I Samuelis 6
1 Fuit ergo arca Domini in regione Philisthinorum septem mensibus.
Now the ark of the Lord was in the region of the Philistines for seven months.
2 Et vocaverunt Philisthiim sacerdotes et divinos, dicentes: Quid faciemus de arca Domini? indicate nobis quomodo remittamus eam in locum suum. Qui dixerunt:
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 Si remittitis arcam Dei Israel, nolite dimittere eam vacuam, sed quod debetis, reddite ei pro peccato, et tunc curabimini: et scietis quare non recedat manus eius a vobis.
“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 Qui dixerunt: Quid est quod pro delicto reddere debeamus ei? Responderuntque illi:
And they said, “What is it that we ought to repay to him because of transgression?” And they responded:
5 Iuxta numerum provinciarum Philisthinorum quinque anos aureos facietis, et quinque mures aureos: quia plaga una fuit omnibus vobis, et satrapis vestris. Facietisque similitudines anorum vestrorum, et similitudines murium, qui demoliti sunt terram. et dabitis Deo Israel gloriam: si forte relevet manum suam a vobis, et a diis vestris, et a terra vestra.
“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 Quare aggravatis corda vestra, sicut aggravavit Aegyptus, et Pharao cor suum? nonne postquam percussus est, tunc dimisit eos, et abierunt?
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 Nunc ergo arripite et facite plaustrum novum unum: et duas vaccas foetas, quibus non est impositum iugum, iungite in plaustro, et recludite vitulos earum domi.
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 Tolletisque arcam Domini, et ponetis in plaustro, et vasa aurea, quae exolvistis ei pro delicto, ponetis in capsellam ad latus eius: et dimittite eam ut vadat.
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 Et aspicietis: et si quidem per viam finium suorum ascenderit contra Bethsames, ipse fecit nobis hoc malum grande: si autem, minime: sciemus quia nequaquam manus eius tetigit nos, sed casu accidit.
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 Fecerunt ergo illi hoc modo: et tollentes duas vaccas, quae lactabant vitulos, iunxerunt ad plaustrum, vitulosque earum concluserunt domi.
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 Et posuerunt arcam Dei super plaustrum, et capsellam, quae habebat mures aureos et similitudines anorum.
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 Ibant autem in directum vaccae per viam, quae ducit Bethsames, et itinere uno gradiebantur, pergentes et mugientes: et non declinabant neque ad dextram neque ad sinistram: sed et satrapae Philisthiim sequebantur usque ad terminos Bethsames.
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 Porro Bethsamitae metebant triticum in valle: et elevantes oculos suos, viderunt arcam, et gavisi sunt cum vidissent.
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 Et plaustrum venit in agrum Iosue Bethsamitae, et stetit ibi. Erat autem ibi lapis magnus, et conciderunt ligna plaustri, vaccasque imposuerunt super ea holocaustum Domino.
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 Levitae autem deposuerunt arcam Dei, et capsellam, quae erat iuxta eam, in qua erant vasa aurea, et posuerunt super lapidem grandem. Viri autem Bethsamitae obtulerunt holocausta, et immolaverunt victimas in die illa Domino.
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 Et quinque satrapae Philisthinorum viderunt, et reversi sunt in Accaron in die illa.
And the five princes of the Philistines saw, and they returned to Ekron on the same day.
17 Hi sunt autem ani aurei, quos reddiderunt Philisthiim pro delicto, Domino: Azotus unum, Gaza unum, Ascalon unum, Geth unum, Accaron unum:
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 et mures aureos secundum numerum urbium Philisthiim, quinque provinciarum, ab urbe murata, usque ad villam, quae erat absque muro, et usque ad Abelmagnum, super quem posuerunt arcam Domini, quae erat usque in illum diem in agro Iosue Bethsamitis.
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 Percussit autem de viris Bethsamitibus, eo quod vidissent arcam Domini: et percussit de populo septuaginta viros, et quinquaginta millia plebis. Luxitque populus, eo quod Dominus percussisset plebem plaga magna.
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 Et dixerunt viri Bethsamitae: Quis poterit stare in conspectu Domini Dei sancti huius? et ad quem ascendet a nobis?
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 Miseruntque nuncios ad habitatores Cariathiarim, dicentes: Reduxerunt Philisthiim arcam Domini, descendite, et reducite eam ad vos.
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.”
