1 Samuel 6

1 Yahweh’s ark was in the country of the Philistines seven months. 2 The Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, "What shall we do with Yahweh’s ark? Show us how we should send it to its place."

3 They said, "If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, don’t send it empty; but by all means return a trespass offering to him. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why his hand is not removed from you."

4 Then they said, "What should the trespass offering be which we shall return to him?"

They said, "Five golden tumors and five golden mice, for the number of the lords of the Philistines; for one plague was on you all, and on your lords. 5 Therefore you shall make images of your tumors and images of your mice that mar the land; and you shall give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will release his hand from you, from your gods, and from your land. 6 Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When he had worked wonderfully among them, didn’t they let the people go, and they departed?

7 "Now therefore take and prepare yourselves a new cart and two milk cows on which there has come no yoke; and tie the cows to the cart, and bring their calves home from them; 8 and take Yahweh’s ark and lay it on the cart. Put the jewels of gold, which you return him for a trespass offering, in a box by its side; and send it away, that it may go. 9 Behold, if it goes up by the way of its own border 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 struck us. It was a chance that happened to us."

10 The men did so, and took two milk cows and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. 11 They put Yahweh’s ark on the cart, and the box with the golden mice and the images of their tumors. 12 The cows took the straight way by the way to Beth Shemesh. They went along the highway, lowing as they went, and didn’t turn away to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh. 13 The people 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. 14 The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and stood there, where there was a great stone. Then they split the wood of the cart and offered up the cows for a burnt offering to Yahweh. 15 The Levites took down Yahweh’s ark and the box that was with it, in which 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 to Yahweh. 16 When the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day. 17 These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering to Yahweh: for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ashkelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one; 18 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 to the great stone on which they set down Yahweh’s ark. That stone remains to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh. 19 He struck of the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into Yahweh’s ark, he struck fifty thousand seventy of the men. Then the people mourned, because Yahweh had struck the people with a great slaughter. 20 The men of Beth Shemesh said, "Who is able to stand before Yahweh, this holy God? To whom shall he go up from us?"

21 They sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath Jearim, saying, "The Philistines have brought back Yahweh’s ark. Come down and bring it up to yourselves."

Te Whakahokinga o te Āka o te Kawenata

1 Ā, e whitu ngā marama o te āka a Ihowā ki te whenua o ngā Pirihitini. 2 Nā, ka karanga ngā Pirihitini ki ngā tohunga karakia rātou ko ngā tohunga tūāhu, ka mea, "Me aha e mātou te āka a Ihowā? Whakaaturia mai ki a mātou hei te aha he mea mā mātou ina kawea atu taua mea ki tōna wāhi."

3 Nā, ka mea rātou, "Ki te tukua atu e koutou te āka a te Atua o Īharaira, kaua e tukua tahangatia; engari me hoatu anō he whakahere mō te hē hei whakahokinga atu ki a ia. Ko reira koutou ora ai, ā, ka mōhio nā te aha tōna ringa tē neke atu ai i a koutou."

4 Anō rā ko ērā, "He aha te whakahere mō te hē hei whakahokinga atu ki a ia?"

Nā, ka mea rātou, "Kia rima ngā puku kōura, kia rite ki te tokomaha o ngā rangatira o ngā Pirihitini, kia rima hoki ngā kiore kōura; kotahi tonu nei hoki te mate o koutou katoa, o ō koutou rangatira anō hoki. 5 Nā, me hanga he āhua nō ō koutou puku, he āhua anō nō ā koutou kiore i ngaro ai te whenua; ā, ka hoatu korōria anō ki te Atua o Īharaira; tērā pea e māmā iho tōna ringa ki a koutou, ki ō koutou atua, ki tō koutou whenua. 6 He aha koutou i whakapakeke ai i ō koutou ngākau, i pērā ai me ngā Īhipiana rātou ko Parao i whakapakeke nei i ō rātou ngākau? I tāna mahinga i ngā mea nunui i roto i a rātou, kīhai ianei rātou i tuku i te iwi, ā, haere ana rātou?

