 Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, (AE)“Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?” 21 So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of (AF)Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to you.”
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 6:19 Most Hebrew manuscripts struck of the people seventy men, fifty thousand men
Svenska Folkbibeln 2015, Copyright © 2015 by Svenska Folkbibeln Foundation
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
