Bible in a Year.

On the ninety-eighth day, 1 Samuel 6-8 presents the arrival of the ark of the covenant and the challenges of Samuel's leadership over Israel. Psalm 86 reminds us to turn to God in humility, trusting in His mercy and everlasting love in the midst of difficulties.

Chapter 6

1. Now the ark of God was in the land of the Philistines seven months.

2. And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying: What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? tell us how we are to send it back to its place? And they said:

3. If you send back the ark of the God of Israel, send it not away empty, but render unto him what you owe for sin, and then you shall be healed: and you shall know why his hand departeth not from you.

4. They answered: What is it we ought to render unto him for sin? and they answered:

5. According to the number of the provinces of the Philistines you shall make five golden emerods, and five golden mice: for the same plague hath been upon you all, and upon your lords. And you shall make the likeness of your emerods, and the likeness of the mice that have destroyed the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel: to see if he will take off his hand from you, and from your gods, and from your land.

6. Why do you harden your hearts, as Egypt and Pharao hardened their hearts? did not he, after he was struck, then let them go, and they departed?

7. Now therefore take and make a new cart: and two kine that have calved, on which there hath come no yoke, tie to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.

8. And you shall take the ark of the Lord, and lay it on the cart, and the vessels of gold, which you have paid him for sin, you shall put into a little box, at the side thereof: and send it away that it may go.

9. And you shall look: and if it go up by the way of his own coasts towards Bethsames, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, we shall know that it is not his hand hath touched us, but it hath happened by chance.

10. They did therefore in this manner: and taking two kine, that had suckling calves, they yoked them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.

11. And they laid the ark of God upon the cart, and the little box that had in it the golden mice and the likeness of the emerods.

12. And the kine took the straight way that leadeth to Bethsames, and they went along the way, lowing as they went: and turned not aside neither to the right hand nor to the left: and the lords of the Philistines followed them as far as the borders of Bethsames.

13. Now the Bethsamites were reaping wheat in the valley: and lifting up their eyes they saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.

14. And the cart came into the field of Josue a Bethsamite, and stood there. And there was a great stone, and they cut in pieces the wood of the cart, and laid the kine upon it a holocaust to the Lord.

15. And the Levites took down the ark of God, and the little box that was at the side of it, wherein were the vessels of gold, and they put them upon the great stone. The men also of Bethsames offered holocausts and sacrificed victims that day to the Lord.

16. And the five princes of the Philistines saw, and they returned to Accaron the same day.

17. And these are the golden emerods, which the Philistines returned for sin to the Lord: For Azotus one, for Gaza one, for Ascalon one, for Geth one, for Accaron one:

18. And the golden mice according to the number of the cities of the Philistines, of the five provinces, from the fenced city to the village that was without wall, and to the great Abel (the stone) whereon they set down the ark of the Lord, which was till that day in the field of Josue the Bethsamite.

19. But he slew of the men of Bethsames, because they had seen the ark of the Lord: and he slew of the people seventy men, and fifty thousand of the common people. And the people lamented, because the Lord had smitten the people with a great slaughter.

20. And the men of Bethsames said: Who shall be able to stand before the Lord this holy God? and to whom shall he go up from us?

21. And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Cariathiarim, saying: The Philistines have brought back the ark of the Lord, come ye down and fetch it up to you.

Chapter 7

1. And then men of Cariathiarim came and fetched up the ark of the Lord and carried it into the house of Abinadab in Gabaa: and they sanctified Eleazar his son, to keep the ark of the Lord.

2. And it came to pass, that from the day the ark of the Lord abode in Cariathiarim days were multiplied, (for it was now the twentieth year,) and all the house of Israel rested following the Lord.

3. And Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying: If you turn to the Lord with all your heart, put away the strange gods from among you, Baalim and Astaroth: 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 put away Baalim and Astaroth, and served the Lord only.

5. And Samuel said: Gather all Israel to Masphath, that I may pray to the Lord for you.

6. And they gathered together to Masphath: and they drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, and they fasted on that day, and they said there: We have sinned against the Lord. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Masphath.

7. And the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Masphath, and the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard this, they were afraid of the Philistines.

8. And they said to Samuel: Cease not to cry to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us out of the hand of the Philistines.

9. And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it whole for a holocaust to the Lord: and Samuel cried to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord heard him.

