[[1 Samuel 5|<< 1 Samuel 5]] | [[1 Samuel|1 Samuel]] | [[1 Samuel 7|1 Samuel 7 >>]] ### 1 Samuel 6 1 AND the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months. ^1 2 And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the LORD? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place. ^2 3 And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you. ^3 4 Then said they, What _shall_ _be_ the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, 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. ^4 5 Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land. ^5 6 Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed? ^6 7 Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine, on which there has come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them: ^7 8 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 trespass offering, in a coffer by the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go. ^8 9 And see, if it goes up by the way of his own coast to Beth-shemesh, _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. ^9 10 ¶ And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home: ^10 11 And they laid the ark of the LORD upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods. ^11 12 And the kine took the straight way to the way of Beth-shemesh, _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 unto the border of Beth-shemesh. ^12 13 And _they_ _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_. ^13 14 And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Beth-shemite, and stood there, where _there_ _was_ a great stone: and they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine a burnt offering unto the LORD. ^14 15 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 Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the LORD. ^15 16 And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen _it_, they returned to Ekron the same day. ^16 17 And these _are_ the golden emerods which the Philistines returned _for_ a trespass offering unto the LORD; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one; ^17 18 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 unto the great _stone_ _of_ Abel, whereon they set down the ark of the LORD: _which_ _stone_ _remains_ unto this day in the field of Joshua, the Beth-shemite. ^18 19 ¶ And he smote the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand sixty and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten _many_ of the people with a great slaughter. ^19 20 And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall he go up from us? ^20 21 ¶ And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD; come ye down, _and_ fetch it up to you. ^21