The Philistine priests send the ark back to Israel on a cart pulled by two cows, along with a guilt offering. The cows head straight for Beth-shemesh, where some of the men who look into the ark are struck dead.
1 And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months .
2 And 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 .
3 And 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.
4 Then 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 .
5 Wherefore 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 .
6 Wherefore 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 ?
7 Now 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 :
8 And 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 .
9 And see , if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Bethshemesh , 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 .
10 And the men did so ; and took two milch kine , and tied them to the cart , and shut up their calves at home :
11 And they laid the ark of the LORD upon the cart , and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods .
12 And the kine took the straight way to the way of Bethshemesh , 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 Bethshemesh .
13 And they of Bethshemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley : and they lifted up their eyes , and saw the ark , and rejoiced to see it.
14 And the cart came into the field of Joshua , a Bethshemite , 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 .
15 And 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 Bethshemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the LORD .
16 And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day .
17 And 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 ;
18 And 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 Bethshemite .
19 And he smote the men of Bethshemesh , 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 .
20 And the men of Bethshemesh said , Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God ? and to whom shall he go up from us?
21 And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjathjearim , saying , The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD ; come ye down , and fetch it up to you.