1 Samuel 6

1Now the ark of God was in the land of the Philistines seven months.

2And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying: What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? tell us how we are to send it back to its place? And they said:

3If you send back the ark of the God of Israel, send it not away empty, but render unto him what you owe for sin, and then you shall be healed: and you shall know why his hand departeth not from you.

4They answered: What is it we ought to render unto him for sin? and they answered:

5According to the number of the provinces of the Philistines you shall make five golden emerods, and five golden mice: for the same plague hath been upon you all, and upon your lords. And you shall make the likeness of your emerods, and the likeness of the mice that have destroyed the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel: to see if he will take off his hand from you, and from your gods, and from your land.

6Why do you harden your hearts, as Egypt and Pharao hardened their hearts? did not he, after he was struck, then let them go, and they departed?

7Now therefore take and make a new cart: and two kine that have calved, on which there hath come no yoke, tie to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.

8And you shall take the ark of the Lord, and lay it on the cart, and the vessels of gold, which you have paid him for sin, you shall put into a little box, at the side thereof: and send it away that it may go.

9And you shall look: and if it go up by the way of his own coasts towards Bethsames, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, we shall know that it is not his hand hath touched us, but it hath happened by chance.

10They did therefore in this manner: and taking two kine, that had suckling calves, they yoked them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.

11And they laid the ark of God upon the cart, and the little box that had in it the golden mice and the likeness of the emerods.

12And the kine took the straight way that leadeth to Bethsames, and they went along the way, lowing as they went: and turned not aside neither to the right hand nor to the left: and the lords of the Philistines followed them as far as the borders of Bethsames.

13Now the Bethsamites were reaping wheat in the valley: and lifting up their eyes they saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.

14And the cart came into the field of Josue a Bethsamite, and stood there. And there was a great stone, and they cut in pieces the wood of the cart, and laid the kine upon it a holocaust to the Lord.

15And the Levites took down the ark of God, and the little box that was at the side of it, wherein were the vessels of gold, and they put them upon the great stone. The men also of Bethsames offered holocausts and sacrificed victims that day to the Lord.

16And the five princes of the Philistines saw, and they returned to Accaron the same day.

17And these are the golden emerods, which the Philistines returned for sin to the Lord: For Azotus one, for Gaza one, for Ascalon one, for Geth one, for Accaron one:

18And the golden mice according to the number of the cities of the Philistines, of the five provinces, from the fenced city to the village that was without wall, and to the great Abel (the stone) whereon they set down the ark of the Lord, which was till that day in the field of Josue the Bethsamite.

19But he slew of the men of Bethsames, because they had seen the ark of the Lord: and he slew of the people seventy men, and fifty thousand of the common people. And the people lamented, because the Lord had smitten the people with a great slaughter.

20And the men of Bethsames said: Who shall be able to stand before the Lord this holy God? and to whom shall he go up from us?

21And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Cariathiarim, saying: The Philistines have brought back the ark of the Lord, come ye down and fetch it up to you.

1Fuit ergo arca Domini in regione Philisthinorum septem mensibus.

2Et vocaverunt Philisthiim sacerdotes et divinos, dicentes: Quid faciemus de arca Domini? indicate nobis quomodo remittamus eam in locum suum. Qui dixerunt:

3Si remittitis arcam Dei Israël, nolite dimittere eam vacuam, sed quod debetis, reddite ei pro peccato, et tunc curabimini: et scietis quare non recedat manus ejus a vobis.

4Qui dixerunt: Quid est quod pro delicto reddere debeamus ei? Responderuntque illi:

5Juxta numerum provinciarum Philisthinorum quinque anos aureos facietis, et quinque mures aureos: quia plaga una fuit omnibus vobis, et satrapis vestris. Facietisque similitudines anorum vestrorum, et similitudines murium, qui demoliti sunt terram: et dabitis Deo Israël gloriam, si forte relevet manum suam a vobis, et a diis vestris, et a terra vestra.

6Quare aggravatis corda vestra, sicut aggravavit Ægyptus et Pharao cor suum? nonne postquam percussus est, tunc dimisit eos, et abierunt?

7Nunc ergo arripite et facite plaustrum novum unum: et duas vaccas fœtas, quibus non est impositum jugum, jungite in plaustro, et recludite vitulos earum domi.

8Tolletisque arcam Domini, et ponetis in plaustro, et vasa aurea quæ exsolvistis ei pro delicto, ponetis in capsellam ad latus ejus: et dimittite eam ut vadat.

9Et aspicietis: et si quidem per viam finium suorum ascenderit contra Bethsames, ipse fecit nobis hoc malum grande: sin autem, minime: sciemus quia nequaquam manus ejus tetigit nos, sed casu accidit.

10Fecerunt ergo illi hoc modo: et tollentes duas vaccas quæ lactabant vitulos, junxerunt ad plaustrum, vitulosque earum concluserunt domi.

11Et posuerunt arcam Dei super plaustrum, et capsellam quæ habebat mures aureos et similitudines anorum.

