the fide of the Gate, and his Neck brake, and he died: for he was an old Man, and heavy. And he had judged Ifrael forty Years.

19 And his Daughter-in-law Phinehas's Wife was with Child near to be delivered: and when she heard the Tidings that the ARK of GOD was taken, and that her Father-inlaw, and her Hufband were dead, fhe bowed herself and travailed; for her Pains came upon her.

20 And about the Time of her Death, the Women that ftood by her, faid unto her, Fear not, for thou haft born a Son. But fhe answered not, neither did the regard it.

21 And the named the Child I-chabod, faying, The GLORY IS DEPARTED from ISRAEL: (because the ARK of GOD was taken, and because of her Father-in-law and her Hufband)

22 And fhe faid, The GLORY is DEPARTED from ISRAEL: for the ARK of GOD is taken.

CHA P. V.

The Philistines bring the Ark into the Houfe of Dagon. 3 Dagon falleth down. 6, 9, 12 They are fmitten with Emerods. Ver. 1 ND the Philistines took the ARK of GOD, and brought it from Eben-ezer unto Afhdod.

2 When the Philistines took the ARK of GOD, they brought it into the Houfe of Dagon, and fet it by Dagon. 3 ' And when they of Ashdod arofe early on the Morrow,

behold, Dagon was fallen upon his Face to the Earth, before the ARK of the LORD and they took Dagon, and fet him in his Place again.

Pfal. xcvi. s All the Gods of the Nations are IDOLS: but the LORD made the HEAVENS.

Pfal. xcvii. 7 CONFOUNDED be all they that SERVE graven IMAGES, that BOAST themselves of IDOLS: WORSHIP him all ye Gods.

8 ZION heard, and was glad, and

the Daughters of Judah rejoyced;

because of thy JUDGMENTS, O LORD

9 For thou, LORD, art high, above all the EARTH: thou art EXALTED far

4 And the Head of Dagon, and both the Palms of above all Gods. his Hands were cut off upon the Threshold, only the Stump of Dagon was left to him.

5 Therefore neither the Priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's Houfe, tread on the Threshold of Dagon.

Pfal. Ixvi. Make a joyful Noise unto God, all ye Lands.

2 Sing forth the Honour of his Name: make his Praife glorious.

3 Say unto GOD, HOW TERRIBLE GREATNESS of thy POWER, fhall thine art thou in thy WORKS? through the ENEMIES fubmit themselves unto thee.

6 But

6 But the Hand of the LORD was heavy upon them the HEAVENS and the Earth, even they of Afhdod, and he deftroyed fhall PERISH from the Earth, and them, and smote them with from under thefe HEAVENS. Emerods, even Ashdod and the Coasts thereof.

Jer. x. 11 Thus fhall ye fay unto them, The Gods that have not MADE

7 And when the Men of Afhdod faw that it was fo, they faid, the ARK of the GoD of ISRAEL fhall not abide with us for his Hand is fore upon us, and upon Dagon our God.

8 They sent therefore, and gathered all the Lords of the Philistines unto them, and faid, What fhall we do with the ARK of the GOD of ISRAEL? And they answered, Let the ARK of the GOD of ISRAEL be carried about unto Gath. And they carried the ARK of the GOD of ISRAEL about thither.

Pfal. lxxviii. 66 And he fmote his Enemies in the hinder Parts: he put them to a perpetual Reproach.

9 w And it was fo, that after they had carried it about, the Hand of the LORD was against the City with a very great Deftruction: and he fmote the Men of the City both small and great, and they had Emerods in their fecret Parts.

10 Therefore they fent the ARK of GOD to Ekron and it came to pass as the ARK of GOD came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, faying, They have brought about the ARK of the GOD of ISRAEL to us, to flay us and our People.

11 So they fent and gathered together all the Lords of the Philistines, and faid, Send away the ARK, of the GOD of ISRAEL, and let it go again to his own Place, that it flay us not, and our People: for there was a deadly Destruction throughout all the City: the Hand of GOD was very heavy there.

12 And the Men that died not, were fmitten with the Emerods and the Cry of the City went up to Heaven.

CHA P. VI.

1 The Philistines confult how to fend back the Ark. 10 They bring it on a Cart to Beth-fhemesh. 19 The People fmitten.

Ver. 1

ND the Ark of the LORD was in the Country of

AND

of

wa

2 And the Philiftines called for the Priefts and the Divi

ners,

ners, faying, What fhall we do to the Ark of the LORD? tell us wherewith we fhall fend it to his Place.

3 And they said, If you fend away the Ark of the GOD of Ifrael, fend it not empty; but in any wife return him a Trefpafs-offering: then ye fhall be healed, and it shall be known to you, why his Hand is not removed from you.