10. And it came to pass, when Samuel was offering the holocaust, the Philistines began the battle against Israel: but the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and terrified them, and they were overthrown before the face of Israel.

11. And the men of Israel going out of Masphath pursued after the Philistines, and made slaughter of them till they came under Bethchar.

12. And Samuel took a stone, and laid it between Masphath and Sen: and he called the place, the Stone of help. And he said: Thus far the Lord hath helped us.

13. And the Philistines were humbled, and they did not come any more into the borders 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 Accaron to Geth, and their borders: and he delivered Israel from the hand of the Philistines, and there was peace between Israel and the Amorrhites.

15. And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life:

16. And he went every year about to Bethel and to Galgal and to Masphath, and he judged Israel in the aforesaid places.

17. And he returned to Ramatha, for there was his house, and there he judged Israel: he built also there an altar to the Lord.

Chapter 8

1. And it came to pass when Samuel was old, that he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel.

2. Now the name of his firstborn son was Joel: and the name of the second was Abia, judges in Bersabee.

3. And his sons walked not in his ways: but they turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.

4. Then all the ancients of Israel being assembled, came to Samuel to Ramatha.

5. And they said to him: Behold thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: make us a king, to judge us, as all nations have.

6. And the word was displeasing in the eyes of Samuel, that they should say: Give us a king, to judge us. And Samuel prayed to the Lord.

7. And the Lord said to Samuel: Hearken to the voice of the people in all that they say to thee. For they have not rejected thee, but me, that I should not reign over them.

8. According to all their works, they have done from the day that I brought them out of Egypt until this day: as they have forsaken me, and served strange gods, so do they also unto thee.

9. Now therefore hearken to their voice: but yet testify to them, and foretell them the right of the king, that shall reign over them.

10. Then Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people that had desired a king of him,

11. And said: This will be the right of the king, that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and put them in his chariots, and will make them his horsemen, and his running footmen to run before his chariots,

12. And he will appoint of them to be his tribunes, and centurions, and to plough his fields, and to reap his corn, and to make him arms and chariots.

13. Your daughters also he will take to make him ointments, and to be his cooks, and bakers.

14. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your best oliveyards, and give them to his servants.

15. Moreover he will take the tenth of your corn, and of the revenues of your vineyards, to give his eunuchs and servants.

16. Your servants also and handmaids, and your goodliest young men, and your asses he will take away, and put them to his work.

17. Your flocks also he will tithe, and you shall be his servants.

18. And you shall cry out in that day from the face of the king, whom you have chosen to yourselves. and the Lord will not hear you in that day, because you desired unto yourselves a king.

19. But the people would not hear the voice of Samuel, and they said: Nay: but there shall be a king over us.

20. And we also will be like all nations: and our king shall judge us, and go out before us, and tight our battles for us.

21. And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and rehearsed them in the ears of the Lord.

22. And the Lord said to Samuel: Hearken to their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said to the men of Israel: Let every man go to his city.

1. A prayer for David himself. Incline thy ear, O Lord, and hear me: for I am needy and poor.

2. Preserve my soul, for I am holy: save thy servant, O my God, that trusteth in thee.

3. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I have cried to thee all the day.

4. Give joy to the soul of thy servant, for to thee, O Lord, I have lifted up my soul.

5. For thou, O Lord, art sweet and mild: and plenteous in mercy to all that call upon thee.

6. Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer: and attend to the voice of my petition.

7. I have called upon thee in the day of my trouble: because thou hast heard me.

8. There is none among the gods like unto thee, O Lord: and there is none according to thy works.

9. All the nations thou hast made shall come and adore before thee, O Lord: and they shall glorify thy name.

10. For thou art great and dost wonderful things: thou art God alone.

11. Conduct me, O Lord, in thy way, and I will walk in thy truth: let my heart rejoice that it may fear thy name.

12. I will praise thee, O Lord my God: with my whole heart, and I will glorify thy name for ever:

13. For thy mercy is great towards me: and thou hast delivered my soul out of the lower hell.

14. O God, the wicked are risen up against me, and the assembly of the mighty have sought my soul: and they have not set thee before their eyes.

15. And thou, O Lord, art a God of compassion, and merciful, patient, and of much mercy, and true.

16. O look upon me, and have mercy on me: give thy command to thy servant, and save the son of thy handmaid.

17. Shew me a token for good: that they who hate me may see, and be confounded, because thou, O Lord, hast helped me and hast comforted me.