1 Jehovah said to Moses:
2 »Speak to the Israelites and get twelve staffs from them. Get one from the leader of each of their tribes. Write each mans name on his staff.
3 »Write Aarons name on the staff for Levi because there must be one staff for the head of each tribe.
4 »Put them in the tent of meeting where I meet with you, in front of the testimony of my promise.
5 »The staff from the man I choose will begin to grow. In this way I will silence the frequent complaints the Israelites make against you and Aaron.«
6 Thus Moses spoke to the Israelites. Their leaders gave him twelve staffs, one from the leader of each of their tribes. Aarons staff was among them.
7 Moses put the staffs in Jehovahs presence in the tent of the testimony.
8 The next day Moses went into the tent. He found that Aarons staff for the tribe of Levi had not only begun to grow, but it had also blossomed and produced ripe almonds.
9 Moses brought out the staffs from Jehovahs presence and showed them to all the Israelites. They looked at them, and each man took his staff.
10 Jehovah said to Moses: »Put Aarons staff in front of the testimony. Keep it there as a sign to warn any other rebels. Then you will stop their complaints about me, and they will not die.«
11 Moses did exactly what Jehovah commanded him to do.
14 When the people set out from their camp to cross the Jordan, and the priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant before the people and
15 As they carried the ark into the Jordan and the feet of the priests dipped into the water, for Jordan is at food stage at the time of harvest.
16 The waters stood and rose up upon a heap very far from the city Adam that is beside Zaretan. The waters that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off. The people passed over the Jericho.
17 The priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan River. All the Israelites passed over the Jordan River on dry ground.
14 Return, you disobedient people, proclaims Jehovah. I am your husband. I will take you, one from every city and two from every family, and bring you to Zion.
15 »I will give you shepherds after my own heart. They will be shepherds who feed shepherdleadtend you with knowledge and understanding learningreasoninginsight.
16 »In those days you will be fertile, and your population will increase in the land, says Jehovah. Men will no longer talk about the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah. It will no longer come to mind. They will not remember it, miss it, or make another one.
10 The men did this. They took two milk cows and tied them to the cart. They placed their calves in pens at home.
11 They laid the Ark of Jehovah on the cart, and the box with the mice of gold and the images of their tumors.
12 The cows went straight ahead to Bethshemesh. They went on the highway lowing as they went. They did not turn aside to the right or to the left. And the lords of the Philistines followed them to the border of Bethshemesh.
13 The people of Bethshemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. They looked up and saw the ark. They rejoiced to see it.
14 The cart came to the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite, and stood there. There was a great stone. They cut the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to Jehovah.
15 The Levites removed the cart the Ark of Jehovah and the box that contained the gold objects. They put them on the large rock. The people of Bethshemesh presented burnt offerings and sacrifices to Jehovah that day.
89 When Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with Jehovah, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the throne of mercy on the Ark containing the words of Gods Covenant, from between the two cherubim. This is how Jehovah spoke with Moses.
1 Bezalel made the ark out of acacia wood forty-five inches long, twenty-seven inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high.
20 So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. When the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, the wall fell down flat. The people went into the city, every man straight ahead. They captured the city.
10 »Make a Box out of acacia wood, forty-five inches long, twenty-seven inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high.
11 »Cover it with pure gold inside and out and put a gold border all around it.
12 »Make four carrying rings of gold for it and attach them to its four legs, with two rings on each side.
13 »Make two poles of acacia wood. Cover them with gold.
14 »Put them through the rings. Poles can be used to carry the chest.
15 »Do not ever remove the poles from the rings.
16 »I will give you the Ten Commandments written on two flat tablets. Put them inside the chest.
17 »Cover the lid of the chest mercy seat with pure gold.
18 »Hammer out two winged cherubs of pure gold and fasten them to the lid at the ends of the chest.
19 »Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end. You shall make the cherubim of one piece with the chest at its two ends.
20 »The cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the chest with their wings and facing one another. The faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the chest.
21 »After you put into the ark the words of my covenant that I will give you, place the throne of mercy on top.
33 The people left Sinai, the holy mountain. They traveled three days. Jehovahs Ark of the Covenant always went ahead of them to find a place for them to camp.
34 They moved camp to camp with the cloud of Jehovah over them by day.
35 When the Ark of the Covenant started out, Moses would say: »ARISE, JEHOVAH; scatter your enemies and put to flight those who hate you!«
36 And when it stopped, he would say: »RETURN, O JEHOVAH, to the countless thousands of Israel!«
1 Jehovah said to Moses:
2 »Set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting on the first day of the first month of the year.
3 »Place the Ark containing the words of my covenant inside it, and hang the canopy over the ark.
18 When the priests that carried the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah were up out of the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests feet were lifted up onto the dry land that the waters of Jordan returned to their place, and flowed over all its banks, as they did before.
19 The temple of God was opened in heaven. There was seen in his temple the ark of his covenant. And there were lightnings and voices and thunder and an earthquake and great hail.
1 The people of Kiriath Jearim got the Ark and took it to Abinadabs house on a hill in their town. His son Eleazar took care of it.
2 It stayed there for twenty years. During this this long period of time everyone in Israel was very sad and begged Jehovah for help.
1 Now Jericho was tightly shut up because the people were afraid of the children of Israel. No one went out, and no one came in.
2 Jehovah said to Joshua: »See, I have given into your hand Jericho, and the king there, and the mighty men of valor.
3 »March around the city with all your armed men. Go around the city once per day for six days.
4 »Seven priests will carry before you seven trumpets of rams horns along with the Ark. On the seventh day march around the city seven times. The priests shall blow the trumpets.
