El arca del SEÑOR estuvo en la tierra¹ de los filisteos siete meses. 2 Entonces los filisteos llamaron a los sacerdotes y a los adivinos^a, diciendo: ¿Qué haremos con el arca del SEÑOR? Decidnos cómo¹ la hemos de enviar a su lugar. 3 Y ellos dijeron: Si enviáis el arca del Dios de Israel, no la enviéis vacía^a; sino que ciertamente devolveréis a Él una ofrenda por la culpa^b. Entonces seréis sanados y conoceréis por qué su mano no se ha apartado de vosotros. 4 Y los filisteos preguntaron: ¿Cuál será la ofrenda por la culpa que hemos de devolverle? Y ellos dijeron: Cinco tumores de oro^a y cinco ratones de oro conforme al número de los príncipes de los filisteos^b, porque la misma plaga estuvo sobre todos vosotros y sobre vuestros príncipes. 5 Haréis, pues, semejanzas de vuestros tumores, y semejanzas de vuestros ratones que asolan la tierra, y daréis gloria al Dios de Israel^a; quizá Él aliviará su mano de sobre vosotros^b, de sobre vuestros dioses y de sobre vuestra tierra^c. 6 ¿Por qué entonces endurecéis vuestros corazones, como endurecieron sus corazones los egipcios y Faraón^a? Cuando Él los trató severamente, ¿no dejaron ir al pueblo¹, y se fueron^b? 7 Ahora pues, tomad y preparad un carro nuevo^a y dos vacas con crías sobre las cuales no se haya puesto yugo^b; uncid las vacas al carro y llevad sus becerros a casa, lejos de ellas. 8 Y tomad el arca del SEÑOR y colocadla en el carro; y poned en una caja a su lado los objetos de oro^a que le entregaréis como ofrenda por la culpa^b. Luego, dejadla ir, y que se vaya. 9 Y observad: si sube por el camino de su territorio¹ a Bet-semes^a, entonces Él nos ha hecho este gran mal. Pero si no, entonces sabremos que no fue su mano la que nos hirió^b; nos sucedió por casualidad.

10 Entonces los hombres lo hicieron así; tomaron dos vacas con crías, las uncieron al carro y encerraron sus becerros en casa. 11 Colocaron el arca del SEÑOR en el carro, y la caja con los ratones de oro y las semejanzas de sus tumores. 12 Y las vacas tomaron el camino recto en dirección¹ a Bet-semes^a; iban por el camino^b, mugiendo mientras iban, y no se desviaron ni a la derecha ni a la izquierda. Y los príncipes de los filisteos las siguieron hasta el límite de Bet-semes. 13 El pueblo de Bet-semes estaba segando el¹ trigo en el valle, y alzaron sus ojos y vieron el arca, y se alegraron al verla. 14 Y el carro llegó al campo de Josué el bet-semita y se detuvo allí donde había una gran piedra; y ellos partieron la madera del carro y ofrecieron las vacas en holocausto al SEÑOR^a. 15 Los levitas bajaron el arca del SEÑOR y la caja que estaba con ella, en la cual estaban los objetos de oro, y las colocaron sobre la gran piedra^a; y los hombres de Bet-semes ofrecieron holocaustos e hicieron sacrificios aquel día al SEÑOR. 16 Cuando los cinco príncipes de los filisteos vieron esto, regresaron a Ecrón^a el mismo día.

17 Estos son los tumores de oro que los filisteos entregaron como ofrenda por la culpa al SEÑOR^a: uno por Asdod, uno por Gaza, uno por Ascalón, uno por Gat y uno por Ecrón; 18 y ratones de oro conforme al número de todas las ciudades de los filisteos que pertenecían a los cinco príncipes, tanto de ciudades fortificadas como de aldeas sin murallas^a. La gran piedra¹ sobre la cual colocaron el arca del SEÑOR es testigo hasta el día de hoy en el campo de Josué el bet-semita^b.

19 El Señor hirió a los hombres de Bet-semes porque habían mirado dentro del arca del SEÑOR. De todo el pueblo hirió a cincuenta mil setenta hombres, y el pueblo lloró porque el SEÑOR había herido al pueblo con gran mortandad^a. 20 Y los hombres de Bet-semes dijeron: ¿Quién puede estar delante del SEÑOR, este Dios santo^a? ¿Y a quién subirá al alejarse de nosotros? 21 Y enviaron mensajeros a los habitantes de Quiriat-jearim^a, diciendo: Los filisteos han devuelto el arca del SEÑOR; descended, y subidla con vosotros.

