And the ark of theLORDwas in the country of the Philistines seven months.
And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of theLORD? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place.
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.
Then said they, Whatshall bethe trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice,according tothe number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plaguewason you all, and on your lords.
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.
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?
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:
And take the ark of theLORD, and lay it upon the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which ye return himfora trespass offering, in a coffer by the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go.
And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Beth-shemesh,thenhe hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know thatit isnot his handthatsmote us; itwasa chancethathappened to us.
And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home:
And they laid the ark of theLORDupon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods.
And the kine took the straight way to the way of Beth-shemesh,andwent along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not asidetothe right hand ortothe left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Beth-shemesh.
Andthey ofBeth-shemeshwerereaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to seeit.
And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Beth-shemite, and stood there, wherethere wasa great stone: and they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine a burnt offering unto theLORD.
And the Levites took down the ark of theLORD, and the coffer thatwaswith it, wherein the jewels of goldwere, and putthemon the great stone: and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto theLORD.
And when the five lords of the Philistines had seenit, they returned to Ekron the same day.
And thesearethe golden emerods which the Philistines returnedfora trespass offering unto theLORD; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one;
And the golden mice,according tothe number of all the cities of the Philistinesbelongingto the five lords,bothof fenced cities, and of country villages, even unto the greatstone ofAbel, whereon they set down the ark of theLORD:which stone remainethunto this day in the field of Joshua, the Beth-shemite.
And he smote the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of theLORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because theLORDhad smittenmanyof the people with a great slaughter.
And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holyLORDGod? and to whom shall he go up from us?
And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of theLORD; come ye down,andfetch it up to you.