The Ark Returned to Israel
1When the ark of the Lord had been in Philistine territory seven months, 2the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it back to its place.”
3They answered, “If you return the ark of the god of Israel, do not send it back to him without a gift; by all means send a guilt offering to him. Then you will be healed, and you will know why his hand has not been lifted from you.”
4The Philistines asked, “What guilt offering should we send to him?”
They replied, “Five gold tumors and five gold rats, according to the number of the Philistine rulers, because the same plague has struck both you and your rulers. 5Make models of the tumors and of the rats that are destroying the country, and give glory to Israel’s god. Perhaps he will lift his hand from you and your gods and your land. 6Why do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? When Israel’s god dealt harshly with them, did they not send the Israelites out so they could go on their way?
7“Now then, get a new cart ready, with two cows that have calved and have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up. 8Take the ark of the Lord and put it on the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending back to him as a guilt offering. Send it on its way, 9but keep watching it. If it goes up to its own territory, toward Beth Shemesh, then the Lord has brought this great disaster on us. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us but that it happened to us by chance.”
10So they did this. They took two such cows and hitched them to the cart and penned up their calves. 11They placed the ark of the Lord on the cart and along with it the chest containing the gold rats and the models of the tumors. 12Then the cows went straight up toward Beth Shemesh, keeping on the road and lowing all the way; they did not turn to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth Shemesh.
13Now the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the sight. 14The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and there it stopped beside a large rock. The people chopped up the wood of the cart and sacrificed the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. 15The Levites took down the ark of the Lord, together with the chest containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock. On that day the people of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord. 16The five rulers of the Philistines saw all this and then returned that same day to Ekron.
17These are the gold tumors the Philistines sent as a guilt offering to the Lord—one each for Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron. 18And the number of the gold rats was according to the number of Philistine towns belonging to the five rulers—the fortified towns with their country villages. The large rock on which the Levites set the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.
19But God struck down some of the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy6:19 A few Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint 50,070 of them to death because they looked into the ark of the Lord. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the Lord had dealt them. 20And the people of Beth Shemesh asked, “Who can stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God? To whom will the ark go up from here?”
21Then they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to your town.”
Essanduuko Ezzibwayo mu Isirayiri
1Awo essanduuko ya Mukama bwe yali yakamala emyezi musanvu mu nsi y’Abafirisuuti, 26:2 Lub 41:8; Kuv 7:11; Is 2:6Abafirisuuti ne batumya bakabona n’abafumu, ne bababuuza nti, “Tukolere ki essanduuko ya Mukama? Mututegeeze bwe tuba tugizzaayo mu kifo kyayo.”
36:3 a Kuv 23:15; Ma 16:16 b Lv 5:15 c nny 9Ne baddamu nti, “Bwe muba muzzaayo essanduuko ya Katonda wa Isirayiri, temugiweereza awatali kirabo, naye mufuba okumuweereza ekiweebwayo olw’omusango. Olwo nno lwe munaawona, era munaabikulirwa Mukama kyeyavudde ababonereza.”
46:4 nny 17-18; Yos 13:3; Bal 3:3Abafirisuuti ne babuuza nti, “Kiki kye tunamuweereza okuba ekiweebwayo olw’omusango?” Ne babaddamu nti, “Ebibumbe eby’ebizimba ebya zaabu bitaano n’ebibumbe eby’emmese eza zaabu bitaano6:4 Ebibumbe ebyo byali bya kusanyusa balubaale, ng’omuwendo gwa bakulembeze b’Abafirisuuti bwe guli.
“Mwabonerezebwa mu ngeri y’emu ng’abakulembeze bammwe n’ensi yammwe. 56:5 a 1Sa 5:6-11 b Yos 7:19; Is 42:12; Yk 9:24; Kub 14:7Noolwekyo mukole ebibumbe eby’ebizimba n’eby’emmese ebireetedde ensi okusaanawo, muwe Katonda wa Isirayiri ekitiibwa; oboolyawo anaabasonyiwa, ne balubaale bammwe n’ensi yammwe. 66:6 a Kuv 7:13; 8:15; 9:34; 14:17 b Kuv 12:31, 33Lwaki mukakanyaza emitima gyammwe ng’Abamisiri ne Falaawo bwe baakola? Bwe yabamala6:6 Katonda ye yabamala amaanyi amaanyi, tebakkiriza Bayisirayiri kugenda era ne bagenda?
