Read the Modern Pastor’s Version

The ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines for seven months. The Philistines called for their priests and diviners, asking, "What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how to send it back to its place."

If they sent away the ark of the God of Israel without returning a trespass offering, they would not be healed, and his hand would still strike them. The Philistines asked, "What should we return as a trespass offering?" Their advisors replied, "You must give five golden emerods and five golden mice, one for each of your lords. These plague-ridden areas are a sign that the Lord's hand is against you, just like it was with Pharaoh in Egypt."

The Philistines were advised to create images of their tumors and mice that ravaged their land, giving glory to the God of Israel, perhaps he would lift his hand from them. Why did they harden their hearts like the Egyptians did when faced with God's wonders? They refused to let his people go.

To appease the Lord, the Philistines made a new cart and tied two unyoked milch kine to it, bringing their calves back home with them. They placed the ark of the Lord on the cart along with the gold jewels returned as a trespass offering in a chest beside it.

As they watched, if the ark went up by its own border to Beth-shemesh, then the Lord had indeed inflicted this great evil upon them. But if not, they would know that it was just chance. The men did so; took two milch kine that had never borne a yoke and tied them to the cart, shut their calves at home, and placed the ark on the cart.

The Philistine lords followed the kine to the border of Beth-shemesh as they went along the highway without turning aside. The people were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley; when they saw the ark, they rejoiced. The cart stood in the field of Joshua, a Beth-shemite, next to a great stone.

They split the wood of the cart and offered the kine as a burnt offering to the Lord. The Levites took down the ark and placed it on the great stone with the chest containing the gold jewels. Men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrifices that same day.

The five Philistine lords returned home, while the people returned golden emerods from each city – one from Ashdod, one from Gaza, one from Ashkelon, one from Gath, and one from Ekron – as a trespass offering to the Lord. They also set down gold mice on the great stone where they placed the ark.

But the Lord struck down seventy men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark; he killed fifty thousand people. The survivors mourned for those who died, and the people wondered who could stand before this holy God or to whom he would go up from them.

The Philistines had returned the ark, so they sent messengers to Kiriath-jearim's inhabitants, saying, "Come down and fetch it up to you."