¹ And it came to pass, that the ark of Yahweh was in the country of the Philistines, seven months.

² Then called the Philistines for the priests and for the diviners, saying, What shall we do with the ark of Yahweh? Let us know, wherewith we shall send it to its own place.

³ And they said—If ye are going to send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it away, empty, but ye must, surely return, to him, a guilt-offering,—then, shall ye be healed, and it shall be known to you, wherefore his hand would not turn away from you.

⁴ And they said—What shall be the guilt-offering, that we shall return to him? And they said—By the number of the lords of the Philistines, five tumours of gold, and five mice of gold,—for, one plague, was on you all, and on your lords.

⁵ Wherefore ye shall make likenesses of your turnouts, and likenesses of your mice that are laying waste the land, and shall, give unto the, God of Israel, glory,—Peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your god, and from off your land.

⁶ Wherefore, then, should ye make your heart dull, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh made their heart dull! When he had done his great doings upon them, did they not let them go, and they departed?

⁷ Now, therefore, take and get ready, one new waggon, and two milch kine, whereon hath never come yoke,—then shall ye fasten the kine in the waggon, and withdraw their calves from them, into the shed;

⁸ and ye shall take the ark of Yahweh, and place it in the waggon, also, the jewels of gold which ye send back to him as a guilt-offering, shall ye put into a coffer, at the side thereof,—so shall ye let it go, and it shall depart.

⁹ Then shall ye look—if, by the way of its own boundary, it goeth up to Beth-shemesh, he, it was who caused us this great affliction,—but, if not, then shall we know that it was not, his hand, that smote us, a chance, it was, that befell us.

¹⁰ The men, therefore, did so, and took two milch kine, and fastened them in the waggon,—but, their calves, shut they up in the shed.

¹¹ And they put the ark of Yahweh, into the waggon,—also the coffer, with the mice of gold, and the likenesses of their tumours.

¹² And the kine went straight along the road, on the way to Beth-shemesh, yea, along the main highway, they went, lowing as they went, turning not aside, to the right hand or to the left. And, the lords of the Philistines, went along after them, as far as the bounds of Beth-shemesh.

¹³ Now, they of Beth-shemesh, were reaping their wheat-harvest in the vale,—so they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to meet it.

¹⁴ And, the waggon, entered into the field of Joshua, a man of Beth-shemesh, and stood still, there, where also, was a great stone,—so they clave into pieces the planks of the waggon, and, the kine, offered they up as an ascending-sacrifice, unto Yahweh.

¹⁵ And, the Levites, took down the ark of Yahweh, and the coffer that was with it, wherein were the jewels of gold, and put them upon the great stone,—and, the men of Beth-shemesh, caused to go up ascending-offerings and offered sacrifices, that day, unto Yahweh.

¹⁶ And, the five lords of the Philistines, saw it,—and returned unto Ekron, the same day.

¹⁷ Now, these, are the golden boils which, the Philistines returned as a guilt-offering unto Yahweh,—For Ashdod, one, for Gaza, one, for Ashkelon, one, for Gath, one, for Ekron, one;

¹⁸ And the golden mice, by the number of all the cities of the Philistines, pertaining to the five lords, both fortified cities, and country villages,—yea, even the great meadow whereon they rested the ark of Yahweh, until this day, is in the field-land of Joshua, the man of Beth-shemesh.

¹⁹ And, when he smote the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked into the ark of Yahweh, yea smote of the people seventy men [and] fifty thousand men, the people mourned, for that Yahweh had smitten the people with a great smiting.

²⁰ Then said the men of Beth-shemesh, Who is able to stand before Yahweh, this holy God? and, unto whom, shall he go up from us?

²¹ And they sent messengers unto the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying,—The Philistines have returned the ark of Yahweh, come down, fetch it up unto you.