The Ark Returned to Israel

1And the ark of YHWH was in the country of the Philistines seven months. 2And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the ark of YHWH? Tell us, by what should we send it to its place?”

3And they said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty. But you⁺ shall by all means return it to Him with a guilt offering. Then you⁺ will be healed, and it will be known to you⁺ why His hand has not turned aside from you⁺.”

4And they said, “What is the guilt offering that we shall return to Him?”

And they answered, “The number of the lords of the Philistines—five golden tumors and five golden rats—for one plague is on all of you and on your⁺ lords. 5And you⁺ shall make images of your⁺ tumors and images of your⁺ rats that are ravaging the land, and you⁺ shall give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps He will lighten His hand from upon you⁺ and from upon your⁺ gods and from upon your⁺ land.

6And why do you⁺ harden† your⁺ hearts, as Egypt and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? Was it not that only when He had dealt severely with them that they sent them off so they could go on their way?

7And now, take and make one new cart, and two suckling cows on which a yoke has not gone up, and hitch the cows to the cart, and return their calves from them to the house. 8And take the ark of YHWH, and set it on the cart. And the articles of gold that you⁺ are returning to Him as a guilt offering, put in the chest by its side,

and send it away that it may go. 9And watch: If it goes up the way of its own border toward Beth-shemesh, He has done to us this great disaster. But if not, then we will know that it is not His hand that struck us; it happened to us by chance.”

10And the men did so, and they took two suckling cows and bound them to the cart, and they shut up their calves in the house. 11And they set the ark of YHWH on the cart, and the chest, and the golden rats, and the images of their tumors.

12And the cows went in the way, on the way to Beth-shemesh, along one highway as they went, going and lowing, and they 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.

13And Beth-shemesh were reaping their harvest of wheat in the valley, and they lifted their eyes and saw the ark, and they rejoiced to see it.

14And the cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh, and it stood still there; and there was a large stone. And they split the wood of the cart, and they offered the cows as a burnt offering to YHWH. 15And the Levites took down the ark of YHWH, and the chest that was with it in which were the articles of gold, and they placed them on the large stone, and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices in that day to YHWH.

16And the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, and they returned to Ekron that day.

17And these are the golden tumors that the Philistines returned as a guilt offering to YHWH; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ashkelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one; 18and the golden rats—the number of all the cities of the Philistines for the five princes, from the fortified city and to the village of the countryside, even to Abel-haggedolah,† which they placed in it the ark of YHWH—are to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.

19And He struck the men of Beth-shemesh, for they had looked into the ark of YHWH, and He struck seventy men of the people,† and the people lamented because YHWH had struck the people with a great slaughter.

20And the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the face of YHWH, this holy God? And to whom shall it go up from us?”

21And they sent messengers to those dwelling in Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought back the ark of YHWH; come down, take it up with you⁺.”