1Sam 6
1
And the ark was seven months in the country of the Philistines, and their land brought
forth swarms of mice.
2
And the Philistines call their priests, and their prophets, and their enchanters,
saying, What shall we do to the ark of the Lord? teach us wherewith we shall send
it away to its place.
3
And they said, If you send away the ark of the covenant of the Lord God of Israel,
do not on any account send it away empty, but by all means render to it an offering
for the plague; and then shall you be healed, and an atonement shall be made for you:
should not his hand be thus stayed from off you?
4
And they say, What is the offering for the plague which we shall return to it? and
they said,
5
According to the number of the lords of the Philistines, five golden emerods, for
the plague was on you, and on your rulers, and on the people; and golden mice, the
likeness of the mice that destroy your land: and you shall give glory to the Lord,
that he may lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your
land.
6
And why do you Gr. make heavy harden your hearts, as Egypt and Pharao hardened their hearts? was it not so when
he mocked them, that they let Gr. them the people go, and they departed?
7
And now take wood and make a new wagon, and take two cows, that have calved for the
first time, without their calves; and do you yoke the cows to the wagon, and lead
away the calves from behind them home.
8
And you shall take the ark and put it on the wagon; and you shall restore to it the
golden articles for the trespass-offering in a In the Alex. argoz is substituted for bersecyan coffer by the side of it: and
you shall let it go, and sent it away, and you shall
depart.
9
And you shall see, if it shall go the way of its coasts along by Baethsamys, he has
brought upon us this great affliction; and if not, then shall we know that his hand
has not touched us, but this is a chance which has happened to us.
10
And the Philistines did so; and they took two cows that had calved for the first time,
and yoked them to the waggon, and shut up their calves at home.
11
And they set the ark of the Lord, and the coffer, and the golden mice, on the waggon.
12
And the cows went straight on the way to the way of Baethsamys, they went along one
track; and laboured, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left, and the
lords of the Philistines went after it as far as the coasts of Baethsamys.
13
And the men of Baethsamys were reaping the wheat harvest in the valley; and they lifted
up their eyes, and saw the ark of the Lord, and rejoiced to meet it.
14
And the waggon entered into the field of Osee, which was in Baethsamys, and they set
there by it a great stone; and they split the wood of the waggon, and offered up the
cows for a whole-burnt-offering to the Lord.
15
And the Levites brought up the ark of the Lord, and the coffer with it, and the golden
articles upon it, and placed them on the great stone, and the men of Baethsamys offered
whole-burnt-offerings and meat offerings on that day to the Lord.
16
And the five lords of the Philistines saw, and returned to Ascalon in that day.
17
And these are the golden emerods which the lords of the Philistines gave as a trespass-offering
to the Lord; for Azotus one, for Gaza one, for Ascalon one, for Geth one, for Accaron
one.
18
And the golden mice according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines,
belonging to the five lords, from the fenced city to the village of the Pherezite,
and to the great stone, on which they placed the ark of the covenant of the Lord,
that was in the field of Osee the Baethsamysite.
19
And the sons of Jechonias were not pleased with the men of Baethsamys, because they
saw the ark of the Lord; and the Lord smote among them seventy men, and fifty thousand
men: and the people mourned, because the Lord had inflicted on the people, a very
great plague.
20
And the men of Baethsamys said, Who shall be able to pass before this holy Lord God?
and to whom shall the ark of the Lord go up from us?
21
And they send messengers to the inhabitants of Cariathiarim, saying, The Philistines
have brought back the ark of the Lord, go down and take it home to yourselves.