Sending the ark back
The ark of the Lord remained in Philistine territory for seven months. The Philistines called their priests and diviners and asked: What are we going to do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how to send it back where it belongs. They answered: If you're sending the ark of Israel's God back, don't send it empty-handed. Send a guilt offering with it. Then you'll be healed, and you'll understand why his hand hasn't lifted from you. They asked: What guilt offering should we send him? The answer was: Five golden tumours and five golden mice, one for each Philistine ruler, because the same plague has struck you all. Make models of the tumours and the mice ravaging your land, and give glory to the God of Israel. Maybe then he'll lift his hand from you, your gods and your land. Why be stubborn like Pharaoh and the Egyptians? After God dealt harshly with them, didn't they finally let Israel go? Now build a new cart and take two cows that have just calved and have never been yoked. Hitch them to the cart, but take their calves away and shut them up at home. Put the ark of the Lord on the cart. Place the gold objects you're sending as a guilt offering in a box beside it, then send the cart on its way. Watch it. If it goes up toward Beth-Shemesh, toward its own country, then the Lord has brought this terrible trouble on us. If it doesn't, we'll know it wasn't his hand that struck us — it just happened. The men did exactly that. They took two cows with calves, harnessed the cows to the cart and shut the calves up at home. They put the ark of the Lord on the cart, together with the box containing the golden mice and the models of their tumours. The cows went straight up the road toward Beth-Shemesh, lowing as they went. They didn't turn right or left, and the Philistine rulers followed them as far as the border of Beth-Shemesh.
And the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months. And the Philistines called for the priests and the fortune-tellers: What'll we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it back to its place. And they said: If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, don't send it empty. But definitely send him a guilt offering back. Then you'll be healed, and it'll be known to you why his hand isn't taken off you. Then they said: What'll the guilt offering be that we send back to him? They answered: Five golden tumours and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines. Because one plague was on all of you and on your lords. So make images of your tumours and images of your mice that spoil the land. And give glory to the God of Israel. Maybe he'll lighten his hand off you and off your gods and off your land. So why do you harden your hearts the way the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When he'd worked wonderfully among them, didn't they let the people go, and they went? So now make a new cart and take two milk cows that have never had a yoke on them. And tie the cows to the cart, and bring their calves home away from them. And take the ark of the Lord and lay it on the cart. And put the jewels of gold you send back to him for a guilt offering in a box by its side. And send it away, so it can go. And watch — if it goes up by the way of its own border to Beth Shemesh, then he's done us this great harm. But if not, then we'll know it wasn't his hand that struck us, but it happened to us by chance. And the men did that. And they took two milk cows and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. And they laid the ark of the Lord on the cart, and the box with the mice of gold and the images of their tumours. And the cows took the straight way to the way of Beth Shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and didn't turn to the right or to the left. And the lords of the Philistines went after them right to the border of Beth Shemesh.
And the ark of the LORD was 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 the LORD? 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, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on 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 the LORD, and lay it upon the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which ye return him for a 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 Bethshemesh, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us: it was a chance that happened 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 the LORD upon 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 Bethshemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Bethshemesh.
The ark of the Lord remained in Philistine territory for seven months.
And the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
The Philistines called their priests and diviners and asked: What are we going to do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how to send it back where it belongs.
And the Philistines called for the priests and the fortune-tellers: What'll we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it back to its place.
And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the LORD? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place.
They answered: If you're sending the ark of Israel's God back, don't send it empty-handed. Send a guilt offering with it. Then you'll be healed, and you'll understand why his hand hasn't lifted from you.
And they said: If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, don't send it empty. But definitely send him a guilt offering back. Then you'll be healed, and it'll be known to you why his hand isn't taken off you.
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.
They asked: What guilt offering should we send him? The answer was: Five golden tumours and five golden mice, one for each Philistine ruler, because the same plague has struck you all.
Then they said: What'll the guilt offering be that we send back to him? They answered: Five golden tumours and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines. Because one plague was on all of you and on your lords.
Then said they, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.
Make models of the tumours and the mice ravaging your land, and give glory to the God of Israel. Maybe then he'll lift his hand from you, your gods and your land.
So make images of your tumours and images of your mice that spoil the land. And give glory to the God of Israel. Maybe he'll lighten his hand off you and off your gods and off your land.
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.
Why be stubborn like Pharaoh and the Egyptians? After God dealt harshly with them, didn't they finally let Israel go?
So why do you harden your hearts the way the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When he'd worked wonderfully among them, didn't they let the people go, and they went?
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 build a new cart and take two cows that have just calved and have never been yoked. Hitch them to the cart, but take their calves away and shut them up at home.
So now make a new cart and take two milk cows that have never had a yoke on them. And tie the cows to the cart, and bring their calves home away from them.
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:
Put the ark of the Lord on the cart. Place the gold objects you're sending as a guilt offering in a box beside it, then send the cart on its way.
And take the ark of the Lord and lay it on the cart. And put the jewels of gold you send back to him for a guilt offering in a box by its side. And send it away, so it can go.
And take the ark of the LORD, and lay it upon the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which ye return him for a trespass offering, in a coffer by the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go.
Watch it. If it goes up toward Beth-Shemesh, toward its own country, then the Lord has brought this terrible trouble on us. If it doesn't, we'll know it wasn't his hand that struck us — it just happened.
And watch — if it goes up by the way of its own border to Beth Shemesh, then he's done us this great harm. But if not, then we'll know it wasn't his hand that struck us, but it happened to us by chance.
And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Bethshemesh, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us: it was a chance that happened to us.
