1 Samuel 06 The Philistines send the ark out of their land

 1 Samuel 06

The Philistines send the ark out of their land

1 So the ark of the Lord was in the land of the Philistines for seven months.

2 The Philistines called the priests and diviners, saying, What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Let us know how we will send you back to your place.

3 And they said, If you send the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but without fail you will send him an offering for the atonement of guilt: then you will be healed, and it will be made known to you why his hand is not taken from you .

4 Then they said, What is the atonement for the guilt we will offer you? And they said, According to the number of the Philistine princes, five golden hemorrhoids and five golden rats: for the plague is the same on all of you and on all your princes.

5 Make therefore images of your hemorrhoids and images of your rats, which are destroying the land and give glory to the God of Israel: perhaps he will relieve his hand from above you, and from above your god, and from above your land .

6 Why then would you harden your heart, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened your heart? After having treated them badly, did they not let them go, and did they not leave?

7 Now therefore, take and make a new car for you, and take two cows that you raise, on which the yoke has not gone up, and tie the cows to the cart, and take their calves after them home.

8 Then take the ark of the Lord, and put it on the cart, and put in a safe beside it the golden figures that you will offer him in atonement for guilt, and so you shall send it away.

9 See then: if he goes up the path of his end to Beth-Shemesh, it is he who has done us this great evil; and if not, we will know that he did not touch his hand, and that this happened to us by chance.

10 And so did those men, and took two cows that they raised, and tied them to the cart; and their calves closed up at home.

11 And they placed the ark of the Lord on the chariot, as well as the safe with the golden mice and the images of their hemorrhoids.

12 Then the cows went straight down the path of Beth-Semes, and followed the same path, walking and shouting, without turning either to the right or to the left: and the princes of the Philistines went after them, until the end of Beth -Yes.