1 The time that the Arke was with the Philiſtims which they ſent againe with a gift 12 It commeth to Beth-ſhèmeſh. 17 The Philiſtims offer golden emerods 19 The men of Beth-ſhèmeſh are ſtricken for loking into the Arke.

1.SO the Arke of the Lord was in y^e countrey of the Philiſtims ^a ſeuen moneths.

2.And the Philiſtims called the Prieſtes & the ſothſayers, ſaying, What ſhal we do w^t the Arke of the Lord? tel vs wherewith we ſhal ſend it home againe?

3.And they ſaid, If you ſend away the Arke of y^e God of Iſraél, ſend it not away emptie, but giue vnto it ^b a ſinne offring: then ſhal ye be healed, and it ſhalbe knowen to you, why his hand departeth not from you.

4.Then ſaid they, What ſhalbe the ſinne offring, which we ſhal giue vnto it? And they anſwered, Fiue golden emerods and fiue golden mice, according to the nomber of y^e Princes of the Philiſtims: for one plague was on you all, & on your princes.

5.Wherefore ye ſhal make the ſimilitudes of your emerods, and the ſimilitudes of your mice that deſtroye the lād: ſo ye ſhal giue glorie vnto the God of Iſraél, that he may take his hād from you, and from your gods, and from your land.

6.Wherefore then ſhulde ye harden your ^c heartes, as the Egyptians and Pharaóh hardened their heartes, when he wroght

7.Now therefore make a newe carte, and take two milche kine, on whome there hathe come no yoke: & tye the kine to the carte, and bring the calues home from them.

8.Then take the Arke of the Lord, and ſet it vpon the carte, and put the ^d iewels of golde which ye giue it for a ſinne offring in a coffer by the ſide thereof, and ſend it away, that it may go.

9.And take hede, if it go vp by the way of his owne coaſt to Beth-ſhémeſh, it is ^e he that did vs this great euil: but if not, we ſhal knowe then, that it is not his hād that ſmote vs, but it was a ^f chance that happened vs.

10.¶ And the men did ſo : for they toke two kine that gaue milke, and tyed them to the carte and ſhut the calues at home.

11.So they ſet the Arke of the Lord vpon the carte, and the coffer with the mice of golde, and with the ſimilitudes of their emerods.

12.And the kine went the ſtreight way to Beth-ſhémeſh, & kept one path and lowed as they went, & turned nether to the right hand nor to the left: alſo the princes of the Philiſtíms went after ^g thē, vnto the borders of Beth-ſhémeſh.

13.Now they of Beth-ſhémeſh were reaping their wheat harueſt in the valley, & they lift vp their eyes, and ſpyed the Arke, and reioyced when they ſawe it.

14.¶ And the carte came into the fielde of Ioſhúa a Bethſhemite, & ſtode ſtil there. there was alſo a great ſtone, and ^h they claue the wood of the carte and offred the kine for a burnt offring vnto the Lord.

15.And the Leuites toke downe the Arke of the Lord, and the coffer that was with it, wherein the iewels of golde were, & put them on the great ſtone, and the men of Beht-ſhémeſh offred burnt offring, and ſacrificed ſacrifices that ſame day vnto the Lord.

16.And when the fiue princes of the Philiſtíms had ſene it, they returned to Ekrón the ſame day.

17.¶ So theſe are the goldē emerods, which the Philiſtíms gaue for a ſinne offring to the Lord: for ⁱ Aſhdód one, for Gazá one, for Aſkelón one, for Gath one, & for Ekrón one,

18.And goldē mice, according to the nomber of all the cities of the Philiſtíms, belōging to the fiue princes, bothe of walled townes and of townes vnwalled, vnto the great ſtone of ^k Abél, whereon they ſet the Arke of the Lord: which ſtone remaineth vnto this day in the field of Ioſhúa the Beth-ſhemite.

19.And he ſmote of the men of Beth-ſhémeſh, becauſe they ^k had loked in the Arke of the Lord: he ſlewe euen among the people fiftie thouſand men and thre ſcore and ten men. and the people lamented, becauſe the Lord had ſlaine y^e people with ſo great a ſlaughter.

20.Wherefore the men of Beth-ſhémeſh ſaid, Who is able to ſtand before this holy Lord God? and to whome ſhal he go from vs?

21.And they ſent meſſengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-iearím, ſaying, The Philiſtíms haue broght againe the Arke of the Lord : come ye downe & take it vp to you.

1 Samuel 6

Notes