Thematic Bible


Thematic Bible



When the ark of the Lord had been in the land of the Philistines for seven months, the Philistines called the priests and the omen readers, saying, "What should we do with the ark of the Lord? Advise us as to how we should send it back to its place." They replied, "If you are going to send the ark of the God of Israel back, don't send it away empty. Be sure to return it with a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and you will understand why his hand is not removed from you." read more.
They inquired, "What is the guilt offering that we should send to him?" They replied, "The Philistine leaders number five. So send five gold sores and five gold mice, for it is the same plague that has afflicted both you and your leaders. You should make images of the sores and images of the mice that are destroying the land. You should honor the God of Israel. Perhaps he will release his grip on you, your gods, and your land. Why harden your hearts like the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? When God treated them harshly, didn't the Egyptians send the Israelites on their way? So now go and make a new cart. Get two cows that have calves and that have never had a yoke placed on them. Harness the cows to the cart and take their calves from them back to their stalls. Then take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart, and put in a chest beside it the gold objects you are sending to him as a guilt offering. You should then send it on its way. But keep an eye on it. If it should go up by the way of its own border to Beth Shemesh, then he has brought this great calamity on us. But if that is not the case, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us; rather, it just happened to us by accident." So the men did as instructed. They took two cows that had calves and harnessed them to a cart; they also removed their calves to their stalls. They put the ark of the Lord on the cart, along with the chest, the gold mice, and the images of the sores. Then the cows went directly on the road to Beth Shemesh. They went along, mooing as they went; they turned neither to the right nor to the left. The leaders of the Philistines were walking along behind them all the way to the border of Beth Shemesh. Now the residents of Beth Shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley. When they looked up and saw the ark, they were pleased at the sight. The cart was coming to the field of Joshua, who was from Beth Shemesh. It paused there near a big stone. Then they cut up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. The Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the chest that was with it, which contained the gold objects. They placed them near the big stone. At that time the people of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord. The five leaders of the Philistines watched what was happening and then returned to Ekron on the same day. These are the gold sores that the Philistines brought as a guilt offering to the Lord -- one for each of the following cities: Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. The gold mice corresponded in number to all the Philistine cities of the five leaders, from the fortified cities to hamlet villages, to greater Abel, where they positioned the ark of the Lord until this very day in the field of Joshua who was from Beth Shemesh.

So do not listen to your prophets or to those who claim to predict the future by divination, by dreams, by consulting the dead, or by practicing magic. They keep telling you, 'You do not need to be subject to the king of Babylon.' Verse ConceptsListeningMediumsFortunetellingOccultismDivinationMisleading DreamsFalse Prophets DenouncedAvoid SorceryDo Not Listen!SorceryDreams And False Prophetsmagic

For the king of Babylon stands at the fork in the road at the head of the two routes. He looks for omens: He shakes arrows, he consults idols, he examines animal livers. Verse ConceptsLiversMagical Arts, Practice OfArrows, Uses OfHousehold GodsPeople Shaking

Joseph said to them, "What did you think you were doing? Don't you know that a man like me can find out things like this by divination?" Verse ConceptsWhat Do You Do?

So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fee for divination in their hand. They came to Balaam and reported to him the words of Balak. Verse ConceptsOld Age, Attitudes ToReward, HumanDivination

Those nations that you are about to dispossess listen to omen readers and diviners, but the Lord your God has not given you permission to do such things. Verse ConceptsDivination, Practiced ByAvoid SorceryGod ForbiddingSorcery

the Philistines called the priests and the omen readers, saying, "What should we do with the ark of the Lord? Advise us as to how we should send it back to its place."

