1
Now the
ark of the
LORD had
been in the
country of the
Philistines seven months.
h'[.biv ~yiT.vil.p hed.fiB h'wh.y -nw{r]a yih.y;w ? ~yiv'd\x
2
And the
Philistines called for the
priests and the
diviners,
saying,
"What shall we
do with the
ark of the
LORD?
Tell us
how we shall
send it to its
place."
r{mael ~yim.s{Q;l.w ~yin]h{K;l ~yiT.vil.p .Wa.r.qiY;w ? h,M;B .WnU[idw{h h'wh.y !w{r]a;l h,f][;N -h;m ? w{mw{q.mil .WN,x.L;v.n
3
They
said,
"If you
send away the
ark of the
God of
Israel, do not
send it
empty; but you shall
surely return to Him a
guilt offering.
Then you will be
healed and it will be
known to you
why His
hand is not
removed from you."
yeh{l/a !w{r]a -t,a ~yix.L;v.m -mia .Wr.ma{Y;w ? bev'h -yiK ~'qyer w{t{a .Wx.L;v.T -l;a lea'r.fIy ? ~,k'l [;dw{n.w .Wa.p'reT z'a ~'v'a w{l .Wbyiv'T ? ~,Kim w{d'y r.Ws't -a{l h'M'l
4
Then they
said,
"What shall be the
guilt offering which we shall
return to Him?" And they
said,
"Five golden tumors and
five golden mice according to the
number of the
lords of the
Philistines, for
one plague was on
all of you and on your
lords.
.Wr.ma{Y;w w{l byiv'n r,v]a ~'v'a'h h'm .Wr.ma{Y;w ? b'h'z yel.p'[ h'Vim]x ~yiT.vil.p yen.r;s r;P.sim ? ~'LUk.l t;x;a h'peG;m -yiK b'h'z yer.B.k;[ h'Vim]x;w ? ~,kyen.r;s.l.W
5
"So you shall
make likenesses of your
tumors and
likenesses of your
mice that
ravage the
land, and you shall
give glory to the
God of
Israel;
perhaps He will
ease His
hand from you, your
gods, and your
land.
~,kyer.B.k;[ yem.l;c.w ~,kyel.p'[ yem.l;c ~,tyif][;w ? lea'r.fIy yeh{lael ~,T;t.n.W #,r'a'h -t,a ~ityix.v;M;h ? l;[em.W ~,kyel][em w{d'y -t,a leq'y y;l.Wa dw{b'K ? ~,k.c.r;a l;[em.W ~,kyeh{l/a
6
"Why then do you
harden your
hearts as the
Egyptians and
Pharaoh hardened their
hearts?
When He had
severely dealt with them, did they not allow the people to
go, and they
departed?
.Wd.BiK r,v]a;K ~,k.b;b.l -t,a .Wd.B;k.t h'M'l.w ? leL;[.tih r,v]a;K aw{l]h ~'Bil -t,a h{[.r;p.W ~Iy;r.cim ? .WkeleY;w ~.Wx.L;v.y;w ~,h'B
7
"Now therefore,
take and
prepare a
new cart and
two milch cows on
which there has
never been a
yoke; and
hitch the
cows to the
cart and
take their
calves home,
away from them.
yeT.v.W t'x,a h'v'd]x h'l'g][ .Wf][;w .Wx.q h'T;[.w ? l{[ ~,hyel][ h'l'[ -a{l r,v]a tw{l'[ tw{r'p ? ~,t{byev]h;w h'l'g]['B tw{r'P;h -t,a ~,T.r;s]a;w ? h't.y'B;h ~,hyer]x;aem ~,hyen.B
8
"Take the
ark of the
LORD and
place it on the
cart; and
put the
articles of
gold which you
return to Him as a
guilt offering in a
box by its
side. Then
send it
away that it may
go.
w{t{a ~,T;t.n.W h'wh.y !w{r]a -t,a ~,T.x;q.l.W ? ~,t{bev]h r,v]a b'h'Z;h yel.K tea.w h'l'g]['h -l,a ? ~,T.x;Liv.w w{DiCim z;G.r;a'b .Wmyif'T ~'v'a w{l ? .$'l'h.w w{t{a
9
"Watch,
if it
goes up by the
way of its own
territory to
Beth-shemesh, then He has
done us
this great evil. But
if not, then we will
know that it was not His
hand that
struck us; it
happened to us by
chance."
v,m,v tyeB h,l][;y w{l.Wb.G .$,r,D -mia ~,tyia.r.W ? ta{Z;h h'lw{d.G;h h'['r'h -t,a .Wn'l h'f'[ a.Wh ? .Wn'B h'[.g'n w{d'y a{l yiK .Wn.[;d'y.w a{l -mia.w ? .Wn'l h'y'h a.Wh h,r.qim
10
Then the
men did so, and
took two milch cows and
hitched them to the
cart, and
shut up their
calves at
home.
tw{r'p yeT.v .Wx.qiY;w !eK ~yiv'n]a'h .Wf][;Y;w ? .Wl'K ~,hyen.B -t,a.w h'l'g]['B ~.Wr.s;a;Y;w tw{l'[ ? tIy'B;b
11
They
put the
ark of the
LORD on the
cart, and the
box with the
golden mice and the
likenesses of their
tumors.
