1Samuel:6

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* The ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months . * And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said , "What shall we do with the ark of the LORD ? Tell us with what we shall send it to its place ." * They said , "If you send away the ark of the God of Israel , do not send it empty , but by all means return him a guilt offering . Then you will be healed , and it will be known to you why his hand does not turn away from you ." * And they said , "What is the guilt offering that 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 the same plague was upon all of you and upon your lords . * So you must make images of your tumors and images of your mice that ravage 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 . * Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts ? After he had made sport of them , did not they let the people go , and they departed ? * Now then , take and prepare a new cart and two milch cows upon which there has never come a yoke , and yoke the cows to the cart , but take their calves home , away from them . * And take the ark of the LORD and place it on 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 off , and let it go its way . * And watch ; if it goes up on the way to its own land , to Beth-she 'mesh , then it is he who has done us this great harm ; but if not , then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us , it happened to us by chance ." * The men did so , and took two milch cows and yoked them to the cart , and shut up their calves at home . * And they put the ark of the LORD on the cart , and the box with the golden mice and the images of their tumors . * And the cows went straight in the direction of Beth-she 'mesh along one highway , lowing as they went ; they turned neither to the right nor to the left , and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of Beth-she 'mesh . * Now the people of Beth-she 'mesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley ; and when they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark , they rejoiced to see it . * The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-she 'mesh , and stopped there . A great stone was there ; and they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD . * And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the box that was beside it , in which were the golden figures , and set them upon the great stone ; and the men of Beth-she 'mesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices on that day to the LORD . * And when the five lords of the Philistines saw it , they returned that day to Ekron . * These are the golden tumors , which the Philistines returned as a guilt offering to the LORD : one for Ashdod , one for Gaza , one for Ash 'kelon , one for Gath , one for Ekron ; * also the golden mice , according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords , both fortified cities and unwalled villages . The great stone , beside which they set down the ark of the LORD , is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-she 'mesh . * And he slew some of the men of Beth-she 'mesh , because they 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 the people . * Then the men of Beth-she 'mesh said , "Who is able to stand before the LORD , this holy God ? And to whom shall he go up away from us ?" * So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kir 'iath-je 'arim , saying , "The Philistines have returned the ark of the LORD . Come down and take it up to you ."

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