Therefore you will no longer see false visions and practice divination. I will rescue my people from your power, and you will know that I am the Lord.'" Verse ConceptsNo VisionsGod Saving From Enemies

For the household gods have spoken wickedness, the soothsayers have seen a lie, and as for the dreamers, they have disclosed emptiness and give comfort in vain. Therefore the people set out like sheep and become scattered because they have no shepherd. Verse ConceptsAstrologyFutilityencouragement, examples ofdiscouragementGuidance, Need For God'sHousehold GodsPeace, Human Destruction OfRestlessnessSheepSorcery And MagicVisionsDivinationWanderersMisleading DreamsProphesying LiesNo ComfortDreams And False Prophets

Now as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit that enabled her to foretell the future by supernatural means. She brought her owners a great profit by fortune-telling. Verse ConceptsMagical Arts, Practice Ofdemons, Kinds ofMastersMoney, Uses OfPredictionsDivinationFortunetellingNecromancyWhere To PraySorceryThe Futuremagicpsychics

So do not listen to your prophets or to those who claim to predict the future by divination, by dreams, by consulting the dead, or by practicing magic. They keep telling you, 'You do not need to be subject to the king of Babylon.' Verse ConceptsListeningMediumsFortunetellingOccultismDivinationMisleading DreamsFalse Prophets DenouncedAvoid SorceryDo Not Listen!SorceryDreams And False Prophetsmagic

For the king of Babylon stands at the fork in the road at the head of the two routes. He looks for omens: He shakes arrows, he consults idols, he examines animal livers. Verse ConceptsLiversMagical Arts, Practice OfArrows, Uses OfHousehold GodsPeople Shaking

Joseph said to them, "What did you think you were doing? Don't you know that a man like me can find out things like this by divination?" Verse ConceptsWhat Do You Do?

So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fee for divination in their hand. They came to Balaam and reported to him the words of Balak. Verse ConceptsOld Age, Attitudes ToReward, HumanDivination

Those nations that you are about to dispossess listen to omen readers and diviners, but the Lord your God has not given you permission to do such things. Verse ConceptsDivination, Practiced ByAvoid SorceryGod ForbiddingSorcery

the Philistines called the priests and the omen readers, saying, "What should we do with the ark of the Lord? Advise us as to how we should send it back to its place."

Therefore you will no longer see false visions and practice divination. I will rescue my people from your power, and you will know that I am the Lord.'" Verse ConceptsNo VisionsGod Saving From Enemies

For the household gods have spoken wickedness, the soothsayers have seen a lie, and as for the dreamers, they have disclosed emptiness and give comfort in vain. Therefore the people set out like sheep and become scattered because they have no shepherd. Verse ConceptsAstrologyFutilityencouragement, examples ofdiscouragementGuidance, Need For God'sHousehold GodsPeace, Human Destruction OfRestlessnessSheepSorcery And MagicVisionsDivinationWanderersMisleading DreamsProphesying LiesNo ComfortDreams And False Prophets

Now as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit that enabled her to foretell the future by supernatural means. She brought her owners a great profit by fortune-telling. Verse ConceptsMagical Arts, Practice Ofdemons, Kinds ofMastersMoney, Uses OfPredictionsDivinationFortunetellingNecromancyWhere To PraySorceryThe Futuremagicpsychics

