1 Samuel 6
Bible in Basic English
1Now the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines for seven months.
2And the Philistines sent for the priests and those who were wise in secret arts, and said to them, What are we to do with the ark of the Lord? How are we to send it away to its place?
3And they said, If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it without an offering, but send him a sin-offering with it: then you will have peace again, and it will be clear to you why the weight of his hand has not been lifted from you.
4Then they said, What sin-offering are we to send to him? And they said, Five gold images of the growths caused by your disease and five gold mice, one for every lord of the Philistines: for the same disease came on you and on your lords.
5So make images of the growths caused by your disease and of the mice which are damaging your land; and give glory to the God of Israel: it may be that the weight of his hand will be lifted from you and from your gods and from your land.
6Why do you make your hearts hard, like the hearts of Pharaoh and the Egyptians? When he had made sport of them, did they not let the people go, and they went away?
7So now, take and make ready a new cart, and two cows which have never come under the yoke, and have the cows yoked to the cart, and take their young ones away from them:
8And put the ark of the Lord on the cart, and the gold images which you are sending as a sin-offering in a chest by its side; and send it away so that it may go.
9If it goes by the land of Israel to Beth-shemesh, then this great evil is his work; but if not, then we may be certain that the evil was not his doing, but was the working of chance.
10And the men did so; they took two cows, yoking them to the cart and shutting up their young ones in their living-place:
11And they put the ark of the Lord on the cart and the chest with the gold images.
12And the cows took the straight way, by the road to Beth-shemesh; they went by the highway, not turning to the right or to the left, and the sound of their voices was clear on the road; and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the edge of Beth-shemesh.
13And the people of Beth-shemesh were cutting their grain in the valley, and lifting up their eyes they saw the ark and were full of joy when they saw it.
14And the cart came into the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite, and came to a stop there by a great stone: and cutting up the wood of the cart they made a burned offering of the cows to the Lord.
15Then the Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the chest in which were the gold images, and put them on the great stone: and the men of Beth-shemesh made burned offerings and gave worship that day before the Lord.
16And the five lords of the Philistines, having seen it, went back to Ekron the same day.
17Now these are the gold images which the Philistines sent as a sin-offering to the Lord; one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron;
18And the gold mice, one for every town of the Philistines, the property of the five lords, walled towns as well as country places: and the great stone where they put the ark of the Lord is still in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite to this day.
19But the Lord sent destruction on seventy men of the people of Beth-shemesh for looking into the ark of the Lord; and great was the sorrow of the people for the destruction which the Lord had sent on them.
20And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to keep his place before the Lord, this holy God? and to whom may he go from us?
21And they sent men to the people living in Kiriath-jearim, saying, The Philistines have sent back the ark of the Lord; come and take it up to your country.
Reina-Valera 1909
1Y ESTUVO el arca de Jehová en la tierra de los Filisteos siete meses.
2Entonces los Filisteos, llamando los sacerdotes y adivinos, preguntaron: ¿Qué haremos del arca de Jehová? Declaradnos cómo la hemos de tornar á enviar á su lugar.
3Y ellos dijeron: Si enviáis el arca del Dios de Israel, no la enviéis vacía; mas le pagaréis la expiación: y entonces seréis sanos, y conoceréis por qué no se apartó de vosotros su mano.
4Y ellos dijeron: ¿Y qué será la expiación que le pagaremos? Y ellos respondieron: Conforme al número de los príncipes de los Filisteos, cinco hemorroides de oro, y cinco ratones de oro, porque la misma plaga que todos tienen, tienen también vuestros príncipes.
5Haréis pues las formas de vuestras hemorroides, y las formas de vuestros ratones que destruyen la tierra, y daréis gloria al Dios de Israel: quizá aliviará su mano de sobre vosotros, y de sobre vuestros dioses, y de sobre vuestra tierra.
6Mas ¿por qué endurecéis vuestro corazón, como los Egipcios y Faraón endurecieron su corazón? Después que los hubo así tratado, ¿no los dejaron que se fuesen, y se fueron?
7Haced pues ahora un carro nuevo, y tomad luego dos vacas que críen, á las cuales no haya sido puesto yugo, y uncid las vacas al carro, y haced tornar de detrás de ellas sus becerros á casa.
8Tomaréis luego el arca de Jehová, y la pondréis sobre el carro; y poned en una caja al lado de ella las alhajas de oro que le pagáis en expiación: y la dejaréis que se vaya.
9Y mirad: si sube por el camino de su término á Beth-semes, él nos ha hecho este mal tan grande; y si no, seremos ciertos que su mano no nos hirió, nos ha sido accidente.
10Y aquellos hombres lo hicieron así; pues tomando dos vacas que criaban, unciéronlas al carro, y encerraron en casa sus becerros.
11Luego pusieron el arca de Jehová sobre el carro, y la caja con los ratones de oro y con las formas de sus hemorroides.
