17. In this way the Philistines sent golden models of tumors as gifts for their sins to the Lord. They sent one golden model of a tumor for each of the Philistine towns of Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron.
18. The Philistines also sent golden models of mice. The number of these golden mice was the same number as the towns that belonged to the five Philistine rulers. These towns had walls around them, and each town had villages around it. The people of Beth Shemesh put the Lord’S Holy Box on a rock. That rock is still in the field of Joshua from Beth Shemesh.
19. But no priests were there to lead the celebration when the men of Beth Shemesh saw the Lord’S Holy Box. So the Lord killed 70 men from Beth Shemesh. The people of Beth Shemesh cried loudly because of this hard punishment.
20. They said, “Where is a priest who can care for the Holy Box? Where should the Box go from here?”
21. There was a priest at Kiriath Jearim. The people of Beth Shemesh sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim. The messengers said, “The Philistines have brought back the Lord’S Holy Box. Come down and take it to your city.”