6:1 And the ark of Jehovah was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
6:2 And the Philistines called for the priests and the psychics, saying, What will we do with the ark of Jehovah? Show us with what we will sent it to its place.
6:3 And they said, If you* send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return for him a guilt-offering. Then you* will be healed and it will be known to you* why his hand is not removed from you*.
6:4 Then they said, What will be the guilt-offering which we will return to him?
And they said, Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, because one plague was on you* all and on your* lords. 6:5Therefore you* will make images of your* tumors and images of your* mice that mar the land. And you* will give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten his hand from you* and from your* gods and from your* land.
6:6 Why then do you* harden your* hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When he had worked wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go and they departed? 6:7 Now therefore take and prepare for you* a new cart and two milk cows on which no yoke has come. And tie the cows to the cart and bring their calves home from them. 6:8 And take the ark of Jehovah and lay it upon the cart. And put the jewels of gold, which you* return to him for a guilt-offering, in a coffer by the side of it and send it away, that it may go.
6:9 And watch. If it goes up by the way of its own border to Beth-shemesh, then he has done to us this great evil, but if not, then we will know that it is not his hand that struck us; it was a chance that happened to us.
6:10 And the men did so and took two milk cows and tied them to the cart and shut their calves in the house. 6:11 And they put the ark of Jehovah upon the cart and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their tumors.
6:12 And the cows took the straight way by the way to Beth-shemesh. They went along the highway, mooing as they went and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left. And the lords of the Philistines went behind them to the border of Beth-shemesh.
6:13 And those 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. 6:14And the cart came into the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite and stood there where there was a great stone. And they split the wood of the cart and offered up the cows for a burnt-offering to Jehovah.6:15 And the Levites took down the ark of Jehovah and the coffer that was with it, in which the jewels of gold were and put them on the great stone. And the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt-offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day to Jehovah.
6:16 And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day. 6:17And these are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned for a guilt-offering to Jehovah: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron. 6:18 And the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fortified cities and of un-walled towns, even to the great stone on which they set down the ark of Jehovah, which stone remains to this day in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite.
6:19 And he struck of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of Jehovah. He struck fifty thousand and seventy men of the people. And the people mourned, because Jehovah had struck the people with a great slaughter.
6:20 And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand before Jehovah, this holy God? And to whom will he go up from us? 6:21 And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, The Philistines have brought back the ark of Jehovah. Come down and fetch it up to you*.