Now the ark of the LORD had been in the territory of the Philistines for seven months. 2 And ^athe Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What are we to do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us ¹how we may send it to its place.” 3 And they said, “If you are going to send the ark of the God of Israel away, ^ado not send it empty; but you shall certainly ^breturn to Him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be revealed to you why His hand does not leave you.” 4 Then they said, “What is to be the guilt offering that we shall return to Him?” And they said, “Five gold ^atumors and five gold mice ^bcorresponding to the number of the governors of the Philistines, since one plague was on all of ¹you and on your governors. 5 So you shall make likenesses of your tumors and likenesses of your mice that are ruining the land, and ^ayou shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps ^bHe will lighten His hand from you, ^cyour gods, and your land. 6 Why then do you harden your hearts ^aas the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He had severely dealt with them, ^bdid they not let ¹the people go, and they left? 7 Now then, take and ^aprepare a new cart and two milk cows on which there ^bhas never been a yoke; and hitch the cows to the cart and take their calves back home, away from them. 8 Then take the ark of the LORD and place it on the cart; and put ^athe articles of gold which you return to Him as ^ba guilt offering in a saddlebag by its side. Then send it away that it may go. 9 But watch: if it goes up by the way of its own territory to ^aBeth-shemesh, then He has done this great evil to us. But if not, then ^bwe will know that it was not His hand that struck us; it happened to us by chance.”

10 Then the men did so: they took two milk cows and hitched them to the cart, and shut in their calves at home. 11 And they put the ark of the LORD on the cart, and the saddlebag with the gold mice and the likenesses of their tumors. 12 Now the cows went straight in the ¹direction of ^aBeth-shemesh; they went on ^bthe same road, bellowing as they went, and did not turn off to the right or to the left. And the governors of the Philistines followed them to the border of Beth-shemesh.

13 Now the people of Beth-shemesh were gathering in their wheat harvest in the valley, and they raised their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced at seeing it. 14 And the cart came into the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite and stopped there where there was a large stone; and they split the wood of the cart and ^aoffered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD. 15 And ^athe Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the saddlebag that was with it, in which were the articles of gold, and put them on the large stone; and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices that day to the LORD. 16 When the ^afive governors of the Philistines saw it, they returned to Ekron that day.

17 Now ^athese are the gold tumors which the Philistines returned as a guilt offering to the LORD: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, and one for Ekron; 18 and the gold mice, corresponding to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five governors, ^aboth of fortified cities and of country villages. ^bThe large ¹stone on which they placed the ark of the LORD is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite.

19 ^aNow He fatally struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the LORD. He struck 50,070 men among the people, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter. 20 And the men of Beth-shemesh said, “^aWho is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God? And to whom will He go up from us?” 21 So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of ^aKiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought back the ark of the LORD; come down and take it up to yourselves.”

Now the ark of the LORD had been in the ¹country of the Philistines seven months. 2 And ^athe Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us ¹how we shall send it to its place.” 3 They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, ^ado not send it empty; but you shall surely ^breturn to Him a guilt offering. 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 shall be the guilt offering which we shall return to Him?” And they said, “Five golden ^atumors and five golden mice ^baccording to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for one plague was on all of ¹you and on your lords. 5 So you shall make likenesses of your tumors and likenesses of your mice that ravage the land, and ^ayou shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps ^bHe will ease His hand from you, ^cyour gods, and your land. 6 Why then do you harden your hearts ^aas the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He had severely dealt with them, ^bdid they not allow ¹the people to go, and they departed? 7 Now therefore, take and ^aprepare a new cart and two milch cows on which there ^bhas never been a yoke; and hitch the cows to the cart and take their calves home, away from them. 8 Take the ark of the LORD and place it on the cart; and put ^athe articles of gold which you return to Him as ^ba guilt offering in a box by its side. Then send it away that it may go. 9 Watch, if it goes up by the way of its own territory to ^aBeth-shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then ^bwe will know that it was not His hand that struck us; it happened to us by chance.”

10 Then the men did so, and took two milch cows and hitched them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. 11 They put the ark of the LORD on the cart, and the box with the golden mice and the likenesses of their tumors. 12 And the cows took the straight way in the ¹direction of ^aBeth-shemesh; they went along ^bthe highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right or to the left. And the lords of the Philistines followed them to the border of Beth-shemesh.

13 Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley, and they raised their eyes and saw the ark and were glad to see it. 14 The cart came into the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite and stood there where there was a large stone; and they split the wood of the cart and ^aoffered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD. 15 ^aThe Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the box that was with it, in which were the articles of gold, and put them on the large stone; and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices that day to the LORD. 16 When the ^afive lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned to Ekron that day.

17 ^aThese are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned for a guilt offering to the LORD: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron; 18 and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, ^aboth of fortified cities and of country villages. ^bThe large ¹stone on which they set the ark of the LORD is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite.

19 ^aHe struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the LORD. He struck down of all the people, 50,070 men, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter. 20 The men of Beth-shemesh said, “^aWho is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God? And to whom shall He go up from us?” 21 So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of ^aKiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought back the ark of the LORD; come down and take it up to you.”