1 Samuel 6
1 And it came to pass, that the ark of Yahweh was in the country of the Philistines, seven months.
And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
2 Then called the Philistines for the priests and for the diviners, saying, What shall we do with the ark of Yahweh? Let us know, wherewith we shall send it to its own place.
And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? shew us wherewith we shall send it to its place.
3 And they said—If ye are going to send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it away, empty, but ye must, surely return, to him, a guilt-offering, —then, shall ye be healed, and it shall be known to you, wherefore his hand would not turn away from you.
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 guilt offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you.
4 And they said—What shall be the guilt-offering, that we shall return to him? And they said—By the number of the lords of the Philistines, five tumours of gold, and five mice of gold, —for, one plague, was on you all, and on your lords.
Then said they, What shall be the guilt offering which we shall return to him? And they said, Five golden tumours, 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.
5 Wherefore ye shall make likenesses of your turnouts, and likenesses of your mice that are laying waste the land, and shall, give unto the, God of Israel, glory, —Peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your god, and from off your land.
Wherefore ye shall make images of your tumours, 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:
6 Wherefore, then, should ye make your heart dull, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh made their heart dull! When he had done his great doings upon them, did they not let them go, and they departed?
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?
7 Now, therefore, take and get ready, one new waggon, and two milch kine, whereon hath never come yoke, —then shall ye fasten the kine in the waggon, and withdraw their calves from them, into the shed;
Now therefore take and prepare you a new cart, and two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them:
8 and ye shall take the ark of Yahweh, and place it in the waggon, also, the jewels of gold which ye send back to him as a guilt-offering, shall ye put into a coffer, at the side thereof, —so shall ye let it go, and it shall depart.
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 guilt offering, in a coffer by the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go.
9 Then shall ye look—if, by the way of its own boundary, it goeth up to Beth-shemesh, he, it was who caused us this great affliction, —but, if not, then shall we know that it was not, his hand, that smote us, a chance, it was, that befell us.
And see, if it goeth up by the way of its own border to Beth-shemesh, 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.
10 The men, therefore, did so, and took two milch kine, and fastened them in the waggon, —but, their calves, shut they up in the shed.
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 of Yahweh, into the waggon, —also the coffer, with the mice of gold, and the likenesses of their tumours.
and they put the ark of the LORD upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their tumours.
12 And the kine went straight along the road, on the way to Beth-shemesh, yea, along the main highway, they went, lowing as they went, turning not aside, to the right hand or to the left. And, the lords of the Philistines, went along after them, as far as the bounds of Beth-shemesh.
And the kine took the straight way by the way to Beth-shemesh; they 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 Beth-shemesh.
13 Now, they of Beth-shemesh, were reaping their wheat-harvest in the vale, —so they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to meet it.
And they of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.
14 And, the waggon, entered into the field of Joshua, a man of Beth-shemesh, and stood still, there, where also, was a great stone, —so they clave into pieces the planks of the waggon, and, the kine, offered they up as an ascending-sacrifice, unto Yahweh.
And the cart came into the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they clave the wood of the cart, and offered up the kine for a burnt offering unto the LORD.
15 And, the Levites, took down the ark of Yahweh, and the coffer that was with it, wherein were the jewels of gold, and put them upon the great stone, —and, the men of Beth-shemesh, caused to go up ascending-offerings and offered sacrifices, that day, unto Yahweh.
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 Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the LORD.
16 And, the five lords of the Philistines, saw it, —and returned unto Ekron, the same day.
And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.
17 Now, these, are the golden boils which, the Philistines returned as a guilt-offering unto Yahweh, —For Ashdod, one, for Gaza, one, for Ashkelon, one, for Gath, one, for Ekron, one;
And these are the golden tumours which the Philistines returned for a guilt offering unto the LORD; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ashkelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one;
18 And the golden mice, by the number of all the cities of the Philistines, pertaining to the five lords, both fortified cities, and country villages, —yea, even the great meadow whereon they rested the ark of Yahweh, until this day, is in the field-land of Joshua, the man of Beth-shemesh.
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, whereon they set down the ark of the LORD, [which stone remaineth] unto this day in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite.
19 And, when he smote the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked into the ark of Yahweh, yea smote of the people seventy men [and] fifty thousand men, the people mourned, for that Yahweh had smitten the people with a great smiting.
And he smote of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people seventy men, [and] fifty thousand men: and the people mourned, because the LORD had smitten the people with a great slaughter.
20 Then said the men of Beth-shemesh, Who is able to stand before Yahweh, this holy God? and, unto whom, shall he go up from us?
And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God? and to whom shall he go up from us?
21 And they sent messengers unto the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, —The Philistines have returned the ark of Yahweh, come down, fetch it up unto you.
And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD; come ye down, and fetch it up to you.
