And the Philistinescalled for the priests and the diviners, saying, Whatshall we do to the ark of the LORD? tell us wherewith we shallsend it to his place.
And theysaid, If ye sendaway the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wisereturn him a trespassoffering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removedfrom you.
Thensaidthey, Whatshall be the trespassofferingwhich we shallreturn to him? Theyanswered, Fivegoldenemerods, and fivegoldenmice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on yourlords.
Wherefore ye shallmakeimages of youremerods, and images of yourmicethat mar the land; and ye shallgivegloryunto the God of Israel: peradventure he willlighten his handfrom off you, and from off yourgods, and from off yourland.
Whereforethen do ye hardenyourhearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaohhardenedtheirhearts? when he had wroughtwonderfullyamongthem, did they not let the people go, and theydeparted?
And take the ark of the LORD, and lay it upon the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which ye return him for a trespassoffering, in a coffer by the sidethereof; and send it away, that it may go.
And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Bethshemesh, then he hathdone us thisgreatevil: but if not, then we shallknowthat it is not his handthatsmote us: it was a chancethathappened to us.
And the kinetook the straight way to the way of Bethshemesh, and wentalong the highway, lowing as theywent, and turned not aside to the righthand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistineswentafterthemunto the border of Bethshemesh.
And the cartcameinto the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite, and stoodthere, wherethere was a greatstone: and theyclave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine a burntofferingunto the LORD.
And the Levitestookdown the ark of the LORD, and the cofferthat was with it, wherein the jewels of goldwere, and put them on the greatstone: and the men of Bethshemeshofferedburntofferings and sacrificedsacrifices the same day unto the LORD.
And these are the goldenemerodswhich the Philistinesreturned for a trespassofferingunto the LORD; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one;
And the goldenmice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistinesbelonging to the fivelords, both of fencedcities, and of countryvillages, evenunto the greatstone of Abel, whereonthey set down the ark of the LORD: whichstoneremainethuntothis day in the field of Joshua, the Bethshemite.
And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, becausethey had lookedinto the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the peoplefiftythousand and threescore and ten men: and the peoplelamented, because the LORD had smittenmany of the peoplewith a greatslaughter.
And theysentmessengers to the inhabitants of Kirjathjearim, saying, The Philistineshavebroughtagain the ark of the LORD; come ye down, and fetch it up to you.