1 Samuel 6
1 El arca de Yahvé estuvo siete meses en el país de los filisteos.
Now the ark of the Lord was in the region of the Philistines for seven months.
2 Los filisteos llamaron a los sacerdotes y a los adivinos, diciendo: “¿Qué haremos con el arca de Yahvé? Muéstranos cómo debemos enviarla a su lugar”.
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 Ellos dijeron: “Si envías el arca del Dios de Israel, no la envíes vacía, sino que por todos los medios devuélvele una ofrenda por la culpa. Entonces quedarás curado, y se sabrá por qué su mano no se aparta de ti”.
“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 Entonces dijeron: “¿Cuál debe ser la ofrenda por la culpa que le devolveremos?” Dijeron: “Cinco tumores de oro y cinco ratones de oro, por el número de los señores de los filisteos; porque una sola plaga fue sobre todos vosotros y sobre vuestros señores.
And they said, “What is it that we ought to repay to him because of transgression?” And they responded:
5 Por tanto, haréis imágenes de vuestros tumores e imágenes de vuestros ratones que estropean la tierra, y daréis gloria al Dios de Israel. Tal vez él libere su mano de vosotros, de vuestros dioses y de vuestra tierra.
“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 ¿Por qué, pues, endurecéis vuestros corazones como endurecieron los egipcios y el Faraón? Cuando había obrado maravillosamente entre ellos, ¿no dejaron ir al pueblo y se marcharon?
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 “Ahora, pues, tomad y preparad un carro nuevo y dos vacas lecheras en las que no haya yugo; atad las vacas al carro y llevad de ellas a casa sus terneros;
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 y tomad el arca de Yahvé y ponedla sobre el carro. Pon las joyas de oro, que le devuelves como ofrenda por la culpa, en una caja a su lado; y envíala para que se vaya.
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 He aquí, si sube por el camino de su propia frontera hasta Bet Semes, entonces él nos ha hecho este gran mal; pero si no, entonces sabremos que no es su mano la que nos golpeó. Fue una casualidad que nos sucedió”.
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 Así lo hicieron los hombres, quienes tomaron dos vacas lecheras, las ataron al carro y encerraron a sus terneros en casa.
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 Pusieron el arca de Yahvé en el carro, y la caja con los ratones de oro y las imágenes de sus tumores.
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 Las vacas tomaron el camino recto por la vía de Bet Shemesh. Iban por el camino, mugiendo a su paso, y no se apartaban ni a la derecha ni a la izquierda; y los señores de los filisteos iban tras ellas hasta el límite de Bet Semes.
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 Los habitantes de Bet Semes estaban segando su cosecha de trigo en el valle, y alzando los ojos vieron el arca y se alegraron de verla.
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 El carro llegó al campo de Josué de Bet Semes, y se detuvo allí, donde había una gran piedra. Entonces partieron la madera del carro y ofrecieron las vacas en holocausto a Yahvé.
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 Los levitas bajaron el arca de Yahvé y el cofre que la acompañaba, en el que estaban las joyas de oro, y los pusieron sobre la gran piedra; y los hombres de Bet Shemesh ofrecieron ese mismo día holocaustos y sacrificios a Yahvé.
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 Cuando los cinco señores de los filisteos lo vieron, volvieron a Ecrón el mismo día.
And the five princes of the Philistines saw, and they returned to Ekron on the same day.
17 Estas son las tumbas de oro que los filisteos devolvieron como ofrenda por la culpa a Yahvé: por Asdod una, por Gaza una, por Ascalón una, por Gat una, por Ecrón una;
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 y los ratones de oro, según el número de todas las ciudades de los filisteos que pertenecían a los cinco señores, tanto de las ciudades fortificadas como de las aldeas rurales, hasta la gran piedra sobre la que depositaron el arca de Yahvé. Esa piedra permanece hasta hoy en el campo de Josué de Bet Semes.
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 Hirió a los hombres de Bet Semes, porque habían mirado el arca de Yahvé, hirió a cincuenta mil setenta de los hombres. Entonces el pueblo se lamentó, porque Yahvé había herido al pueblo con una gran matanza.
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 Los hombres de Bet Semes dijeron: “¿Quién podrá estar frente a Yahvé, este Dios santo? ¿A quién subirá de nosotros?”
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 Enviaron mensajeros a los habitantes de Quiriat Jearim, diciendo: “Los filisteos han traído de vuelta el arca de Yahvé. Bajen y llévenla a ustedes”.
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.”
