People of the World where are you going? Turn back to God! Back to your faithful principles!
LEADING THE NATION IN GOD’S WAYS
Leading The Nation In God’s Ways. Then Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth (pagan goddesses) from among you and direct your hearts to the LORD and serve Him only; and He will rescue you from the hand of the Philistines.”
RASHNESS PUNISHED; REVERENCE BLESSED
Rashness Punished; Reverence Blessed. The LORD struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the LORD. He struck down 50,070 men among the people, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter
THE ARK RETURNED TO ISRAEL
The Ark Returned To Israel. And the cows went straight toward Beth-shemesh along the highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn away to the right or the left. And the Philistine lords (governors) followed them to the border of Beth-shemesh.
THE PHILISTINES AND THE ARK
The Philistines And The Ark. When the people of Ashdod got up early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and returned him to his place.
THE GLORY DEPARTED FROM ISRAEL
The Glory Departed From Israel. She said, “The glory has left Israel, for the ark of God has been taken.”
THE PHILISTINES CAPTURE THE ARK
The Philistines Capture the Ark. So the Philistines fought; Israel was defeated and every man fled to his tent. It was a very great defeat, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell.
Also the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were killed.
DYING WITH THE PHILISTINES
Dying With The Philistines. And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” And he stretched out with all his might [collapsing the support pillars], and the house fell on the lords and on all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life.
SAMSON AND DELILAH
Samson and Delilah. After this he fell in love with a [Philistine] woman [living] in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
SAMSON DEFEATS THE PHILISTINES
Samson Defeats the Philistines. He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, so he reached out his hand and took it and killed a thousand men with it. Then Samson said, “With the jawbone of a donkey, Heaps upon heaps, With the jawbone of a donkey I have struck down a thousand men.”
IN BAD COMPANY
In Bad Company. Then on the fourth day they said to Samson’s wife, “Persuade your husband to tell us [through you] the [answer to the] riddle, or we will burn you and your father’s household with fire. Have you invited us to make us poor? Is this not true?”