1 The ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines for seven months. 2 The Philistines called the priests and diviners and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us what we should send with it when we return it to its place.” 3 They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty. You must return a guilt offering to him. Then you will be healed, and you will know why his hand has not turned away from you.” 4 They said, “What guilt offering shall we return to him?” They answered, “Five gold tumors and five gold mice, according to the number of the rulers of the Philistines, for the same plague is on them all and on your rulers. 5 Make images of your tumors and of your mice that are destroying the land, and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten his hand upon you, your gods, and your land. 6 Why should you harden your hearts as Egypt and Pharaoh hardened theirs? After he dealt harshly with them, did they not let the people go, and they went? 7 Now prepare a new cart and take two nursing cows that have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, and take their calves back home, away from them. 8 Take the ark of the LORD and put it on the cart. Place the gold objects you are returning to him as a guilt offering in a chest beside it. Then send it away and let it go. 9 Watch: if it goes up the road to its own territory, toward Beth-shemesh, then he has brought this great calamity upon us. But if not, we will know that his hand has not struck us; it happened to us by chance.” 10 The men did so. They took two nursing cows, hitched them to the cart, and shut their calves up at home. 11 They put the ark of the LORD on the cart, along with the chest containing the gold mice and the images of their tumors. 12 The cows went straight along the road toward Beth-shemesh. They stayed on one highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right or the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them to the border of Beth-shemesh. 13 The people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. They lifted their eyes, saw the ark, and rejoiced at the sight. 14 The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there, where there was a large stone. They split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD.

15 The Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the chest beside it, which contained the gold objects, and set them on the large stone. The men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrifices to the LORD that day. 16 The five rulers of the Philistines saw this and returned to Ekron that same day.

17 These are the gold tumors the Philistines returned to the LORD as a guilt offering: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, and one for Ekron.

18 The gold mice corresponded to the number of all the Philistine cities belonging to the five rulers, from fortified cities to unwalled villages, and as far as Great Abel, on which they set the ark of the LORD. It is there to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh. 19 He struck the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the LORD. He struck fifty thousand and seventy men among the people, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck them with a great blow. 20 The men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who can stand before the LORD, this holy God? To whom will he go up, away from us?”

21 They sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the LORD. Come down and bring it up to you.”