1 Now the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines for seven months.2 And the Philistines sent for the priests and those who were wise in secret arts, and said to them, What are we to do with the ark of the Lord? How are we to send it away to its place?3 And they said, If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it without an offering, but send him a sin-offering with it: then you will have peace again, and it will be clear to you why the weight of his hand has not been lifted from you.4 Then they said, What sin-offering are we to send to him? And they said, Five gold images of the growths caused by your disease and five gold mice, one for every lord of the Philistines: for the same disease came on you and on your lords.5 So make images of the growths caused by your disease and of the mice which are damaging your land; and give glory to the God of Israel: it may be that the weight of his hand will be lifted from you and from your gods and from your land.6 Why do you make your hearts hard, like the hearts of Pharaoh and the Egyptians? When he had made sport of them, did they not let the people go, and they went away?7 So now, take and make ready a new cart, and two cows which have never come under the yoke, and have the cows yoked to the cart, and take their young ones away from them:8 And put the ark of the Lord on the cart, and the gold images which you are sending as a sin-offering in a chest by its side; and send it away so that it may go.9 If it goes by the land of Israel to Beth-shemesh, then this great evil is his work; but if not, then we may be certain that the evil was not his doing, but was the working of chance.10 And the men did so; they took two cows, yoking them to the cart and shutting up their young ones in their living-place:11 And they put the ark of the Lord on the cart and the chest with the gold images.12 And the cows took the straight way, by the road to Beth-shemesh; they went by the highway, not turning to the right or to the left, and the sound of their voices was clear on the road; and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the edge of Beth-shemesh.13 And the people of Beth-shemesh were cutting their grain in the valley, and lifting up their eyes they saw the ark and were full of joy when they saw it.14 And the cart came into the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite, and came to a stop there by a great stone: and cutting up the wood of the cart they made a burned offering of the cows to the Lord.15 Then the Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the chest in which were the gold images, and put them on the great stone: and the men of Beth-shemesh made burned offerings and gave worship that day before the Lord.16 And the five lords of the Philistines, having seen it, went back to Ekron the same day.17 Now these are the gold images which the Philistines sent as a sin-offering to the Lord; one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron;18 And the gold mice, one for every town of the Philistines, the property of the five lords, walled towns as well as country places: and the great stone where they put the ark of the Lord is still in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite to this day.19 But the Lord sent destruction on seventy men of the people of Beth-shemesh for looking into the ark of the Lord; and great was the sorrow of the people for the destruction which the Lord had sent on them.20 And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to keep his place before the Lord, this holy God? and to whom may he go from us?21 And they sent men to the people living in Kiriath-jearim, saying, The Philistines have sent back the ark of the Lord; come and take it up to your country.

1 Fuit ergo arca Domini in regione Philisthinorum septem mensibus. 2 Et vocaverunt Philisthiim sacerdotes et divinos, dicentes : Quid faciemus de arca Domini ? indicate nobis quomodo remittamus eam in locum suum. Qui dixerunt : 3 Si remittitis arcam Dei Isral, nolite dimittere eam vacuam, sed quod debetis, reddite ei pro peccato, et tunc curabimini : et scietis quare non recedat manus ejus a vobis. 4 Qui dixerunt : Quid est quod pro delicto reddere debeamus ei ? Responderuntque illi : 5 Juxta numerum provinciarum Philisthinorum quinque anos aureos facietis, et quinque mures aureos : quia plaga una fuit omnibus vobis, et satrapis vestris. Facietisque similitudines anorum vestrorum, et similitudines murium, qui demoliti sunt terram : et dabitis Deo Isral gloriam, si forte relevet manum suam a vobis, et a diis vestris, et a terra vestra. 6 Quare aggravatis corda vestra, sicut aggravavit gyptus et Pharao cor suum ? nonne postquam percussus est, tunc dimisit eos, et abierunt ? 7 Nunc ergo arripite et facite plaustrum novum unum : et duas vaccas ftas, quibus non est impositum jugum, jungite in plaustro, et recludite vitulos earum domi. 8 Tolletisque arcam Domini, et ponetis in plaustro, et vasa aurea qu exsolvistis ei pro delicto, ponetis in capsellam ad latus ejus : et dimittite eam ut vadat. 9 Et aspicietis : et si quidem per viam finium suorum ascenderit contra Bethsames, ipse fecit nobis hoc malum grande : sin autem, minime : sciemus quia nequaquam manus ejus tetigit nos, sed casu accidit.10 Fecerunt ergo illi hoc modo : et tollentes duas vaccas qu lactabant vitulos, junxerunt ad plaustrum, vitulosque earum concluserunt domi. 11 Et posuerunt arcam Dei super plaustrum, et capsellam qu habebat mures aureos et similitudines anorum. 12 Ibant autem in directum vacc per viam qu ducit Bethsames, et itinere uno gradiebantur, pergentes et mugientes : et non declinabant neque ad dextram neque ad sinistram : sed et satrap Philisthiim sequebantur usque ad terminos Bethsames. 13 Porro Bethsamit metebant triticum in valle : et elevantes oculos suos, viderunt arcam, et gavisi sunt cum vidissent. 14 Et plaustrum venit in agrum Josue Bethsamit, et stetit ibi. Erat autem ibi lapis magnus, et conciderunt ligna plaustri, vaccasque imposuerunt super ea holocaustum Domino. 15 Levit autem deposuerunt arcam Dei, et capsellam qu erat juxta eam, in qua erant vasa aurea, et posuerunt super lapidem grandem. Viri autem Bethsamit obtulerunt holocausta, et immolaverunt victimas in die illa Domino. 16 Et quinque satrap Philisthinorum viderunt, et reversi sunt in Accaron in die illa. 17 Hi sunt autem ani aurei quos reddiderunt Philisthiim pro delicto, Domino : Azotus unum, Gaza unum, Ascalon unum, Geth unum, Accaron unum : 18 et mures aureos secundum numerum urbium Philisthiim, quinque provinciarum, ab urbe murata usque ad villam qu erat absque muro, et usque ad Abelmagnum, super quem posuerunt arcam Domini, qu erat usque in illum diem in agro Josue Bethsamitis.19 Percussit autem de viris Bethsamitibus, eo quod vidissent arcam Domini : et percussit de populo septuaginta viros, et quinquaginta millia plebis. Luxitque populus, eo quod Dominus percussisset plebem plaga magna. 20 Et dixerunt viri Bethsamit : Quis poterit stare in conspectu Domini Dei sancti hujus ? et ad quem ascendet a nobis ? 21 Miseruntque nuntios ad habitatores Cariathiarim, dicentes : Reduxerunt Philisthiim arcam Domini : descendite, et reducite eam ad vos.