The ark is sent back to Bethsames: where many are slain for looking
through curiosity into it.
6:1. Now the ark of God was in the land of the Philistines seven months.
6:2. And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners,
saying: What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? tell us how we are to
send it back to its place. And they said:
6:3. If you send back the ark of the God of Israel, send it not away
empty, but render unto him what you owe for sin, and then you shall be
healed: and you shall know why his hand departeth not from you.
6:4. They answered: What is it we ought to render unto him for sin? and
they answered:
6:5. According to the number of the provinces of the Philistines you
shall make five golden emerods, and five golden mice: for the same
plague hath been upon you all, and upon your lords. And you shall make
the likeness of your emerods, and the likeness of the mice, that have
destroyed the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel: to
see if he will take off his hand from you, and from your gods, and from
your land.
6:6. Why do you harden your hearts, as Egypt and Pharao hardened their
hearts? did not he, after he was struck, then let them go, and they
departed?
6:7. Now, therefore, take and make a new cart: and two kine that have
calved, on which there hath come no yoke, tie to the cart, and shut up
their calves at home.
6:8. And you shall take the ark of the Lord, and lay it on the cart, and
the vessels of gold, which you have paid him for sin, you shall put into
a little box at the side thereof: and send it away, that it may go.
6:9. And you shall look: and if it go up by the way of his own coasts,
towards Bethsames, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, we
shall know that it is not his hand hath touched us, but it hath happened
by chance.
6:10. They did therefore in this manner: and taking two kine, that had
sucking calves, they yoked them to the cart, and shut up their calves at
home.
6:11. And they laid the ark of God upon the cart, and the little box
that had in it the golden mice, and the likeness of the emerods.
6:12. And the kine took the straight way, that leadeth to Bethsames, and
they went along the way, lowing as they went: and turned not aside
neither to the right hand nor to the left: and the lords of the
Philistines followed them as far as the borders of Bethsames.
6:13. Now the Bethsamites were reaping wheat in the valley: and lifting
up their eyes, they saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.
6:14. And the cart came into the field of Josue, a Bethsamite, and stood
there. And there was a great stone, and they cut in pieces the wood of
the cart, and laid the kine upon it a holocaust to the Lord.
6:15. And the Levites took down the ark of God, and the little box that
was at the side of it, wherein were the vessels of gold, and they put
them upon the great stone. The men also of Bethsames offered holocausts,
and sacrificed victims that day to the Lord.
6:16. And the five princes of the Philistines saw, and they returned to
Accaron the same day.
6:17. And these are the golden emerods, which the Philistines returned
for sin to the Lord: For Azotus one, for Gaza one, for Ascalon one, for
Geth one, for Accaron one:
6:18. And the golden mice, according to the number of the cities of the
Philistines, of the five provinces, from the fenced city to the village
that was without wall, and to the great Abel (the stone) whereon they
set down the ark of the Lord, which was till that day in the field of
Josue the Bethsamite.
6:19. But he slew of the men of Bethsames, because they had seen the ark
of the Lord, and he slew of the people seventy men, and fifty thousand
of the common people. And the people lamented, because the Lord had
smitten the people with a great slaughter.
Seen... And curiously looked into. It is likely this plague reached to
all the neighbouring country, as well as the city of Bethsames.
6:20. And the men of Bethsames said: Who shall be able to stand before
the Lord this holy God? and to whom shall he go up from us?
6:21. And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Cariathiarim,
saying: The Philistines have brought back the ark of the Lord, come ye
down and fetch it up to you.