1 Samuel 6
1 The ark was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
And the ark of Jehovah was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
2 The Philistines called for the priests, and for the diviners, and for the magicians, saying, "What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how we should send it to its place."
And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do with the ark of Jehovah? tell us wherewith we shall send it to its place.
3 And they said, "If you are going to send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty. But return to him a reparation, then you shall be healed and he will be reconciled to you. Will not, then, his hand be removed from you?"
And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; ye must at any rate 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 they said, "What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him?" They said, "Five golden tumors, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague was on you and your lords.
Then they said, What is the trespass-offering which we shall return to him? And they said, Five golden hemorrhoids, and five golden mice, the number of the lords of the Philistines; for one plague is upon them all, and upon your lords.
5 Therefore you shall make images of your tumors, and images of the mice that ravage the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.
And ye shall make images of your hemorrhoids, and images of your mice that destroy the land, and give glory to the God of Israel: perhaps he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.
6 Why then do you harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When he had worked wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed?
And why will ye harden your heart, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their heart? When he had wrought mightily among them, did they not let them go, and they departed?
7 "Now therefore take and prepare yourselves a new cart, and two milk cows, on which there has come no yoke; and tie the cows to the cart, and take their calves from them back home;
And now make a new cart, and take two milch kine, on which there has come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them;
8 and take the ark, and lay it on the cart; and put the figures of gold, which you return him for a trespass offering, in a box by its side; and send it away, that it may go.
and take the ark of Jehovah, and lay it upon the cart, and the golden jewels, which ye return him as a trespass-offering, put in the coffer by the side thereof; and send it away that it may go.
9 And watch; if it goes up by the way of its own territory to Beth Shemesh, then he has done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us; it was a chance that happened to us."
And see, if it go up by the way of its own border to Beth-shemesh, it is he who has done us this great evil; if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that touched us; it was a chance [that] happened to us.
10 The men did so, and took two milk cows, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home;
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 put the ark on the cart, and the box with the mice of gold and the images of their tumors.
And they laid the ark of Jehovah upon the cart, and the coffer with the golden mice and the images of their sores.
12 The cows took the straight way by the way to Beth Shemesh; they went along the highway, mooing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. And the lords of the Philistines followed them to the territory of Beth Shemesh.
And the kine went straight forward on the way to Beth-shemesh; they went by the one high way, lowing as they went; and they turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh.
13 And those of Beth Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley, and they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced to meet it.
And [they of] Beth-shemesh were reaping the 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 stopped there near a large rock. And they split the wood of the cart, and offered up the cows for a burnt offering to the LORD.
And the cart came into the field of Joshua the Beth-shemeshite, and stood there; and a great stone was there. And they clave the wood of the cart, and offered up the kine as a burnt-offering to Jehovah.
15 The Levites took down the ark of the LORD, and the chest that was with it, in which the articles of gold were, and put them on the large rock. And the men of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day to the LORD.
And the Levites took down the ark of Jehovah, and the coffer that was with it, in which were the golden jewels, and put them on the great stone; and the men of Beth-shemesh offered up burnt-offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day to Jehovah.
16 When the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.
And the five lords of the Philistines saw [it], and returned to Ekron the same day.
17 These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering to the LORD: for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ashkelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one;
And these are the golden sores which the Philistines returned as a trespass-offering to Jehovah: for Ashdod one, for Gazah one, for Ashkelon 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 fortified cities and of country villages. The large rock on which they set down the ark of the LORD is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua the Bethshemite.
and the golden mice, [according to] the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and villages of the peasantry; [and they brought them] as far as the great [stone of] Abel, whereon they set down the ark of Jehovah, [which] is to this day in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemeshite.
19 But the sons of Jeconiah did not rejoice with the people of Beth Shemesh when they saw the ark of the LORD. So he struck seventy men of them, and the people mourned, because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter.
And he smote among the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of Jehovah, and smote of the people seventy men; and the people lamented, because Jehovah had smitten the people with a great slaughter.
20 And the men of Beth Shemesh said, "Who is able to stand before this holy thing? And to whom should he go up from us?"
And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand before Jehovah, this holy God? and to whom shall he go up from us?
21 They sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath Jearim, saying, "The Philistines have brought back the ark of the LORD; come down, and bring it up to yourselves."
And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of Jehovah; come down, fetch it up to you.
