1 Samuel 6:11-21 ▼

11 And they laid the ark of God upon the cart, and the box with the mice of gold and the images of their boils.

12 And they sent out the cows by the way which is by the border of Beth-shemesh, and they went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand nor to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh.

13 And the men of the town of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley; and they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced when they saw it.

14 And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Beth-shemeshite, and stopped where there was a great stone; and they split the wood of the cart, and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD.

15 And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the box that was with it in which were the vessels of gold, and put them on the great stone; and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrifices on that day to 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 boils which the Philistines had brought as offerings to God: for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ashkelon 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 the five fortified cities and of the country villages of the Perrizites, and as far as the great stone of Abel, whereon they set down the ark of the LORD, which to this day is in the field of Joshua, the Beth-shemeshite.

19 And the LORD smote the men of Beth-shemesh because they worshipped the ark of the LORD, and the LORD smote five thousand and seventy men of the people; and the people mourned because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter.

20 And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? And who shall carry up from us the ark?

21 So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Koriath-narin, saying, The Philistines have brought back the ark of the LORD; come down and take it up to you.