12Ibant autem in directum vaccæ per viam quæ ducit Bethsames, et itinere uno gradiebantur, pergentes et mugientes: et non declinabant neque ad dextram neque ad sinistram: sed et satrapæ Philisthiim sequebantur usque ad terminos Bethsames.

13Porro Bethsamitæ metebant triticum in valle: et elevantes oculos suos, viderunt arcam, et gavisi sunt cum vidissent.

14Et plaustrum venit in agrum Josue Bethsamitæ, et stetit ibi. Erat autem ibi lapis magnus, et conciderunt ligna plaustri, vaccasque imposuerunt super ea holocaustum Domino.

15Levitæ autem deposuerunt arcam Dei, et capsellam quæ erat juxta eam, in qua erant vasa aurea, et posuerunt super lapidem grandem. Viri autem Bethsamitæ obtulerunt holocausta, et immolaverunt victimas in die illa Domino.

16Et quinque satrapæ Philisthinorum viderunt, et reversi sunt in Accaron in die illa.

17Hi sunt autem ani aurei quos reddiderunt Philisthiim pro delicto, Domino: Azotus unum, Gaza unum, Ascalon unum, Geth unum, Accaron unum:

18et mures aureos secundum numerum urbium Philisthiim, quinque provinciarum, ab urbe murata usque ad villam quæ erat absque muro, et usque ad Abelmagnum, super quem posuerunt arcam Domini, quæ erat usque in illum diem in agro Josue Bethsamitis.

19Percussit autem de viris Bethsamitibus, eo quod vidissent arcam Domini: et percussit de populo septuaginta viros, et quinquaginta millia plebis. Luxitque populus, eo quod Dominus percussisset plebem plaga magna.

20Et dixerunt viri Bethsamitæ: Quis poterit stare in conspectu Domini Dei sancti hujus? et ad quem ascendet a nobis?

21Miseruntque nuntios ad habitatores Cariathiarim, dicentes: Reduxerunt Philisthiim arcam Domini: descendite, et reducite eam ad vos.

1Now the ark of the Lord was in the region of the Philistines for seven months.

2And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying: “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Reveal to us in what manner we should send it back to its place.” And they said:

3“If you send back the ark of the God of Israel, do not choose to release it empty. Instead, repay to him what you owe because of sin. And then you will be cured. And you will know why his hand did not withdraw from you.”

4And they said, “What is it that we ought to repay to him because of transgression?” And they responded:

5“In accord with the number of the provinces of the Philistines, you shall fashion five gold cysts and five gold mice. For the same plague has been upon all of you and your princes. And you shall fashion a likeness of your cysts and a likeness of the mice, which have destroyed the land. And so shall you give glory to the God of Israel, so that perhaps he may lift off his hand from you, and from your gods, and from your land.

6Why have you hardened your hearts, just as Egypt and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he was struck, did he not then release them, and they went away?

7Now therefore, fashion and take a new cart, with two cows that have given birth, but on which no yoke has been imposed. And yoke them to the cart, but retain their calves at home.

8And you shall take the ark of the Lord, and you shall place it upon the cart, with the articles of gold that you have paid to him on behalf of transgression. You shall place these in a little box at its side. And release it, so that it may go.

9And you shall watch. And if, indeed, it ascends by the way of his own parts, toward Beth-shemesh, then he has done this great evil to us. But if not, then we shall know that it is by no means his hand that has touched us, but instead it happened by chance.”

10Therefore, they did it in this way. And taking two cows that were feeding calves, they yoked them to the cart, and they enclosed their calves at home.

11And they placed the ark of God upon the cart, with the little box that held the gold mice and the likenesses of the cysts.

12But the cows went directly along the way that leads to Beth-shemesh. And they advanced only in one direction, lowing as they went. And they did not turn aside, neither to the right, nor to the left. Moreover, the princes of the Philistines followed them, as far as the borders of Beth-shemesh.

13Now the Beth-shemeshites were harvesting wheat in the valley. And lifting up their eyes, they saw the ark, and they were glad when they had seen it.

14And the cart went into the field of Joshua, a Beth-shemeshite, and it stood still there. Now in that place was a great stone, and so they cut up the wood of the cart, and they placed the cows upon it as a holocaust to the Lord.

15But the Levites took down the ark of God, and the little box that was at its side, in which were the articles of gold, and they placed them upon the great stone. Then the men of Beth-shemesh offered holocausts and immolated victims, on that day, to the Lord.

16And the five princes of the Philistines saw, and they returned to Ekron on the same day.

17Now these are the gold cysts, which the Philistines repaid to the Lord for transgression: for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ashkelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one.

18And there were gold mice, according to the number of the cities of the Philistines, of the five provinces, from the fortified city to the village that was without a wall, and even to the great stone upon which they placed the ark of the Lord, which was, at last in that day, in the field of Joshua, the Beth-shemeshite.

19Then he struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had seen the ark of the Lord. And he struck down some of the people: seventy men, and fifty thousand of the common people. And the people lamented, because the Lord had struck the people with a great slaughter.

20And the men of Beth-shemesh said: “Who will be able to stand in the sight of the Lord, this holy God? And who will ascend to him from us?”

21And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying: “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Descend and lead it back to you.”