1. The ark of the Lord had been in the land of the Philistines seven months
2. when they summoned priests and diviners to ask, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us what we should send back with it.”
3. They replied: “If you intend to send back the ark of the God of Israel, you must not send it alone, but must, by all means, make amends to God through a reparation offering. Then you will be healed, and will learn why God continues to afflict you.”
4. When asked further, “What reparation offering should be our amends to God?” they replied: “Five golden tumors and five golden mice to correspond to the number of Philistine leaders, since the same plague has struck all of you and your leaders.
5. Therefore, make images of the tumors and of the mice that are devastating your land and so give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps then God will lift his hand from you, your gods, and your land.
6. Why should you become stubborn, the way the Egyptians and Pharaoh were stubborn? Was it not after he had dealt ruthlessly with them that the Israelites were released and departed?
7. So now set to work and make a new cart. Then take two milk cows that have not borne the yoke; hitch them to the cart, but drive their calves indoors away from them.
8. You shall next take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart, putting the golden articles that you are offering as reparation for your guilt in a box beside it. Start it on its way, and let it go.
9. Then watch! If it goes up to Beth-shemesh along the route to the Lord’s territory, then it was the Lord who brought this great calamity upon us; if not, we will know that it was not the Lord’s hand, but a bad turn, that struck us.”
10. They acted upon this advice. Taking two milk cows, they hitched them to the cart but shut up their calves indoors.
11. Then they placed the ark of the Lord on the cart, along with the box containing the golden mice and the images of the tumors.