6 1 The time that the Ark was with the Philistines, which they sent again with a gift. 12 It cometh to Beth Shemesh. 17 The Philistines offer golden emerods. 19 The men of Beth Shemesh are stricken for looking into the Ark.
1 So the Ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines [a]seven months.
2 And the Philistines called the Priests and the Soothsayers, saying, What shall we do with the Ark of the Lord? tell us wherewith we shall send it home again.
3 And they said, If you send away the Ark of the God of Israel, send it not away empty, but give unto it [b]a sin offering: then shall ye be healed, and it shall be known to you, why his hand departeth not from you.
4 Then said they, What shall be the sin offering, which we shall give unto it? And they answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the princes of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your princes.
5 Wherefore ye shall make the similitudes of your emerods, and the similitudes of your mice that destroy the land: so ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel, that he may take his hand from you, and from your [c]gods, and from your land.
6 Wherefore then should ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts, when he wrought wonderfully among them, (A)did they not let them go, and they departed?
7 Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine, on whom there hath come no yoke: and tie the kine to the cart, and bring the calves home from them.
8 Then take the Ark of the Lord, and set it upon the cart, and put the [d]jewels of gold which ye give it for a sin offering in a coffer by the side thereof, and send it away, that it may go.
9 And take heed, if it go up by the way of his own coast to Beth Shemesh, it is [e]he that did us this great evil: but if not, we shall know then, that it is not his hand that smote us, but it was a [f]chance that happened us.
10 And the men did so: for they took two kine that gave milk, and tied them to the cart, and shut the calves at home.
11 So they set the Ark of the Lord upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold, and with the similitudes of their emerods.
12 And the kine went the straight way to Beth Shemesh, and kept one path, and lowed as they went, and turned neither to the right hand nor to the left: also the princes of the Philistines went after [g]them unto the borders of Beth Shemesh.
13 Now they of Beth Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley, and they lift up their eyes, and spied the Ark, and rejoiced when they saw it.
14 ¶ And the cart came into the field of Joshua a Beth Shemite, and stood still there. There was also a great stone, and [h]they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine for a burnt offering unto the Lord.
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 offering, and sacrificed sacrifices that same day unto the Lord.
16 And when the five princes of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.
17 ¶ So these are the golden emerods, which the Philistines gave for a sin offering to the Lord: for [i]Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, and for Ekron one,
18 And golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines, belonging to the five princes, both of walled towns, and of towns unwalled unto the great stone of [j]Abel, whereon they set the Ark of the Lord: which stone remaineth unto this day in the field of Joshua the Beth Shemite.
19 And he smote of the men of Beth Shemesh, because they [k]had looked in the Ark of the Lord: he slew even among the people fifty thousand men and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the Lord had slain the people with so great a slaughter.
20 Wherefore the men of Beth Shemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? and to whom shall he go from us?
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 take it up to you.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 6:1 They thought by continuance of time the plague would have ceased, and so would have kept the Ark still.
- 1 Samuel 6:3 The idolaters confess there is a true God, who justifieth sin justly.
- 1 Samuel 6:5 This is God’s judgment upon the idolaters, that knowing the true God, they worship him not aright.
- 1 Samuel 6:8 Meaning, the golden emerods and the golden mice.
- 1 Samuel 6:9 The God of Israel.
- 1 Samuel 6:9 The wicked attribute almost all things to fortune and chance, whereas indeed there is nothing done without God’s providence and decree.
- 1 Samuel 6:12 For the trial of the matter.
- 1 Samuel 6:14 To wit, the men of Beth Shemesh, which was Israelites.
- 1 Samuel 6:17 These were the five principal cities of the Philistines, which were not all conquered unto the time of David.
- 1 Samuel 6:18 Or, the plaint, or lamentation.
- 1 Samuel 6:19 For it was not lawful to any either to touch or to see it, save only to Aaron and his sons, Num. 4:15, 20.