1And so when ark of the LORD had been in the country of the Philistines seven months,
2the Philistines called for the priests and the soothsayers saying: what shall we do with the ark of the LORD? tell us wherewith we shall send it home again.
3They answered if you send the ark of the God of Israel home again send it not empty: But reward it with a trespass offering: and then ye shall be whole, and it shall be known to you, why his hand departeth not from you.
4Then said they, what shall be the trespass offering which we shall reward him with? And they answered: five golden arses with Emerods and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines. For it was one manner of plague that was on you all, and on your lords too.
5Wherefore ye shall make images like to your arses with Emerods and images like to your mice that destroyed your land, and shall give glory unto the God of Israel: that he may take his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.
6Wherefore should ye harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharao hardened their hearts, which for all that (when he had played his pageants with them) were fain to let the people go and depart.
7Now therefore make a new cart and take two milch kine, on whose neck never came yoke. And tie the kine in the cart, and bring the calves home from them.
8Then take the ark of the LORD and put it in the cart, and put the Jewels of gold (which ye reward him with for a trespass offering) in a forcer by the side thereof and send it away and let it go.
9And mark if he go up by the way that leadeth unto his own coast, to Bethsames, then it is he that did us this great evil. But and if he do not, then it is not his hand that smote us, but it was a chance that happened us.
10And the men did even so: they took two kine that gave milk and tied them in the cart, and kept the calves at home,
11and they laid the ark of the LORD upon the cart and the forcer with the mice of gold and the images of their arses with Emerods.
12And the kine took the straight way to Bethsames, both one way, and as they went, lowed, turning neither to the right hand nor to the left. And the lords of the Philistines went after them until they came to the borders of Bethsames.
13And they of Bethsames were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And they lifted up their eyes and spied the ark. And rejoiced when they saw it.
14And the cart came into the grove of one Jehosua a Bethsamite, and stood still there. There was there also a great stone. And they clave the wood of the cart and offered the kine a burnt offering unto the LORD.
15And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the forcer that was thereby, wherein the Jewels of gold were and put them on the great stone. And the men of Bethsames sacrificed burnt sacrifice and offered offerings that same day unto the LORD.
16And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Akaron the same day.
17These are the golden arses with Emerods which the Philistines gave to amends for a trespass offering to the LORD: for Asdod one: for Gaza one: for Askalon one: for Geth one: and for Akaron one.
18And the golden mice were according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines thorow the five lordships: both of walled towns and of towns unwailed, even unto the great stone, whereon they set down the ark of the LORD: which stone remaineth unto this day in the field of Jehosua the Bethsamite.
19And he plagued the men of Bethsames, because they had seen the ark of the LORD. And he slew of the people fifty thousand and three score and ten persons. And the people lamented, because the LORD had slain so great a slaughter of them.
20And the men of Bethsames said who is able to stand before the LORD so holy a God and to whom shall he go from us?
21And they sent messengers to the inhabiters of Kariath Jarim saying: The Philistines have brought home again the Ark of the LORD: come down and fetch it up to you.