5 »When you hear a long blast with the rams horn, all the people will shout with a great shout. The wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people will go up, every man straight in to the city.«
6 Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said to them: »Take up the Ark of the Covenant. Seven priests should carry seven trumpets of rams horns before the Ark of Jehovah.«
7 He said to the people: »Pass on, and circle the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the Ark of Jehovah.«
1 After the Ark of Jehovah had been in Philistia for seven months,
2 the Philistines called in their priests and fortunetellers, and asked: »What should we do with this Ark of Jehovah? Tell us how to send it back where it belongs!«
3 They answered: »If you return the Ark of the Covenant of the God of Israel, you must send with it a gift guilt offering to him to pay for your sin. The Ark must not go back without a gift. In this way you will be healed. You will find out why he continues to punish you.«
12 King David was told: »Jehovah has blessed Obed Edoms home and everything he owns because of the Ark of God.« Then David joyfully went to get the Ark of God from Obed Edoms house and bring it to the City of David.
13 When those who carried the Ark of Jehovah walked six steps, David sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf.
14 Wearing a linen ephod, David danced in Jehovahs presence with all his might.
15 He and the entire nation of Israel brought the Ark of Jehovah with shouts of joy and the sounding of rams horns.
2 The Philistines deployed their troops to meet Israel in battle. The Philistines defeated Israel and killed about four thousand soldiers in the field.
3 The army of Israel retreated to their camp. The leaders of Israel asked: »Why has Jehovah used the Philistines to defeat us today? Let us get the Ark of Jehovahs Covenant from Shiloh so that he may be with us and save us from our enemies.«
4 They sent men to Shiloh to bring back the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah of Hosts who is enthroned over the angels. Elis two sons, Hophni and Phinehas came along with Gods ark.
5 When Jehovahs Ark came into the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth shook.
6 When the Philistines heard the noise, they asked: »What is all this shouting in the Hebrew camp?« The Philistines found out that Jehovahs ark was brought into the camp.
7 Then they were frightened and said: »A god has come into their camp.« They also said: »Oh no! Nothing like this has ever happened before.
8 »We are in trouble now! Who will deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with plagues in the desert wilderness.
9 »Be strong, Philistines, and conduct your selves like men with courage. Or else you will serve the Hebrews as they served you. Act like men and fight.«
10 The Philistines fought and defeated Israel. Every Israelite soldier fled to his tent. It was a major defeat in which thirty thousand Israelite foot soldiers died.
11 The Ark of the Covenant was captured. Elis two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
6 Jehovah dealt harshly with the people of Ashdod. He destroyed them by striking the people in the vicinity of Ashdod with tumors.
7 When the people of Ashdod realized what was happening, they said: »The Ark of the God of Israel must not stay with us. Their God is dealing harshly with our god Dagon and with us.«
8 The people of Ashdod called together the Philistine rulers. »What shall we do with the Ark of the God of Israel?« They asked. The rulers said: »The Ark of the God of Israel must be taken to Gath.« So the people took the Ark of the God of Israel there.
9 After they had moved it, Jehovah threw the city into a great panic. He struck all the people in the city and they were covered with tumors.
10 So the people of Gath sent the Ark of God to Ekron. But when the Ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out: »They brought the Ark of the God of Israel here to kill us.«
11 The people of Ekron called for another meeting of the Philistine rulers and told them: »Send this chest back where it belongs. Then it will not kill us.« Everyone was in a panic, because God was causing a lot of people to die.
22 »I will be above the throne of mercy between the angels whenever I meet with you. I will give you all my commandments for the Israelites.
20 He took the words of Gods promise covenant and put them in the ark. He put the poles on the ark and placed the throne of mercy on top of the ark.
21 Then he brought the ark into the tent and hung the canopy over it to mark off where the ark was. Moses followed Jehovahs instructions.
1 The first covenant had ordinances for divine service, and an earthly sanctuary.
2 A tabernacle was set up. The first room was called »the Holy Place.« It contained the lamp stand and table and the consecrated bread.
3 Beyond the second curtain was a room called »the Most Holy Place.«
4 It had a golden incense burner. The Ark of the Covenant was completely covered with gold. It contained the golden pot that had the manna, and the rod of Aaron that had sprouted, and the tables of the covenant.
5 The cherubim of glory shadowing the mercy seat were above the Ark. Now is not the time to speak in detail.
1 King Solomon summoned all the leaders of the tribes and clans of Israel to come to him in Jerusalem. They were to take Jehovahs Ark of the Covenant from Zion, David's City, to the Temple.
2 They all assembled during the festival. It was the seventh month, the month of Ethanim.
3 As soon as all the elders gathered, the priests lifted the Ark
4 and carried it to the Temple. The Levites and the priests also moved the Tent of Jehovahs presence and all its equipment to the Temple.
5 King Solomon and all the people of Israel assembled in front of the Ark and sacrificed a large number of sheep and cattle, too many to count.
6 Then the priests carried the Ark of the Covenant into the Temple and put it in the Most Holy Place, beneath the cherubim angel.
7 Their outstretched wings covered the box and the poles it was carried by.
8 The ends of the poles could be seen by anyone standing directly in front of the Most Holy Place, but from nowhere else.
9 There was nothing inside the Ark of the Covenant except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed there at Mount Sinai, when Jehovah made a covenant with the people of Israel as they were coming from Egypt.
10 As the priests were leaving the Temple, it was suddenly filled with a cloud.
11 It shined with the dazzling light of Jehovahs presence. They could not go back in to perform their duties.