Fuit ergo arca Domini in regione Philisthinorum septem mensibus.

Thus, for seven months, the ark of the Lord remained in the country of the Philistines;

Now the ark of God was in the land of the Philistines seven months.

Et vocaverunt Philisthiim sacerdotes et divinos, dicentes: Quid faciemus de arca Domini? indicate nobis quomodo remittamus eam in locum suum. Qui dixerunt:

and at the end of them the Philistines summoned their priests and diviners. What are we to do with the ark of the Lord? they said. How best can we send it back whence it came? And their answer was,

And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying: What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? tell us how we are to send it back to its place? And they said:

Si remittitis arcam Dei Israël, nolite dimittere eam vacuam, sed quod debetis, reddite ei pro peccato, et tunc curabimini: et scietis quare non recedat manus ejus a vobis.

Why, if you mean to send the ark of Israel’s God home again, you must not send it back without a gift. An offering must be made in amends for the fault you have committed; and if, after that, you recover from your sickness, you will trace his hand in the calamities that now afflict you.

If you send back the ark of the God of Israel, send it not away empty, but render unto him what you owe for sin, and then you shall be healed: and you shall know why his hand departeth not from you.

Qui dixerunt: Quid est quod pro delicto reddere debeamus ei? Responderuntque illi:

What offering, then, must we make for our fault? they asked;

They answered: What is it we ought to render unto him for sin? and they answered:

Juxta numerum provinciarum Philisthinorum quinque anos aureos facietis, et quinque mures aureos: quia plaga una fuit omnibus vobis, et satrapis vestris. Facietisque similitudines anorum vestrorum, et similitudines murium, qui demoliti sunt terram: et dabitis Deo Israël gloriam, si forte relevet manum suam a vobis, et a diis vestris, et a terra vestra.

and this was the answer given: You must make five little mounts of gold, and five golden mice, one for each of the Philistine provinces; it was the same divine punishment that afflicted all the provinces, all the chiefs alike. When they are ready, these emblems of your shame, these figures of the mice that have ravaged your land, make amends with them to the God of Israel, and ask relief for yourselves, and your gods, and your lands.

According to the number of the provinces of the Philistines you shall make five golden emerods, and five golden mice: for the same plague hath been upon you all, and upon your lords. And you shall make the likeness of your emerods, and the likeness of the mice that have destroyed the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel: to see if he will take off his hand from you, and from your gods, and from your land.

Quare aggravatis corda vestra, sicut aggravavit Ægyptus et Pharao cor suum? nonne postquam percussus est, tunc dimisit eos, et abierunt?

What avails it, to harden your hearts against repentance? So Pharao and Egypt with him hardened their hearts, and would not let his people go till they had felt all his plagues, but in the end they went.

Why do you harden your hearts, as Egypt and Pharao hardened their hearts? did not he, after he was struck, then let them go, and they departed?

Nunc ergo arripite et facite plaustrum novum unum: et duas vaccas fœtas, quibus non est impositum jugum, jungite in plaustro, et recludite vitulos earum domi.

A waggon, newly made, you must have in readiness, drawn by two heifers in milk such as never yet bore the yoke, and the calves of these must be left behind.

Now therefore take and make a new cart: and two kine that have calved, on which there hath come no yoke, tie to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.

Tolletisque arcam Domini, et ponetis in plaustro, et vasa aurea quæ exsolvistis ei pro delicto, ponetis in capsellam ad latus ejus: et dimittite eam ut vadat.

Lift the ark of the Lord on to this waggon, and put in a casket, at the side of it, the golden offerings you would make in amends for your fault; then let it go on its way,

And you shall take the ark of the Lord, and lay it on the cart, and the vessels of gold, which you have paid him for sin, you shall put into a little box, at the side thereof: and send it away that it may go.

Et aspicietis: et si quidem per viam finium suorum ascenderit contra Bethsames, ipse fecit nobis hoc malum grande: sin autem, minime: sciemus quia nequaquam manus ejus tetigit nos, sed casu accidit.

and see what befalls. If it goes up towards Bethsames and its own land, then be sure this grievous plague of ours came from the Lord; if not, we shall know it was an evil chance, and no visitation of his.

And you shall look: and if it go up by the way of his own coasts towards Bethsames, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, we shall know that it is not his hand hath touched us, but it hath happened by chance.

Fecerunt ergo illi hoc modo: et tollentes duas vaccas quæ lactabant vitulos, junxerunt ad plaustrum, vitulosque earum concluserunt domi.

This advice they followed, yoked to the waggon two heifers that were in milk, and left their calves stalled at home;

They did therefore in this manner: and taking two kine, that had suckling calves, they yoked them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.

Et posuerunt arcam Dei super plaustrum, et capsellam quæ habebat mures aureos et similitudines anorum.

put the ark of God on the waggon, and the casket with the five golden mice and golden mounts beside it.

And they laid the ark of God upon the cart, and the little box that had in it the golden mice and the likeness of the emerods.