4 Then faid they, What fhall be the Trefpafs-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 Philiftines: for one Plague was on you all, and on your Lords.

5 Wherefore ye fhall make Images of your Emerods, and Images of your Mice that mar the Land, and ye shall give glory unto the GOD of Ifrael: peradventure he will lighten his Hand from off you, and from off your Gods, and from off your Land.

6 Wherefore then do ye HARDEN your HEARTS, as the EGYPTIANS and PHARAOH HARDNED their HEARTS? when he had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the People go, and they departed?

7 Now therefore make a new Cart, and take two Milchkine on which there hath come no Yoke, and tie the Kine to the Cart, and bring their Calves home 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 fide thereof, and fend it away, that it may go.

9 And fee, if it goeth up by the way of his own Coast to Beth-fhemesh, then he hath done us this great Evil: but if not, then we fhall know that it is not his Hand that fmote us; it was a Chance that happened to us.

10 And the Men did fo.

Iz And the Kine took the ftraight Way to the Way of Beth-fhemesh, and went along the Highway, lowing as they went; and the Lords of the Philiftines went after them unto the Border of Beth-fhemesh.

13 And they of Beth-fhemesh were reaping their Wheatharvest in the Valley and they lifted up ther Eyes, and faw the Ark, and rejoyced to see it.

14 And the Cart came into the Field of Joshua a Bethfhemite, and ftood 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.

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 Beth-fhemesh offered Burnt-offerings, and facrificed Sacrifices the fame Day unto the LORD.

16 And when the five Lords of the Philiftines had feen it, they returned to Ekron the fame Day.

17 And these are the golden Emerods which the Philiftines returned for a Trefpafs-offering unto the LORD; for Afhdod one, for Gaza one, for Afkelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one.

18 And the golden Mice, according to the Number of all the Cities of the Philiftines belonging to the five Lords, both of fenced Cities, and of Country Villages, even unto the great Stone of Abel, whereon they fet down the Ark of the LORD which Stone remaineth unto this Day, in the Field of Joshua the Beth-fhemite.

19 And he fmote the Men of Beth-fhemefh, because they looked into the Ark of the LORD, even he fmote of the People fifty thousand and threefcore and ten Men and the People lamented, because the LORD had fmitten many of the People with a great Slaughter.

20 And the Men of Beth-fhemesh faid, Who is able to ftand before this HOLY LORD GOD? and to whom shall he go up from us?

21 And they fent Meffengers to the Inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim, faying, The Philistines have brought again the Ark of the LORD; come ye down, and fetch it up to you.

CHAP. VII.

3 The Ifraelites, by Samuel's Means, folemnly repent at Mizpeh. 9 Samuel praying, 13 the Philiftines are difcomfited.

Ver. 15 AND Samuel judged Ifrael all the Days of his

16 And he went from Year to Year in Circuit to Beth-el, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Ifrael in all thofe Places. 17 And his Return was to Ramah; for there was his House and there he judged Ifrael, and there he built an Altar unto the LORD.

CHAP.

CHA P. VIII.

By the Occafion of the ill Government of Samuel's Sons, the Ifraelites afk a King. 10 The Manner of a King.

Ver. A he made his Sons Judges over Ifrael.

ND it came to pafs when Samuel was old, that

2 Now the Name of his First-born was Joel, and the Name of his fecond, Abiah: they were Judges in Beerheba.

3 And his Sons walked not in his Ways, but TURNED afide after Lucre, and TOOK BRIBES, and PERVERTED JUDGMENT.

4 Then all the Elders of Ifrael gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,

5 And faid unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy Sons walk not in thy Ways: now make us a King to judge us like all the Nations.

6 But the Thing difpleafed Samuel, when they said, Give us a King to judge us and Samuel prayed unto the LORD.

7 And the LORD faid unto Samuel, Hearken unto the Voice of the People in all that they fay unto thee for they have not rejected thee, but they have REJECTED me, that I fhould not REIGN OVER THEM.

8 According to all the Works which they have done fince the Day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even unto this Day, wherewith they have forfaken me, and served other Gods: fo do they also unto thee.

9 Now therefore hearken unto their Voice: howbeit, yet protest folemnly unto them, and fhew them the Manner of the King that shall reign over them.

10 And Samuel told all the Words of the LORD unto the People, that asked of him a King.

II And he faid, This will be the Manner of the King that shall reign over you: He will take your SONS, and appoint them for himself, for his Chariots, and to be his Horsemen, and fome fhall RUN before his Chariots.

12 And he will appoint him CAPTAINS over Thousands, and Captains over Fifties, and will fet of them to ear his Ground, and to reap his Harveft, and to make his Inftruments of War, and Inftruments of his Chariots.