1Sa 6 | EngLXX | STEP | And the ark was seven months in the country of the Philistines, and their land brought forthswarms of mice.

‏ 1 Samuel 6

1 And the ark was seven months in the country of the Philistines, and their land brought forthswarms of mice. 2 And the Philistines call their priests, and their prophets, and their enchanters, saying,What shall we do to the ark of the Lord? teach us wherewith we shall send it away to its place. 3 And they said, If you⌃ send away the ark of the covenant of the Lord God of Israel, donot on any account send it away empty, but by all means render to it an offering for the plague; and thenshall you⌃ be healed, and an atonement shall be made for you: should not his hand bethus stayed from off you? 4 And they say, Whatis the offering for the plaguewhich we shall return to it? and they said, 5 According to the number of the lords of the Philistines, five golden tumors, for the plaguewas on you, and on your rulers, and on the people; and golden mice, the likeness of the mice that destroyyour land: and you⌃ shall give glory to the Lord, that he may lighten his hand from off you, and fromoff your gods, and from off your land. 6 And why do you⌃ harden your hearts, as Egypt and Pharao hardened their hearts?was it notso when he mocked them,that they let the people go, and they departed? 7 And now take wood and make a new wagon, and take two cows, that have calved for the firsttime, without their calves; and do you⌃ yoke the cows to the wagon, and lead away the calves from behindthem home. 8 And you⌃ shall take the ark and put it on the wagon; and you⌃ shall restore to it thegolden articles for the trespass-offering in a coffer by the side of it: and you⌃ shall let it go, andsent it away, and you⌃ shall depart. 9 And you⌃ shall see, if it shall go the way of its coasts along by Baethsamys, he has broughtupon us this great affliction; and if not, then shall we know that his hand has not touched us, but thisis a chancewhich has happened to us. 10 And the Philistines did so; and they took two cows that had calved for the first time,and yoked them to the waggon, and shut up their calves at home. 11 And they set the ark of the Lord, and the coffer, and the golden mice, on the waggon. 12 And the cows went straight on the way to the way of Baethsamys, they went along one track;and laboured, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left, and the lords of the Philistineswent after it as far as the coasts of Baethsamys. 13 And the men of Baethsamys were reaping the wheat harvest in the valley; and they liftedup their eyes, and saw the ark of the Lord, and rejoiced to meet it. 14 And the waggon entered into the field of Osee, which was in Baethsamys, and they setthere by it a great stone; and they split the wood of the waggon, and offered up the cows for a whole burnt offeringto the Lord. 15 And the Levites brought up the ark of the Lord, and the coffer with it, and the goldenarticles upon it, and placed them on the great stone, and the men of Baethsamys offered whole burnt offeringsand meat offerings on that day to the Lord. 16 And the five lords of the Philistines saw, and returned to Ascalon in that day. 17 And theseare the golden tumors which the lords of the Philistines gave as a trespass-offering to theLord; for Azotus one, for Gaza one, for Ascalon one, for Geth one, for Accaron one. 18 And the golden mice according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines, belongingto the five lords, from the fenced city to the village of the Pherezite, and to the great stone, on whichthey placed the ark of the covenant of the Lord, that was in the field of Osee the Baethsamysite. 19 And the sons of Jechonias were not pleased with the men of Baethsamys, because they sawthe ark of the Lord; andthe Lord struck among them seventy men, and fifty thousand men: and the people mourned, becausethe Lord had inflicted on the people, a very great plague. 20 And the men of Baethsamys said, Who shall be able to pass before this holy Lord God?and to whom shall the ark of the Lord go up from us? 21 And they send messengers to the inhabitants of Cariathiarim, saying, The Philistineshave brought back the ark of the Lord, go down and take it home to yourselves.