6THE ARK of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months.H727H3068H7704H6430H7651H23202And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the Lord? Tell us with what we shall send it to its place.H6430H7121H3548H7080H559H6213H727H3068H3045H7971H47253And they said, If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but at least return to Him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why His hand is not removed [and healing granted you].H559H7971H727H430H3478H7971H7387H7725H7725H817H7495H3045H3027H54934Then they said, What shall be the guilt offering which we shall return to Him? They answered, Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of the Philistine lords, for one plague was on you all, even on your lords.H559H817H7725H559H2568H2091H2914H6076H2568H2091H5909H4557H5633H6430H259H4046H56335Therefore you must make images of your tumors and of your mice that destroy the land, and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps He will lighten His hand from off you and your gods and your land.H6213H6754H2914H6076H6754H5909H7843H776H5414H3519H430H3478H7043H3027H430H7766Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He had done wonders {and} made a mock of them, did they not let the people go, and they departed?H3513H3824H4714H6547H3513H3820H5953H7971H32127Now then, make and prepare a new cart and two milch cows on which no yoke has ever come; and yoke the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them.H6213H259H2319H5699H3947H8147H5763H6510H5927H5923H631H6510H5699H7725H1121H1004H3108And take the ark of the Lord and place it upon the cart, and put in a box at its side the figures of gold which you are returning to Him as a guilt offering. Then send it away and let it be gone.H3947H727H3068H5414H5699H7760H3627H2091H7725H817H712H6654H7971H19809And watch. If it goes up by the way of its own land to Beth-shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we shall know that it was not His hand that struck us; it happened to us by chance.H7200H5927H1870H1366H1053H6213H1419H7451H3045H3027H5060H4745H196110And the men did so, and took two milch cows and yoked them to the cart and shut up their calves at home.H582H6213H3947H8147H5763H6510H631H5699H3607H1121H100411And they put the ark of the Lord on the cart and along with it the box with the mice of gold and the images of their tumors.H7760H727H3068H5699H712H5909H2091H6754H291412And the cows went straight toward Beth-shemesh along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right or the left. And the Philistine lords followed them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh.H6510H3474H1870H1870H1053H1980H4546H259H1600H1980H5493H3225H8040H5633H6430H1980H310H1366H105313Now the men of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley, and they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.H1053H7114H2406H7105H6010H5375H5869H7200H727H8055H720014The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. A great stone was there; and the men split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord.H5699H935H7704H3091H1030H5975H1419H68H1234H6086H5699H5927H6510H5930H306815The Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the box beside it in which were the figures of gold and put them upon the great stone. And the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices that day to the Lord.H3881H3381H727H3068H712H3627H2091H7760H1419H68H582H1053H5927H5930H2076H2077H3117H306816When the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron.H2568H5633H6430H7200H7725H6138H311717And these are the tumors of gold which the Philistines returned for a guilt offering to the Lord: one each for Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron;H2091H2914H6430H7725H817H3068H795H259H5804H259H831H259H1661H259H6138H25918Also the mice of gold was according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and country villages. The great stone, on which they set the ark of the Lord, remains as a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.H2091H5909H4557H5892H6430H2568H5633H4013H5892H6521H3724H1419H59H3240H727H3068H3117H7704H3091H103019And the Lord slew some of the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the Lord; He slew seventy men of them, and the people mourned because the Lord had made a great slaughter among them.H5221H376H1053H7200H727H3068H5221H5971H2572H505H7657H582H5971H56H3068H5221H5971H1419H434720And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom shall He go away from us?H582H1053H559H3201H5975H6440H6918H3068H430H592721And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to you.H7971H4397H3427H7157H559H6430H7725H727H3068H3381H5927