4. And they said, “What is the guilt offering which we return to Him?” And they answered, “The number of the princes of the Philistines: five golden tumours and five golden rats. For the same plague was on all of you and on your princes.
5. “And you shall make images of your tumours and images of your rats that ruin the land, and you shall give esteem to the Elohim of Yisra’ĕl. It could be that He does lift His hand from you, from your mighty ones, and from your land.
6. “And why do you harden your hearts as the Mitsrites and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He had severely dealt with them, did they not send them away, and they went?
7. “And now, take and make a new wagon, and two milk cows which have never been yoked, and hitch the cows to the wagon. And take their calves home, away from them.
8. “And take the ark of יהוה and put it on the wagon. And put the objects of gold which you are returning to Him as a guilt offering in a chest by its side, and send it away, and it shall go.
9. “And you shall see, if it goes up the way to its own border, to Bĕyth Shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we shall know that His hand has not come against us – an accident it was to us.”
10. And the men did so and took two milk cows and hitched them to the wagon, and shut up their calves at home.
11. And they put the ark of יהוה on the wagon, and the chest with the gold rats and the images of their tumours.
12. And the cows went straight for the way to Bĕyth Shemesh, and went along the highway, bellowing as they went, and did not turn aside, right or left. And the princes of the Philistines went after them to the border of Bĕyth Shemesh.
13. And they of Bĕyth Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And they lifted their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.
14. And the wagon came into the field of Yehoshua of Bĕyth Shemesh and stood there, and there was a great stone. So they split the wood of the wagon and offered the cows as a burnt offering to יהוה.
15. And the Lĕwites took down the ark of יהוה and the chest that was with it, in which were the objects of gold, and put them on the great stone. And the men of Bĕyth Shemesh slaughtered burnt offerings and made offerings the same day to יהוה.
16. And when the five princes of the Philistines saw it, they returned to Eqron the same day.