When the ark of the LORD had been in the land of the Philistines seven months ,
the Philistines summoned the priests and diviners , saying , “ What shall we do with the ark of the LORD ? Tell us how to send it back to its place.”
They replied , “ If you return the ark of the God of Israel , - do not send it away - empty , but by all means return (it) with a guilt offering. Then you will be healed , and you will understand why His hand has not been lifted
“ What guilt offering - should we send back asked the Philistines. “ Five gold tumors and five gold rats , ” they said , “ (according to) the number of rulers of the Philistines , since the same plague (has struck) both you and your rulers.
Make images of your tumors ... and of the rats that are ravaging - the land. Give glory to the God of Israel , and perhaps He will lift - His hand from you and your gods and your land.
Why harden - your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh - hardened theirs ? When He afflicted did they not send the people on their way as they departed ?
Now, therefore , ... prepare one new cart with two milk cows that have never been yoked ... .... Hitch - the cows to the cart , but take their calves ... away and pen them up.
Take - the ark of the LORD , set it on the cart , and in a chest beside it put the gold objects - you are sending as a guilt offering. Then send (the ark) on its way ,
but keep watching it. If it goes up the road to its homeland , vvv toward Beth-shemesh , it is the LORD who has brought - this great disaster. But if it does not , then we will know that it was not His hand that punished and that it happened by chance.”
So the men did (as instructed). They took two milk cows , hitched them to the cart , - and penned up ... their calves.
Then they put - the ark of the LORD on the cart , - along with the chest - containing the gold - rats and the images of the tumors.
And the cows headed straight up the road toward ... vvv Beth-shemesh , staying on that one highway and lowing as they went ... , never straying to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed behind them to the border of Beth-shemesh.
vvv Now (the people of) Beth-shemesh were harvesting ... wheat in the valley , and when they looked up - - and saw - the ark , they were overjoyed at the sight.
The cart came to the field of Joshua - vvv of Beth-shemesh and stopped there ... near a large rock. The people chopped up - - the cart - and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD.
And the Levites took down - the ark of the LORD and the chest containing ... - the gold objects , and they placed them on the large rock. That day the men vvv of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the LORD.
And when the five rulers of the Philistines saw (this) , they returned to Ekron that same day.
- As a guilt offering to the LORD , the Philistines had sent back one gold - tumor (for each city) : Ashdod , Gaza , ... Ashkelon , ... Gath , ... and Ekron. ...
The number of gold rats also corresponded to the number ... of Philistine cities (belonging) to the five rulers — the fortified cities and their outlying ... villages. And the large rock on - which they placed the ark of the LORD (stands) to this day in the field of Joshua - vvv of Beth-shemesh.
But God struck down ... some of the people of Beth-shemesh because they looked inside the ark of the LORD. He struck down - seventy men - - - , and the people mourned because the LORD ... had struck them with a great slaughter.
The men vvv of Beth-shemesh asked , “ Who can stand in the presence of the LORD , this holy God ? To whom should the ark go up from here ?”
So they sent messengers to the people vvv of Kiriath-jearim , saying , “ The Philistines - have returned the ark of the LORD. Come down (and) take it up - with you. ”