12Y las vacas se encaminaron por el camino de Beth-semes, é iban por un mismo camino andando y bramando, sin apartarse ni á diestra ni á siniestra: y los príncipes de los Filisteos fueron tras ellas hasta el término de Beth-semes.
13Y los de Beth-semes segaban el trigo en el valle; y alzando sus ojos vieron el arca, y holgáronse cuando la vieron.
14Y el carro vino al campo de Josué Beth-semita, y paró allí: porque allí había una gran piedra: y ellos cortaron la madera del carro, y ofrecieron las vacas en holocausto á Jehová.
15Y los Levitas bajaron el arca de Jehová, y la caja que estaba junto á ella, en la cual estaban las alhajas de oro, y pusiéronlas sobre aquella gran piedra: y los hombres de Beth-semes sacrificaron holocaustos y mataron víctimas á Jehová en aquel día.
16Lo cual viendo los cinco príncipes de los Filisteos, volviéronse á Ecrón el mismo día.
17Estas pues son las hemorroides de oro que pagaron los Filisteos á Jehová en expiación: por Asdod una, por Gaza una, por Ascalón una, por Gath una, por Ecrón una;
18Y ratones de oro conforme al número de todas las ciudades de los Filisteos pertenecientes á los cinco príncipes, desde las ciudades fuertes hasta las aldeas sin muro; y hasta la gran piedra sobre la cual pusieron el arca de Jehová, piedra que está en el campo de Josué Beth-semita hasta hoy.
19Entonces hirió Dios á los de Beth-semes, porque habían mirado en el arca de Jehová; hirió en el pueblo cincuenta mil y setenta hombres. Y el pueblo puso luto, porque Jehová le había herido de tan gran plaga.
20Y dijeron los de Beth-semes: ¿Quién podrá estar delante de Jehová el Dios santo? ¿y á quién subirá desde nosotros?
21Y enviaron mensajeros á los de Chîriath-jearim, diciendo: Los Filisteos han vuelto el arca de Jehová: descended pues, y llevadla á vosotros.
King James Version
1And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
2And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the LORD? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place.
3And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you.
4Then said they, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.
5Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.
6Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed?
7Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them:
8And take the ark of the LORD, and lay it upon the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which ye return him for a trespass offering, in a coffer by the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go.
9And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Beth-shemesh, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us; it was a chance that happened to us.
10And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home:
11And they laid the ark of the LORD upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods.
12And the kine took the straight way to the way of Beth-shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Beth-shemesh.
13And they of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.
14And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Beth-shemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine a burnt offering unto the LORD.
15And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD, and the coffer that was with it, wherein the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone: and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the LORD.
16And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.
17And these are the golden emerods which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering unto the LORD; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one;
18And the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fenced cities, and of country villages, even unto the great stone of Abel, whereon they set down the ark of the LORD: which stone remaineth unto this day in the field of Joshua, the Beth-shemite.
19And he smote the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter.
20And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall he go up from us?
21And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD; come ye down, and fetch it up to you.
World English Bible
1The LORD’s ark was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
2The Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the LORD’s ark? Show us how we should send it to its place.”
3They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, don’t send it empty; but by all means return a trespass offering to him. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why his hand is not removed from you.”
4Then they said, “What should the trespass offering be which we shall return to him?” They said, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice, for the number of the lords of the Philistines; for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.
5Therefore you shall make images of your tumors and images of your mice that mar the land; and you shall give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will release his hand from you, from your gods, and from your land.
6Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When he had worked wonderfully among them, didn’t they let the people go, and they departed?
7“Now therefore take and prepare yourselves a new cart and two milk cows on which there has come no yoke; and tie the cows to the cart, and bring their calves home from them;
8and take the LORD’s ark and lay it on the cart. Put the jewels of gold, which you return him for a trespass offering, in a box by its side; and send it away, that it may go.
9Behold, if it goes up by the way of its own border to Beth Shemesh, then he has done us this great evil; but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us. It was a chance that happened to us.”
10The men did so, and took two milk cows and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.
11They put the LORD’s ark on the cart, and the box with the golden mice and the images of their tumors.
12The cows took the straight way by the way to Beth Shemesh. They went along the highway, lowing as they went, and didn’t turn away to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh.
13The people of Beth Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley; and they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.
14The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and stood there, where there was a great stone. Then they split the wood of the cart and offered up the cows for a burnt offering to the LORD.
15The Levites took down the LORD’s ark and the box that was with it, in which the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone; and the men of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day to the LORD.
16When the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.
17These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering to the LORD: for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ashkelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one;
18and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fortified cities and of country villages, even to the great stone on which they set down the LORD’s ark. That stone remains to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.
19He struck of the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the LORD’s ark, he struck fifty thousand seventy of the men. Then the people mourned, because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter.
20The men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God? To whom shall he go up from us?”
21They sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought back the LORD’s ark. Come down and bring it up to yourselves.”