From: "FamilyNet Direct" 

Bible Reading for March 27

1 Samuel 4
[1] And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against
the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Eben-ezer: and the
Philistines pitched in Aphek.
[2] And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when
they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they
slew of the army in the field about four thousand men. [3] And when the
people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath
the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of
the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among
us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies. [4] So the people sent
to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the
LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of
Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
[5] And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all
Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. [6] And
when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth
the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they
understood that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp. [7] And the
Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they
said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore.
[8] Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods?
these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the
wilderness.
[9] Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be
not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves
like men, and fight.
[10] And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled
every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there
fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.
[11] And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and
Phinehas, were slain.
[12] And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh
the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head. [13] And
when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his
heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and
told it, all the city cried out. [14] And when Eli heard the noise of the
crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in
hastily, and told Eli. [15] Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his
eyes were dim, that he could not see.
[16] And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I
fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son? [17]
And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines,
and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two
sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.
[18] And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he
fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck
brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged
Israel forty years.
[19] And his daughter in law, Phinehas' 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 in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and
travailed; for her pains came upon her. [20] And about the time of her
death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast
born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it.
[21] And she named the child I-chabod, saying, The glory is departed from
Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law
and her husband.
[22] And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.

1 Samuel 5
[1] And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Eben-ezer
unto Ashdod.
[2] When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the
house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.
[3] And when they of Ashdod arose 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 set him in his place again. [4] And when they arose early on the
morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before
the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of 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
house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day. [6] But the
hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and
smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof. [7] And when
the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of
Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon
Dagon our god.
[8] They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto
them, and said, What shall 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. [9] And it was
so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the LORD was against
the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city,
both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts.
[10] Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as
the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, They
have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our
people.
[11] So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines,
and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to
his own place, that it slay 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 smitten with the emerods: and the cry
of the city went up to heaven.

1 Samuel 6
[1] And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines 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.
[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.
[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.
[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.
[6] Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharoah
hardened 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 milch kine, 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 side thereof; and send it away, that it may go. [9] And see, if it
goeth up by the way of his own coast to Beth-shemesh, then he hath done us
this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that is not his hand that
smote us; it was a chance that happened to us. [10] And the men did so; and
took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves 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. [12] And the kine took
the straight way to the way of Beth-shemesh, 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
Beth-shemesh.
[13] And they of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the
valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see
it.
[14] And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Beth-shemite, 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. [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-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day
unto the LORD. [16] And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it,
they returned to Ekron the same 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;
[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 Beth-shemite.
[19] And he smote the men of Beth-shemesh, 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.
[20] And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand before this
holy LORD God? and to whom shall he go up from us? [21] And they sent
messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim, saying, The Philistines
have brought again the ark of the LORD; come ye down, and fetch it up to
you.

1 Samuel 7
[1] And the men of Kirjath-jearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD,
and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified
Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD. [2] And it came to pass, while
the ark abode in Kirjath-jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty
years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.
[3] And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return
unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and
Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve
him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. [4]
Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served
the LORD only.
[5] And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you
unto the LORD.
[6] And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out
before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned
against the LORD. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh. [7]
And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered
together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel.
And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the
Philistines. [8] And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to
cry unto the LORD our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of
the Philistines.
[9] And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering
wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the
LORD heard him.
[10] And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew
near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder
on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were
smitten before Israel.
[11] And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines,
and smote them, until they came under Beth-car. [12] Then Samuel took a
stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it
Eben-ezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us. [13] So the
Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the coast of Israel:
and the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of
Samuel.
[14] And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were
restored to Israel, from Ekron even unto Gath; and the coasts thereof did
Israel deliver out of the hands 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
from year to year in circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged
Israel in all those places. [17] And his return was to Ramah; for there was
his house; and there he judged Israel; and there he built an altar unto the
LORD.

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