7 "Nā reira tangohia ka hangā he kāta hou, tīkina hoki kia rua ngā kau kutētē kāhore anō i mau ioka, ka here ai i ngā kau ki te kāta, ā, ko ā rāua kūao me tango mai i a rāua ki te whare. 8 Nā, ka tiki i te āka a Ihowā, ka whakatakoto ki runga ki te kāta; ā, ka hoatu ki tōna taha, ki roto i tētahi pouaka, ngā mea kōura, tā koutou whakahere mō te hē hei whakahokinga ki a ia; ā, ka tuku ai kia haere. 9 Ko reira tirohia atu ai e koutou; ki te haere nā te ara o tōna rohe ki runga, ki Petehemehe, nāna tēnei kino nui i mea ki a tātou; ki te kāhore ia, kātahi tātou ka mōhio, ehara i a ia te ringa i patua ai tātou; he mea tūpono noa mai taua mea i pā mai nei ki a tātou."

10 Nā, pērā ana aua tāngata. Tīkina ana e rātou ngā kau kutētē e rua, ā, herea ana ki te kāta, ko ā rāua kūao ia i tūtakina ki te whare. 11 Ā, whakanohoia ana e rātou te āka a Ihowā ki runga ki te kāta, me te pouaka, me ngā kiore kōura, me ngā āhua o ō rātou puku. 12 Ā, tika tonu ngā kau i te ara ki te huarahi ki Petehemehe; i haere rāua rā te huanui, me te tangi haere, kīhai hoki i peka ki matau, ki mauī; ā, i aru ngā rangatira o ngā Pirihitini i a rāua, ā tae noa ki te rohe ki Petehemehe.

13 Nā, i te kokoti wīti ngā tāngata o Petehemehe i te raorao, ā, ko te marangatanga ake o ō rātou kanohi, ka kite i te āka, nā, koa ana rātou i te kitenga atu. 14 Nā, haere tonu tērā te kāta ki te māra a Hohua, a tētahi Petehemehi, ā, tū ana i reira, kei reira anō tētahi kōhatu nui. Nā, tātāngia ana e rātou te rākau o te kāta, ā, whakaekea ana ngā kau hei tahunga tinana ki a Ihowā. 15 I tangohia iho anō e ngā Rīwaiti te āka a Ihowā, me te pouaka i te taha, i reira rā ngā mea kōura, ā, whakatakotoria ana ki runga ki te kōhatu nui; i whakaeke tahunga tinana anō hoki, i patu patunga tapu ngā tāngata o Petehemehe i taua rā ki a Ihowā. 16 Ā, nō te kitenga o ngā rangatira e rima o ngā Pirihitini, hoki ana ki Ekerono i taua rangi anō.

17 Ā, ko ngā puku kōura ēnei i whakahokia atu nei e ngā Pirihitini hei whakahere mō te hē ki a Ihowā; mō Aharoro kotahi, mō Kaha kotahi, mō Ahakerono kotahi, mō Kāta kotahi, mō Ekerono kotahi; 18 me ngā kiore kōura, rite tonu ki te maha o ngā pā katoa o ngā Pirihitini, nō aua rangatira tokorima nei, o ngā pā taiepa me ngā pā koraha; tae noa atu ki te kōhatu nui, ki Apere, i whakatakotoria rā te āka a Ihowā ki reira; kei te māra a Hohua Petehemehi taua kōhatu ā taea noatia tēnei rā.

Te Āka o te Kawenata kei Kiriata Tearimi

19 Nā, ka patua ngā tāngata o Petehemehe mō rātou i titiro ki roto ki te āka a Ihowā; koia i patua ai e ia ngā tāngata o te iwi, e rima tekau mano e whitu tekau. Nā, ka tangi te iwi mō te patunga nui i patua ai te iwi e Ihowā. 20 Nā, ka mea ngā tāngata o Petehemehe, "Ko wai hei tū ki te aroaro o Ihowā, o tēnei Atua tapu? Me haere atu anō hoki ia i roto i a tātou ki a wai?"

21 Kātahi rātou ka tono tāngata ki ngā tāngata o Kiriata Tearimi, hei mea, "Kua whakahokia mai te āka a Ihowā e ngā Pirihitini; haere mai, mauria atu ki a koutou."