The Ark Returned to Israel
1 Now the ark of theLordwas in the country of the Philistines seven months.
2 And the Philistinescalled for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the ark of theLord? Tell us how we should send it to its place.”
3 So they said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send itempty; but by all means returnitto Himwitha trespass offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why His hand is not removed from you.”
4 Then they said, “Whatisthe trespass offering which we shall return to Him?”
# They answered,“Five golden tumors and five golden rats,accordingtothe number of the lords of the Philistines. For the same plaguewason all of you and on your lords.
5 Therefore you shall make images of your tumors and images of your rats thatravage the land, and you shallgive glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He willlighten His hand from you, fromyour gods, and from your land.
6 Why then do you harden your heartsas the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He did mighty things among them,did they not let the people go, that they might depart?
7 Now therefore, makea new cart, take two milk cowswhich have never been yoked, and hitch the cows to the cart; and take their calves home, away from them.
8 Then take the ark of theLordand set it on the cart; and putthe articles of gold which you are returning to Himasa trespass offering in a chest by its side. Then send it away, and let it go.
9 And watch: if it goes up the road to its own territory, toBeth Shemesh,thenHe has done us this great evil. But if not, thenwe shall know thatitisnot His handthatstruck us—it happened to us by chance.”
10 Then the men did so; they took two milk cows and hitched them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.
11 And they set the ark of theLordon the cart, and the chest with the gold rats and the images of their tumors.
12 Then the cows headed straight for the road to Beth Shemesh,andwent along thehighway, lowing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right hand or the left. And the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh.
13 NowthepeopleofBeth Shemeshwerereaping theirwheat harvest in the valley; and they lifted their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced to seeit.
14 Then the cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and stood there; a large stonewasthere. So they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to theLord.
15 The Levites took down the ark of theLordand the chest thatwaswith it, in whichwerethe articles of gold, and putthemon the large stone. Then the men of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices the same day to theLord.
16 So whenthe five lords of the Philistines had seenit,they returned to Ekron the same day.
17 Thesearethe golden tumors which the Philistines returnedasa trespass offering to theLord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one forGath, one for Ekron;
18 and the golden rats,accordingtothe number of all the cities of the Philistinesbelongingto the five lords,bothfortified cities and country villages, even as far as the largestoneofAbel on which they set the ark of theLord,whichstoneremainsto this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.
19 ThenHe struck the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of theLord. Hestruck fifty thousand and seventy men of the people, and the people lamented because theLordhad struck the people with a great slaughter.
The Ark at Kirjath Jearim
20 And the men of Beth Shemesh said,“Who is able to stand before this holyLordGod? And to whom shall it go up from us?”
21 So they sent messengers to the inhabitants ofKirjath Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought back the ark of theLord; come downandtake it up with you.”