1 The ark of the LORD remained in the territory of the Philistines for seven months.

And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months.

2 The Philistines called for the priests and diviners and said, "What should we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how we should send it back to its place."

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.

3 They responded, "If you send the ark of the God of Israel back, do not send it away empty. Make sure to return a guilt offering to him as well; then you will be healed, and it will become clear to you why his hand has not been lifted 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 trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you.

4 The Philistines asked, "What guilt offering should we send to him?" They replied, "Five gold tumors and five gold mice, corresponding to the number of Philistine rulers, because the same plague struck all of you and your rulers.

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.

5 Make replicas of your tumors and your mice that are ravaging the land, and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten his hand on you, your gods, and your land.

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.

6 Why do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When he dealt severely with them, didn’t they let the Israelites 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 then, prepare a new cart with two nursing cows that have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart and take their calves away back to the barn.

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:

8 Place the ark of the LORD on the cart and the gold objects you are returning to him as a guilt offering in a box beside it. Then send it on its way.

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.

9 Watch to see: if it goes up along the road to its own territory, toward Beth Shemesh, then it is the LORD who has brought this great disaster upon us. But if it does not, then we will know it was not his hand that struck us; it happened by chance.

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.

10 The men did so. They took two nursing cows, hitched them to the cart, and confined their calves to the barn.

And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home:

11 Then they placed the ark of the LORD on the cart, along with the box containing the gold mice and the models of their tumors.

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.

12 The cows went straight up the road toward Beth Shemesh, staying on the main highway. They kept lowing as they went, without turning to the right or left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them until the border of Beth Shemesh.

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.

13 Now the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley. When they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the sight.

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.

14 The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh and stopped there beside a large stone. They chopped up the wood of the cart, and they offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD.

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.

15 The Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the box containing the gold objects and placed them on the large stone. That day, the people of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to 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.

16 When the five rulers of the Philistines saw what happened, they returned to Ekron that same day.

And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.

17 These are the gold tumors the Philistines sent as a guilt offering to the LORD: one each for Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron.

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;

18 And the gold mice represented the number of all the Philistine towns belonging to the five rulers, from fortified cities to rural villages. The large stone where they set the ark of the LORD remains in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh to this day.

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.

19 But God struck down some of the men of Beth Shemesh because they looked into the ark of the LORD. He struck down seventy men, and the people mourned because the LORD had inflicted them with a great blow.

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.

20 The people of Beth Shemesh asked, "Who can stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God? And to whom should we send it to get it away from us?"

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?

21 So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath Jearim, saying, "The Philistines have returned the ark of the LORD. Come down and take it up to you."

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.