1Samuel:6

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* And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months . * And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners , saying , What shall we do to the ark of the LORD ? tell us with which we shall send it to his place . * And they said , If you send away the ark of the God of Israel , send it not empty ; but in any wise return him a trespass offering : then you shall be healed , and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you . * Then said they , What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him ? They answered , Five golden tumors , and five golden mice , according to the number of the lords of the Philistines : for one plague was on you all , and on your lords . * Why you shall make images of your tumors , and images of your mice that mar the land ; and you shall give glory to the God of Israel : peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you , and from off your gods , and from off your land . * 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 ? * Now therefore make a new cart , and take two milk cows , on which there has come no yoke , and tie the cows to the cart , and bring their calves home from them : * And take the ark of the LORD , and lay it on the cart ; and put the jewels of gold , which you return him for a trespass offering , in a coffer by the side thereof ; and send it away , that it may go . * And see , if it goes up by the way of his own coast to Bethshemesh , then he has done us this great evil : but if not , then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us : it was a chance that happened to us . * And the men did so ; and took two milk cows , and tied them to the cart , and shut up their calves at home : * And they laid the ark of the LORD on the cart , and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their tumors . * And the cows took the straight way to the way of Bethshemesh , and went along the highway , lowing as they went , and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left ; and the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Bethshemesh . * And they of Bethshemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley : and they lifted up their eyes , and saw the ark , and rejoiced to see it . * And the cart came into the field of Joshua , a Bethshemite , and stood there , where there was a great stone : and they split the wood of the cart , and offered the cows a burnt offering to the LORD . * And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD , and the coffer that was with it , wherein the jewels of gold were , and put them on the great stone : and the men of Bethshemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day to the LORD . * And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it , they returned to Ekron the same day . * And these are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering to the LORD ; for Ashdod one , for Gaza one , for Askelon one , for Gath one , for Ekron one ; * And the golden mice , according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords , both of fenced cities , and of country villages , even to the great stone of Abel , where on they set down the ark of the LORD : which stone remains to this day in the field of Joshua , the Bethshemite . * And he smote the men of Bethshemesh , because they had looked into the ark of the LORD , even he smote of the people fifty thousand and three score and ten men : and the people lamented , because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter . * And the men of Bethshemesh said , Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God ? and to whom shall he go up from us ? * And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjathjearim , saying , The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD ; come you down , and fetch it up to you .

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