And the ark of the LORD
was in the country
of the Philistines
seven
months
.
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
.
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.
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
.
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
.
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
?
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
:
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
.
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
.
And the men did so
; and took
two
milch
kine
, and tied
them to the cart
, and shut up
their calves
at home
:
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
.
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
.
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 .
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
.
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
.
And when the five lords
of the Philistines
had seen
it , they returned
to Ekron
the same day
.
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
;
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
.
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
.
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?
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.