Ibant autem in directum vaccæ per viam quæ ducit Bethsames, et itinere uno gradiebantur, pergentes et mugientes: et non declinabant neque ad dextram neque ad sinistram: sed et satrapæ Philisthiim sequebantur usque ad terminos Bethsames.

And the heifers went straight along the road that leads to Bethsames, and kept ever the same course, without swerving to right or left; lowing for their calves, but going on still; with the Philistine chiefs following them all the way to Bethsames.

And the kine took the straight way that leadeth to Bethsames, and they went along the way, lowing as they went: and turned not aside neither to the right hand nor to the left: and the lords of the Philistines followed them as far as the borders of Bethsames.

Porro Bethsamitæ metebant triticum in valle: et elevantes oculos suos, viderunt arcam, et gavisi sunt cum vidissent.

The Bethsamites were out in the valley, reaping their wheat, when they looked round and saw the ark coming, and they were glad men at the sight.

Now the Bethsamites were reaping wheat in the valley: and lifting up their eyes they saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.

Et plaustrum venit in agrum Josue Bethsamitæ, et stetit ibi. Erat autem ibi lapis magnus, et conciderunt ligna plaustri, vaccasque imposuerunt super ea holocaustum Domino.

It reached the land of Josue the Bethsamite, and there came to a stand, close by where a great stone was. So they broke up the waggon for fire-wood, and laid the heifers on it as a burnt-sacrifice to the Lord.

And the cart came into the field of Josue a Bethsamite, and stood there. And there was a great stone, and they cut in pieces the wood of the cart, and laid the kine upon it a holocaust to the Lord.

Levitæ autem deposuerunt arcam Dei, et capsellam quæ erat juxta eam, in qua erant vasa aurea, et posuerunt super lapidem grandem. Viri autem Bethsamitæ obtulerunt holocausta, et immolaverunt victimas in die illa Domino.

Levites set down the ark of God, and with it the casket that contained the golden emblems, on the great stone, while the men of Bethsames, that day, brought the Lord burnt-sacrifice and offered him victims.

And the Levites took down the ark of God, and the little box that was at the side of it, wherein were the vessels of gold, and they put them upon the great stone. The men also of Bethsames offered holocausts and sacrificed victims that day to the Lord.

Et quinque satrapæ Philisthinorum viderunt, et reversi sunt in Accaron in die illa.

So the five chiefs of the Philistines returned, reaching Accaron that same day.

And the five princes of the Philistines saw, and they returned to Accaron the same day.

Hi sunt autem ani aurei quos reddiderunt Philisthiim pro delicto, Domino: Azotus unum, Gaza unum, Ascalon unum, Geth unum, Accaron unum:

The golden mounts which the Philistines gave to the Lord in amends for their fault came from the five cities of Azotus, Gaza, Ascalon, Geth and Accaron;

And these are the golden emerods, which the Philistines returned for sin to the Lord: For Azotus one, for Gaza one, for Ascalon one, for Geth one, for Accaron one:

et mures aureos secundum numerum urbium Philisthiim, quinque provinciarum, ab urbe murata usque ad villam quæ erat absque muro, et usque ad Abelmagnum, super quem posuerunt arcam Domini, quæ erat usque in illum diem in agro Josue Bethsamitis.

and there were golden mice to match the whole number of cities, walled or unwalled, in the five Philistine provinces, (right up to Abel the Great, where they put down the ark of the Lord, that had been till that day in the lands of Josue the Bethsamite).

And the golden mice according to the number of the cities of the Philistines, of the five provinces, from the fenced city to the village that was without wall, and to the great Abel (the stone) whereon they set down the ark of the Lord, which was till that day in the field of Josue the Bethsamite.

Percussit autem de viris Bethsamitibus, eo quod vidissent arcam Domini: et percussit de populo septuaginta viros, et quinquaginta millia plebis. Luxitque populus, eo quod Dominus percussisset plebem plaga magna.

And the Lord smote some of the Bethsamites themselves, for prying into the ark of the Lord. (And he smote seventy men out of the people, and fifty thousand of the common folk. ) Over this visitation the Lord had brought on them there was great grief among the people;

But he slew of the men of Bethsames, because they had seen the ark of the Lord: and he slew of the people seventy men, and fifty thousand of the common people. And the people lamented, because the Lord had smitten the people with a great slaughter.

Et dixerunt viri Bethsamitæ: Quis poterit stare in conspectu Domini Dei sancti hujus? et ad quem ascendet a nobis?

Who can stand his ground, the Bethsamites asked, before a God so holy as this? To whom can we pass it on?

And the men of Bethsames said: Who shall be able to stand before the Lord this holy God? and to whom shall he go up from us?

Miseruntque nuntios ad habitatores Cariathiarim, dicentes: Reduxerunt Philisthiim arcam Domini: descendite, et reducite eam ad vos.

And they sent messengers to the men of Cariathiarim, telling them that the Philistines had brought back the Lord’s ark, and bidding them come and take it into their charge.

And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Cariathiarim, saying: The Philistines have brought back the ark of the Lord, come ye down and fetch it up to you.