The Ark Returned to Israel

1Thus was the Arke of the LORDE in the londe of the Philistynes seuen monethes. 2And the Philistynes called their prestes and soythsayers, and sayde: What shal we do with the Arke of the LORDE? Shewe vs, wher with shal we sende it vnto hir place? 3They sayde: Yf ye wyll sende awaye the Arke of the God of Israel, sende it not awaye emptye, but geue a trespace offerynge: so shal ye be made whole, and ye shal knowe, why his hande departeth not from you. 4They sayde: What is the trespace offeringe that we shall geue him? They answered: Fyue hynder partes of golde, and fyue golden myce, acordinge to the nombre of the fyue prynces of ye Philistynes. For there hath bene one maner of plage vpon you all, and vpon youre prynces. 5Therfore must ye make youre hynder partes of one fasshion and youre myce, which haue destroyed youre londe, that ye maye geue the God of Israel the honoure: peraduenture his hade shal be the lighter vpon you and vpon youre God, and vpon youre londe. 6Why harden ye youre hert, as the Egipcians and Pharao hardened their hert? Whan he shewed him selfe vpon them dyd not they let them departe to go their waye? 7Go to now therfore, and make a new cart, and take two mylke kyne, vpon ye which there neuer came yock, and yocke them to ye cart, and let their calues tary behynde them at home: 8and take ye the Arke of the LORDE and laye it vpon the cart: and the Iewels of golde that ye geue him for a trespace offeringe put in a coffer beside it, & sende it awaye and let it go. 9And loke well: yf it go the waie of hir awne coaste BethSemes, the hath he done vs all this greate euell: Yf no, then shal ye knowe that his hande hath not touched vs, but yt it is happened vnto vs by chauce.

10The men dyd so, and toke two yonge mylke kyne, and yocked them to a cart, and helde their calues at home, 11and layed the Arke of the LORDE vpon the cart, and the coffer with the golden myce, and with the ymages of their disease. 12And the kyne wente straight waye vnto BethSemes vpon one hye strete, and wente on bleatynge, and turned nether to the righte hande ner to the lefte. And the prynces of the Philistynes wente after them vnto ye coast of BethSemes.

13The BethSamites were euen reapynge downe their wheate haruest in the valley, and lyfte vp their eyes, and sawe the Arke, and reioysed to se it. 14The cart came in to the felde of Iosua the BethSemite, and there it stode styll. And there was a greate stone, and they claue the tymber of the cart, and offred the kyne vnto the LORDE for a burntofferynge. 15But the Leuites toke downe the Arke of the LORDE, and the coffer that was by it, wherin the Iewels of golde were, and set the vpon the greate stone. The men of BethSemes offred burntofferynges, and other offerynges also vnto the LORDE the same daye. 16And whan the fyue prynces of the Philistynes had sene it, they departed agayne the same daye towarde Ekron.

17These are the golden diseases, that the Philistynes offred for a trespace offerynge vnto the LORDE: Asdod one, Gasa one: Ascalon one, Gath one, and Ekron one: 18and golden myce, acordynge to the nombre of all the cities of the Philistynes amonge the fyue prynces, from the walled cite vnto the vyllage, and vnto the greate playne felde, whervpon they set the Arke of the LORDE (which was) vnto this daye vpon the felde of Iosua the BethSemite.

19And certaine of BethSames were slaine because they had sene ye Arke of the LORDE, and he slewe fyftye thousande and seuentye men of the people. Then mourned the people, because the LORDE had done so greate a slaughter in the people. 20And the men at BethSemes sayde: Who maye stode before the LORDE so holy a God? And to who shal he go fro vs? 21And they sent messaungers to ye inhabiters of Kiriath Iearim, saiege: The Philistynes haue brought the Arke of God agayne, come downe, & fetch it vp vnto you.