When the ark of the Lord had been in the land of the Philistines for seven months, the Philistines called the priests and the omen readers, saying, "What should we do with the ark of the Lord? Advise us as to how we should send it back to its place." They replied, "If you are going to send the ark of the God of Israel back, don't send it away empty. Be sure to return it with a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and you will understand why his hand is not removed from you." read more.
They inquired, "What is the guilt offering that we should send to him?" They replied, "The Philistine leaders number five. So send five gold sores and five gold mice, for it is the same plague that has afflicted both you and your leaders. You should make images of the sores and images of the mice that are destroying the land. You should honor the God of Israel. Perhaps he will release his grip on you, your gods, and your land. Why harden your hearts like the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? When God treated them harshly, didn't the Egyptians send the Israelites on their way? So now go and make a new cart. Get two cows that have calves and that have never had a yoke placed on them. Harness the cows to the cart and take their calves from them back to their stalls. Then take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart, and put in a chest beside it the gold objects you are sending to him as a guilt offering. You should then send it on its way. But keep an eye on it. If it should go up by the way of its own border to Beth Shemesh, then he has brought this great calamity on us. But if that is not the case, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us; rather, it just happened to us by accident." So the men did as instructed. They took two cows that had calves and harnessed them to a cart; they also removed their calves to their stalls. They put the ark of the Lord on the cart, along with the chest, the gold mice, and the images of the sores. Then the cows went directly on the road to Beth Shemesh. They went along, mooing as they went; they turned neither to the right nor to the left. The leaders of the Philistines were walking along behind them all the way to the border of Beth Shemesh. Now the residents of Beth Shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley. When they looked up and saw the ark, they were pleased at the sight. The cart was coming to the field of Joshua, who was from Beth Shemesh. It paused there near a big stone. Then they cut up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. The Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the chest that was with it, which contained the gold objects. They placed them near the big stone. At that time the people of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord. The five leaders of the Philistines watched what was happening and then returned to Ekron on the same day. These are the gold sores that the Philistines brought as a guilt offering to the Lord -- one for each of the following cities: Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. The gold mice corresponded in number to all the Philistine cities of the five leaders, from the fortified cities to hamlet villages, to greater Abel, where they positioned the ark of the Lord until this very day in the field of Joshua who was from Beth Shemesh.

But after it had been moved the Lord attacked that city as well, causing a great deal of panic. He struck all the people of that city with sores. So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But when the ark of God arrived at Ekron, the residents of Ekron cried out saying, "They have brought the ark of the God of Israel here to kill our people!" So they assembled all the leaders of the Philistines and said, "Get the ark of the God of Israel out of here! Let it go back to its own place so that it won't kill us and our people!" The terror of death was throughout the entire city; God was attacking them very severely there. read more.
The people who did not die were struck with sores; the city's cry for help went all the way up to heaven.

When the ark of the Lord had been in the land of the Philistines for seven months, the Philistines called the priests and the omen readers, saying, "What should we do with the ark of the Lord? Advise us as to how we should send it back to its place." They replied, "If you are going to send the ark of the God of Israel back, don't send it away empty. Be sure to return it with a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and you will understand why his hand is not removed from you." read more.
They inquired, "What is the guilt offering that we should send to him?" They replied, "The Philistine leaders number five. So send five gold sores and five gold mice, for it is the same plague that has afflicted both you and your leaders. You should make images of the sores and images of the mice that are destroying the land. You should honor the God of Israel. Perhaps he will release his grip on you, your gods, and your land. Why harden your hearts like the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? When God treated them harshly, didn't the Egyptians send the Israelites on their way? So now go and make a new cart. Get two cows that have calves and that have never had a yoke placed on them. Harness the cows to the cart and take their calves from them back to their stalls. Then take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart, and put in a chest beside it the gold objects you are sending to him as a guilt offering. You should then send it on its way. But keep an eye on it. If it should go up by the way of its own border to Beth Shemesh, then he has brought this great calamity on us. But if that is not the case, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us; rather, it just happened to us by accident." So the men did as instructed. They took two cows that had calves and harnessed them to a cart; they also removed their calves to their stalls. They put the ark of the Lord on the cart, along with the chest, the gold mice, and the images of the sores. Then the cows went directly on the road to Beth Shemesh. They went along, mooing as they went; they turned neither to the right nor to the left. The leaders of the Philistines were walking along behind them all the way to the border of Beth Shemesh. Now the residents of Beth Shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley. When they looked up and saw the ark, they were pleased at the sight. The cart was coming to the field of Joshua, who was from Beth Shemesh. It paused there near a big stone. Then they cut up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. The Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the chest that was with it, which contained the gold objects. They placed them near the big stone. At that time the people of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord. The five leaders of the Philistines watched what was happening and then returned to Ekron on the same day. These are the gold sores that the Philistines brought as a guilt offering to the Lord -- one for each of the following cities: Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. The gold mice corresponded in number to all the Philistine cities of the five leaders, from the fortified cities to hamlet villages, to greater Abel, where they positioned the ark of the Lord until this very day in the field of Joshua who was from Beth Shemesh.