撒母耳記上 6
1 耶和華的約櫃在非利士人之地七個月。
Now the ark of the Lord was in the region of the Philistines for seven months.
2 非利士人將祭司和占卜的聚了來，問他們說：「我們向耶和華的約櫃應當怎樣行？請指示我們用何法將約櫃送回原處。」
And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying: “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Reveal to us in what manner we should send it back to its place.” And they said:
3 他們說：「若要將以色列上帝的約櫃送回去，不可空空地送去，必要給他獻賠罪的禮物，然後你們可得痊癒，並知道他的手為何不離開你們。」
“If you send back the ark of the God of Israel, do not choose to release it empty. Instead, repay to him what you owe because of sin. And then you will be cured. And you will know why his hand did not withdraw from you.”
4 非利士人說：「應當用甚麼獻為賠罪的禮物呢？」他們回答說：「當照非利士首領的數目，用五個金痔瘡，五個金老鼠，因為在你們眾人和你們首領的身上都是一樣的災。
And they said, “What is it that we ought to repay to him because of transgression?” And they responded:
5 所以當製造你們痔瘡的像和毀壞你們田地老鼠的像，並要歸榮耀給以色列的上帝，或者他向你們和你們的神，並你們的田地，把手放輕些。
“In accord with the number of the provinces of the Philistines, you shall fashion five gold cysts and five gold mice. For the same plague has been upon all of you and your princes. And you shall fashion a likeness of your cysts and a likeness of the mice, which have destroyed the land. And so shall you give glory to the God of Israel, so that perhaps he may lift off his hand from you, and from your gods, and from your land.
6 你們為何硬着心像埃及人和法老一樣呢？上帝在埃及人中間行奇事，埃及人豈不釋放以色列人，他們就去了嗎？
Why have you hardened your hearts, just as Egypt and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he was struck, did he not then release them, and they went away?
7 現在你們應當造一輛新車，將兩隻未曾負軛有乳的母牛套在車上，使牛犢回家去，離開母牛。
Now therefore, fashion and take a new cart, with two cows that have given birth, but on which no yoke has been imposed. And yoke them to the cart, but retain their calves at home.
8 把耶和華的約櫃放在車上，將所獻賠罪的金物裝在匣子裏，放在櫃旁，將櫃送去。
And you shall take the ark of the Lord, and you shall place it upon the cart, with the articles of gold that you have paid to him on behalf of transgression. You shall place these in a little box at its side. And release it, so that it may go.
9 你們要看看：車若直行以色列的境界到伯‧示麥去，這大災就是耶和華降在我們身上的；若不然，便可以知道不是他的手擊打我們，是我們偶然遇見的。」
And you shall watch. And if, indeed, it ascends by the way of his own parts, toward Beth-shemesh, then he has done this great evil to us. But if not, then we shall know that it is by no means his hand that has touched us, but instead it happened by chance.”
10 非利士人就這樣行：將兩隻有乳的母牛套在車上，將牛犢關在家裏，
Therefore, they did it in this way. And taking two cows that were feeding calves, they yoked them to the cart, and they enclosed their calves at home.
11 把耶和華的約櫃和裝金老鼠並金痔瘡像的匣子都放在車上。
And they placed the ark of God upon the cart, with the little box that held the gold mice and the likenesses of the cysts.
12 牛直行大道，往伯‧示麥去，一面走一面叫，不偏左右。非利士的首領跟在後面，直到伯‧示麥的境界。
But the cows went directly along the way that leads to Beth-shemesh. And they advanced only in one direction, lowing as they went. And they did not turn aside, neither to the right, nor to the left. Moreover, the princes of the Philistines followed them, as far as the borders of Beth-shemesh.
13 伯‧示麥人正在平原收割麥子，舉目看見約櫃，就歡喜了。
Now the Beth-shemeshites were harvesting wheat in the valley. And lifting up their eyes, they saw the ark, and they were glad when they had seen it.
14 車到了伯‧示麥人約書亞的田間，就站住了。在那裏有一塊大磐石，他們把車劈了，將兩隻母牛獻給耶和華為燔祭。
And the cart went into the field of Joshua, a Beth-shemeshite, and it stood still there. Now in that place was a great stone, and so they cut up the wood of the cart, and they placed the cows upon it as a holocaust to the Lord.
15 利未人將耶和華的約櫃和裝金物的匣子拿下來，放在大磐石上。當日伯‧示麥人將燔祭和平安祭獻給耶和華。
But the Levites took down the ark of God, and the little box that was at its side, in which were the articles of gold, and they placed them upon the great stone. Then the men of Beth-shemesh offered holocausts and immolated victims, on that day, to the Lord.
16 非利士人的五個首領看見，當日就回以革倫去了。
And the five princes of the Philistines saw, and they returned to Ekron on the same day.
17 非利士人獻給耶和華作賠罪的金痔瘡像，就是這些：一個是為亞實突，一個是為迦薩，一個是為亞實基倫，一個是為迦特，一個是為以革倫。
Now these are the gold cysts, which the Philistines repaid to the Lord for transgression: for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ashkelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one.
18 金老鼠的數目是照非利士五個首領的城邑，就是堅固的城邑和鄉村，以及大磐石。這磐石是放耶和華約櫃的，到今日還在伯‧示麥人約書亞的田間。
And there were gold mice, according to the number of the cities of the Philistines, of the five provinces, from the fortified city to the village that was without a wall, and even to the great stone upon which they placed the ark of the Lord, which was, at last in that day, in the field of Joshua, the Beth-shemeshite.
19 耶和華因伯‧示麥人擅觀他的約櫃，就擊殺了他們七十人；那時有五萬人在那裏。百姓因耶和華大大擊殺他們，就哀哭了。
Then he struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had seen the ark of the Lord. And he struck down some of the people: seventy men, and fifty thousand of the common people. And the people lamented, because the Lord had struck the people with a great slaughter.
20 伯‧示麥人說：「誰能在耶和華這聖潔的上帝面前侍立呢？這約櫃可以從我們這裏送到誰那裏去呢？」
And the men of Beth-shemesh said: “Who will be able to stand in the sight of the Lord, this holy God? And who will ascend to him from us?”
21 於是打發人去見基列‧耶琳的居民，說：「非利士人將耶和華的約櫃送回來了，你們下來將約櫃接到你們那裏去吧！」
And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying: “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Descend and lead it back to you.”