tea.w h'l'g]['h -l,a h'wh.y !w{r]a -t,a .Wmif'Y;w ? ~,hyer{x.j yem.l;c tea.w b'h'Z;h yer.B.k;[ tea.w z;G.r;a'h
12
And the
cows took the
straight way in the
direction of
Beth-shemesh; they
went along the
highway,
lowing as they
went, and did not
turn aside to the
right or to the
left. And the
lords of the
Philistines followed * them to the
border of
Beth-shemesh.
v,m,v tyeB .$,r,D -l;[ .$,r,D;B tw{r'P;h ]h'n.r;VIy;w ? .Wr's -a{l.w w{['g.w .${l'h .Wk.l'h t;x;a h'Lis.miB ? ~yik.l{h ~yiT.vil.p yen.r;s.w lwa{m.f.W !yim'y ? v,m'v tyeB l.Wb.G -d;[ ~,hyer]x;a
13
Now the people of
Beth-shemesh were
reaping their
wheat harvest in the
valley, and they
raised their
eyes and
saw the
ark and were
glad to
see it.
q,me['B ~yiJix -ryic.q ~yir.c{q v,m,v tyeb.W ? !w{r'a'h -t,a .Wa.riY;w ~,hyenye[ -t,a .Wa.fiY;w ? tw{a.ril .Wx.m.fiY;w
14
The
cart came into the
field of
Joshua the
Beth-shemite and
stood there where there was a
large stone; and they
split the
wood of the
cart and
offered the
cows as a
burnt offering to the
LORD.
yiv.miV;h -tyeB ;[Uvw{h.y hed.f -l,a h'a'B h'l'g]['h.w ? yec][ -t,a .W[.Q;b.y;w h'lw{d.G !,b,a ~'v.w ~'v d{m][;T;w ? h'why;l h'l{[ .Wl/[,h tw{r'P;h -t,a.w h'l'g]['h
15
The
Levites took down the
ark of the
LORD and the
box that was with it, in
which were the
articles of
gold, and
put them on the
large stone; and the
men of
Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and
sacrificed sacrifices that
day to the
LORD.
z;G.r;a'h -t,a.w h'wh.y !w{r]a -t,a .Wdyirw{h ~iYiw.l;h.w ? .Wmif'Y;w b'h'z -yel.k w{B -r,v]a w{Tia -r,v]a ? v,m,v -tyeb yev.n;a.w h'lw{d.G;h !,b,a'h -l,a ? a.Wh;h ~w{Y;B ~yix'b.z .Wx.B.ziY;w tw{l{[ .Wl/[,h ? h'why;l
16
When the
five lords of the
Philistines saw it, they
returned to
Ekron that
day.
!w{r.q,[ .WbUv'Y;w .Wa'r ~yiT.vil.p -yen.r;s h'Vim]x;w ? a.Wh;h ~w{Y;B
17
These are the
golden tumors which the
Philistines returned for a
guilt offering to the
LORD:
one for
Ashdod,
one for
Gaza,
one for
Ashkelon,
one for
Gath,
one for
Ekron;
~yiT.vil.p .Wbyiveh r,v]a b'h'Z;h yer{x.j h,Lea.w ? !w{l.q.v;a.l d'x,a h'Z;[.l d'x,a dw{D.v;a.l h'why;l ~'v'a ? d'x,a !w{r.q,[.l d'x,a t;g.l d'x,a
18
and the
golden mice, according to the
number of
all the
cities of the
Philistines belonging to the
five lords,
both of
fortified cities and of
country villages. The
large stone on
which they
set the
ark of the
LORD is a witness to
this day in the
field of
Joshua the
Beth-shemite.
~yiT.vil.p yer'[ -l'K r;P.sim b'h'Z;h yer.B.k;[.w ? r,p{K d;[.w r'c.bim ryi[em ~yin'r.S;h t,vem]x;l ? .WxyiNih r,v]a h'lw{d.G;h leb'a d;[.w yiz'r.P;h ? hed.fiB h,Z;h ~w{Y;h d;[ h'wh.y !w{r]a tea 'hy,l'[ ? yiv.miV;h -tyeB ;[Uvw{h.y
19
He
struck down some of the
men of
Beth-shemesh because they had
looked into the
ark of the
LORD. He
struck down of all the
people,
50,070 * * men, and the
people mourned because the
LORD had
struck the
people with a
great slaughter.
!w{r]a;B .Wa'r yiK v,m,v -tyeb yev.n;a.B .$;Y;w ? @,l,a ~yiVim]x vyia ~yi[.biv ~'['B .$;Y;w h'wh.y ? ~'['B h'wh.y h'Kih -yiK ~'['h .Wl.B;a.tiY;w vyia ? ]h'lw{d.g h'K;m
20
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?"
d{m][;l l;k.Wy yim v,m,v -tyeb yev.n;a .Wr.ma{Y;w ? yim -l,a.w h,Z;h vw{d'Q;h ~yih{l/a'h h'wh.y yen.pil ? .Wnyel'[em h,l][;y
21
So they
sent messengers to the
inhabitants of
Kiriath-jearim,
saying, "The
Philistines have
brought back the
ark of the
LORD;
come down and
take it up to you."
~yir'[.y -t;y.riq yeb.vw{y -l,a ~yik'a.l;m .Wx.l.viY;w ? h'wh.y !w{r]a -t,a ~yiT.vil.p .Wbiveh r{mael ? ~,kyel]a w{t{a .Wl][;h .Wd.r