1 Samuel 6

1 When the ark of the LORD had been in the land of the Philistines seven months,

2 the Philistines summoned the priests and diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how to send it back to its place.”

3 They replied, “If you return the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it away empty, but by all means return it to Him with a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and you will understand why His hand has not been lifted from you.”

4 “What guilt offering should we send back to Him?” asked the Philistines. “Five gold tumors and five gold rats,” they said, “according to the number of rulers of the Philistines, since the same plague has struck both you and your rulers.

5 Make images of your tumors and of the rats that are ravaging the land. Give glory to the God of Israel, and perhaps He will lift His hand from you and your gods and your land.

6 Why harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened theirs? When He afflicted them, did they not send the people out so they could go on their way?

7 Now, therefore, prepare one new cart with two milk cows that have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up.

8 Take the ark of the LORD, set it on the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending back to Him as a guilt offering. Then send the ark on its way,

9 but keep watching it. If it goes up the road to its homeland, toward Beth-shemesh, it is the LORD who has brought on us this great disaster. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not His hand that punished us and that it happened by chance.”

10 So the men did as instructed. They took two milk cows, hitched them to the cart, and penned up their calves.

11 Then they put the ark of the LORD on the cart, along with the chest containing the gold rats and the images of the tumors.

12 And the cows headed straight up the road toward Beth-shemesh, staying on that one highway and lowing as they went, never straying to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed behind them to the border of Beth-shemesh.

13 Now the people of Beth-shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they were overjoyed at the sight.

14 The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there near a large rock. The people chopped up the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD.

15 And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the chest containing the gold objects, and they placed them on the large rock. That day the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the LORD.

16 And when the five rulers of the Philistines saw this, they returned to Ekron that same day.

17 As a guilt offering to the LORD, the Philistines had sent back one gold tumor for each city: Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron.

18 The number of gold rats also corresponded to the number of Philistine cities belonging to the five rulers—the fortified cities and their outlying villages. And the large rock on which they placed the ark of the LORD stands to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.

19 But God struck down some of the people of Beth-shemesh because they looked inside the ark of the LORD. He struck down seventy men, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck them with a great slaughter.

20 The men of Beth-shemesh asked, “Who can stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God? To whom should the ark go up from here?”

21 So they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the LORD. Come down and take it up with you.”

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 Pharaoh 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 Bethshemesh, [then] he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that [it 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 Bethshemesh, [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 Bethshemesh.

13 And [they of] Bethshemesh [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 Bethshemite, 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 Bethshemesh 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 Bethshemite.

19 ¶ And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, 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 Bethshemesh 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 Kirjathjearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD; come ye down, [and] fetch it up to you.

1 So the ark of the LORD was seven months in the land of the Philistines.

2 And the Philistines called their priests and their diviners, and said: What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Teach us, wherewith shall we send it to its place?

3 And they said: If ye will send the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty: but if ye shall repay a trespass offering, ye shall be healed, and it shall be known unto you why his hand depart not from you.

4 And they said: What is the trespass offering which we shall give unto him? And they answered: Five golden eyes, and five golden mice, according to the number of the five lords of the Philistines: for there hath been one plague upon you all, and upon your lords.

5 Now therefore make ye the likeness of your asses, and of your mice that have destroyed your land, to give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure his hand shall be lightened upon you, and upon your God, and upon your land.

6 Why harden ye your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? Is it not so, when he proved himself to them, that they left them, and went away?

7 Now therefore take and make a new cart, and two young suckling cows, on which no yoke hath ever come, and hitch them to the cart, and let their calves remain behind them at home.

8 And take the ark of the LORD, and lay it upon the cart; and the jewels of gold, which ye shall give him for a trespass offering, put them in a little box by their sides, and send them, and let them go.

9 And behold her. If she go up by the way of her border unto Bethshemesh, he hath done us all this great evil. If not, we shall know that his hand hath not touched us, but it hath happened unto us by chance.

10 So the men did, and took two young suckling cows, and harnessed them to a cart, and kept 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 with the images of their eyes.

12 And the cattle went straight on toward Bethshemesh by a highway; and they went and bleated, and turned not aside on the right hand, nor on the left. And the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Bethshemesh.

13 And the children of Bethshem were reaping in the wheat in the valley, and lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.

14 And the cart came into the field of Joshua the Bethshemite, and stood there quietly. And there was a great stone there. And they cut down the wood of the cart, and offered the heifers for a burnt offering unto the LORD.

15 And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD, and the coffer that was by it, wherein were the precious jewels, and set them upon the great stone. And the men of Bethshemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrifices unto the LORD that day.

16 And when the five lords of the Philistines had looked on, they went again to Ekron the same day.

17 Now these are the golden eyes, which the Philistines offered for a trespass offering unto the LORD: Ashdod one, Gasa one, Asklon one, Gath one, and Ekron one.

18 And golden mice according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines among the five princes, both of the walled cities and villages, and unto the great Abel, whereon they left the ark of the LORD, unto this day, in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite.

19 And some of Bethshemesh were smitten, because they had seen the ark of the LORD. And he smote of the people fifty thousand and seventy men. And the people mourned, because the LORD had done such a great slaughter among the people.

20 And the men of Bethshemesh said: Who can stand before the LORD, that holy God? and to whom shall he go from us?

21 And they sent messengers unto the inhabitants of Kiriathjearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD; come down, and bring it up unto you.