2
And the Philistinescalled 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."
3
They said, "If you sendaway the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty; but you shall surelyreturn to Him a guiltoffering. Then you will be healed and it will be known to you why His hand is not removed from you."
4
Then they said, "What shall be the guiltofferingwhich we shall return to Him?" And they said, "Fivegoldentumors and fivegoldenmice according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for oneplague was on all of you and on your lords.
5
"So you shall makelikenesses of your tumors and likenesses of your mice that ravage the land, and you shall giveglory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will ease His hand from you, your gods, and your land.
6
"Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaohhardened their hearts? When He had severelydealt with them, did they not allow the people to go, and they departed?
7
"Now therefore, take and prepare a newcart and twomilchcows on which there has neverbeen a yoke; and hitch the cows to the cart and take their calveshome, away from them.
8
"Take the ark of the LORD and place it on the cart; and put the articles of goldwhich you return to Him as a guiltoffering in a box by its side. Then send it away that it may go.
9
"Watch, if it goes up by the way of its own territory to Beth-shemesh, then He has done us thisgreatevil. But if not, then we will know that it was not His hand that struck us; it happened to us by chance."
12
And the cowstook the straightway in the direction of Beth-shemesh; they went along the highway, lowing as they went, and did not turnaside to the right or to the left. And the lords of the Philistinesfollowed* them to the border of Beth-shemesh.
14
The cartcame into the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite and stoodtherewherethere was a largestone; and they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burntoffering to the LORD.
15
The Levitestookdown the ark of the LORD and the box that was with it, in which were the articles of gold, and put them on the largestone; and the men of Beth-shemeshofferedburntofferings and sacrificedsacrifices that day to the LORD.
17
These are the goldentumorswhich the Philistinesreturned for a guiltoffering to the LORD: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron;
18
and the goldenmice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the fivelords, both of fortifiedcities and of countryvillages. The largestone on which they set the ark of the LORD is a witness to thisday in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite.
19
He struckdown some of the men of Beth-shemeshbecause they had looked into the ark of the LORD. He struckdown of all the people, 50,070**men, and the peoplemournedbecause the LORD had struck the people with a greatslaughter.
21
So they sentmessengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, "The Philistines have broughtback the ark of the LORD; comedown and take it up to you."