Book 08 : NEVIIM - I SAMUEL - Chapter 006
06:001
And the ark of HaShem was in the country of the Philistines
seven months
06:002
And the Philistines called for the priests and the
diviners, saying: 'What shall we do with the ark of HaShem? declare unto us
wherewith we shall send it to its place.
06:003
And they said: 'If ye send away the ark of the G-d of
Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return Him a guilt-offering; then ye
shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why His hand is not removed from
you.
06:004
Then said they: 'What shall be the guilt-offering which we
shall return to Him?' And they said: '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
06:005
Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images
of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the G-d of Israel;
peradventure He will lighten His hand from off you, and from off your gods, and
from off your land
06:006
Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians
and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when He had wrought among them, did they not
let the people go, and they departed
06:007
Now therefore take and prepare you a new cart, and two
milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and
bring their calves home from them
06:008
And take the ark of HaShem, and lay it upon the cart; and
put the jewels of gold, which ye return Him for a guilt-offering, in a coffer by
the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go
06:009
And see, if it goeth up by the way of its own border to
Beth-shemesh, then He hath 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.
06:010
And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them
to the cart, and shut up their calves at home
06:011
And they put the ark of HaShem upon the cart, and the
coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods
06:012
And the kine took the straight way by the way to Beth-shemesh;
they 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
06:013
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
06:014
And the cart came into the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite,
and stood there, where there was a great stone; and they cleaved the wood of the
cart, and offered up the kine for a burnt-offering unto HaShem
06:015
And the Levites took down the ark of HaShem, 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 HaShem
06:016
And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it,
they returned to Ekron the same day
06:017
And these are the golden emerods which the Philistines
returned for a guilt-offering unto HaShem: for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for
Ashkelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one
06:018
and the golden mice, according to the number of all the
cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fortified cities
and of country villages, even unto Abel by the great stone, whereon they set
down the ark of HaShem, which stone remaineth unto this day in the field of
Joshua the Beth-shemite
06:019
And He smote of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had
gazed upon the ark of HaShem, even He smote of the people seventy men, and fifty
thousand men; and the people mourned, because HaShem had smitten the people with
a great slaughter
06:020
And the men of Beth-shemesh said: 'Who is able to stand
before HaShem, this holy G-d? and to whom shall it go up from us?
06:021
And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of
Kiriath-jearim, saying: 'The Philistines have brought back the ark of HaShem;
come ye down, and fetch it up to you.
Book 08 : NEVIIM - I SAMUEL - Chapter 006
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