The men did exactly that. They took two cows with calves, harnessed the cows to the cart and shut the calves up at home.
And the men did that. And they took two milk cows and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.
And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home:
They put the ark of the Lord on the cart, together with the box containing the golden mice and the models of their tumours.
And they laid the ark of the Lord on the cart, and the box with the mice of gold and the images of their tumours.
And they laid the ark of the LORD upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods.
The cows went straight up the road toward Beth-Shemesh, lowing as they went. They didn't turn right or left, and the Philistine rulers followed them as far as the border of Beth-Shemesh.
And the cows took the straight way to the way of Beth Shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and didn't turn to the right or to the left. And the lords of the Philistines went after them right to the border of Beth Shemesh.
And the kine took the straight way to the way of Bethshemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Bethshemesh.
Beth Shemesh
The people of Beth-Shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley. They looked up, saw the ark and rejoiced at the sight of it. The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-Shemesh and stopped beside a large stone. The people chopped up the cart for firewood and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. The Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the box containing the gold objects and placed them on the large stone. That same day the people of Beth-Shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrifices to the Lord. After the five Philistine rulers had seen what happened, they returned to Ekron that same day. These were the golden tumours the Philistines sent as a guilt offering to the Lord: one each for Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron. They also sent golden mice corresponding to all the Philistine cities belonging to the five rulers, from fortified cities to country villages. The great stone where they set down the ark remains in Joshua of Beth-Shemesh's field to this day. But the Lord struck the men of Beth-Shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. He struck fifty thousand and seventy of the people, and they mourned because of the terrible blow. The people of Beth-Shemesh said: Who can stand before the Lord, this holy God? And where can we send the ark from here? They sent messengers to Kiriath-Jearim saying: The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to your town.
And the people of Beth Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, and celebrated to see it. And the cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh and stood there, where there was a big stone. And they split the wood of 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 box that was with it, that the jewels of gold were in, and put them on the big stone. And the men of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day to the Lord. And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they went back to Ekron the same day. And these are the golden tumours the Philistines sent back as a guilt offering to the Lord: for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ashkelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one. And the golden mice, according to the number of all the towns of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fortified towns and of country villages, right to the great stone of Abel where they set down the ark of the Lord. That stone is in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh to this day. And he struck the men of Beth Shemesh, because they'd looked into the ark of the Lord. He struck fifty thousand and seventy men of the people. And the people mourned, because the Lord had struck plenty of the people with a great blow. And the men of Beth Shemesh said: Who's able to stand in front of this holy Lord God? And who should he go up to from us? And they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim: The Philistines have brought back the ark of the Lord. Come down and fetch it up to you.
And they of Bethshemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine a burnt offering unto the LORD. And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD, and the coffer that was with it, wherein the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone: and the men of Bethshemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the LORD. And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day. And these are the golden emerods which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering unto the LORD; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one; And the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fenced cities, and of country villages, even unto the great stone of Abel, whereon they set down the ark of the LORD: which stone remaineth unto this day in the field of Joshua, the Bethshemite. And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter. And the men of Bethshemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall he go up from us? And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjathjearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD; come ye down, and fetch it up to you.
The people of Beth-Shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley. They looked up, saw the ark and rejoiced at the sight of it.
And the people of Beth Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, and celebrated to see it.
And they of Bethshemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.
The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-Shemesh and stopped beside a large stone. The people chopped up the cart for firewood and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord.
And the cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh and stood there, where there was a big stone. And they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord.
And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine a burnt offering unto the LORD.
The Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the box containing the gold objects and placed them on the large stone. That same day the people of Beth-Shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrifices to the Lord.
And the Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the box that was with it, that the jewels of gold were in, and put them on the big stone. And the men of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day to the Lord.
And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD, and the coffer that was with it, wherein the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone: and the men of Bethshemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the LORD.
After the five Philistine rulers had seen what happened, they returned to Ekron that same day.
And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they went back to Ekron the same day.
And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.
These were the golden tumours the Philistines sent as a guilt offering to the Lord: one each for Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron.
And these are the golden tumours the Philistines sent back as a guilt offering to the Lord: for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ashkelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one.
And these are the golden emerods which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering unto the LORD; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one;
They also sent golden mice corresponding to all the Philistine cities belonging to the five rulers, from fortified cities to country villages. The great stone where they set down the ark remains in Joshua of Beth-Shemesh's field to this day.
And the golden mice, according to the number of all the towns of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fortified towns and of country villages, right to the great stone of Abel where they set down the ark of the Lord. That stone is in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh to this day.
And the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fenced cities, and of country villages, even unto the great stone of Abel, whereon they set down the ark of the LORD: which stone remaineth unto this day in the field of Joshua, the Bethshemite.
But the Lord struck the men of Beth-Shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. He struck fifty thousand and seventy of the people, and they mourned because of the terrible blow.
And he struck the men of Beth Shemesh, because they'd looked into the ark of the Lord. He struck fifty thousand and seventy men of the people. And the people mourned, because the Lord had struck plenty of the people with a great blow.
And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter.
The people of Beth-Shemesh said: Who can stand before the Lord, this holy God? And where can we send the ark from here?
And the men of Beth Shemesh said: Who's able to stand in front of this holy Lord God? And who should he go up to from us?
And the men of Bethshemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall he go up from us?
They sent messengers to Kiriath-Jearim saying: The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to your town.
And they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim: The Philistines have brought back the ark of the Lord. Come down and fetch it up to you.
And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjathjearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD; come ye down, and fetch it up to you.