76:7 a 2Sa 6:3 b Kbl 19:2“Kale nno, muteeketeeke ekigaali ekipya, n’ente bbiri ezaakazaala, ezitateekebwangako kikoligo, muzisibe ku kigaali, naye ennyana zaazo muziziggyeeko. 8Muddire essanduuko ya Mukama mugiteeke ku kigaali, ate muddire n’ekisanduuko mwe munaateeka ebintu ebya zaabu olw’ekiweebwayo olw’ekibi, mukiteeke ku mabbali g’essanduuko ya Mukama. Mugisindike, egende yokka. 96:9 nny 3; Yos 15:10; 21:16Naye mugitunuulire; bw’eneekwata ekkubo erigenda ewaabayo mu nsi yaayo, e Besusemesi, olwo nga Mukama ye yatuleeseeko ekibonoobono kino ekinene. Naye bwe kitaabe bwe kityo, olwo tunaategeera ng’omukono gwe si gwe gutubaddeko, kyatutuukako butuusi.”
10Ne bakola bwe batyo. Ne baddira ente bbiri ezaakazaala, ne baziggyako ennyana zaazo ne bazisiba ku kigaali. 11Ne bateeka essanduuko ya Mukama ku kigaali n’ekisanduuko ekyalimu emmese eza zaabu n’ebibumbe eby’ebizimba okugiriraana. 12Ente ne zigenda butereevu mu kkubo erigenda e Besusemesi, nga zigenda zikaaba, ne zitakyama ku mukono ogwa ddyo newaakubadde ogwa kkono. Abakulembeze b’Abafirisuuti ne bazigoberera okutuukira ddala ku nsalo ey’e Besusemesi.
13Ebiro ebyo byali bya makungula era Ababesusemesi baali bakungula eŋŋaano yaabwe mu kiwonvu. Bwe balengera essanduuko ne basanyuka okugiraba. 146:14 2Sa 24:22; 1Bk 19:21Ekigaali ne kituukira mu nnimiro ya Yoswa ow’e Besusemesi ne kiyimirira omwo okumpi n’awali ejjinja eddene. Abantu ne bayasa embaawo ez’ekigaali, ente ne baziwaayo ng’ekiweebwayo ekyokebwa eri Mukama. 156:15 Yos 3:3Abaleevi6:15 Besusemesi kyali kibuga ky’Abaleevi (Yos 21:16). Abaleevi bokka be baali bakkirizibwa okutambuza Essanduuko ya Mukama (Ma 10:8) ne batwala essanduuko ya Mukama, n’ekisanduuko ekyalimu ebibumbe ebya zaabu, ne babiteeka ku jjinja eddene. Awo ku lunaku olwo abantu b’e Besusemesi ne bawaayo ebiweebwayo ebyokebwa ne ssaddaaka eri Mukama. 16Abakulembeze abataano ab’Abafirisuuti olwalaba ebyo, ne baddayo mu Ekuloni ku lunaku olwo.
176:17 nny 4Ebibumbe eby’ebizimba ebya zaabu Abafirisuuti bye baaweereza ng’ekiweebwayo olw’omusango eri Mukama byali: ekimu kya Asudodi, n’ekirala kya Gaza, n’ekirala kya Asukulooni, n’ekirala kya Gaasi, n’ekirala kya Ekuloni; 18era n’ebibumbe eby’emmese eza zaabu bwe byali, ng’ebibuga byonna eby’Abafirisuuti ebyali eby’Abakungu abataano, ate nga bibuga ebiriko enkomera n’ebyalo byabyo. Ejjinja eddene kwe baateeka essanduuko ya Mukama mu nnimiro ya Yoswa ow’e Besusemesi, ne libeera kijjukizo n’okutuusa leero.
196:19 a 2Sa 6:7 b Kuv 19:21; Kbl 4:5, 15, 20Naye nsanvu ku basajja ab’e Besusemesi ne bafa kubanga balingiza mu ssanduuko ya Mukama. Abantu ne banakuwala nnyo olw’ekibonerezo ekinene Mukama kye yabawa, 206:20 a 2Sa 6:9; Mal 3:2; Kub 6:17 b Lv 11:45era abantu b’e Besusemesi ne beebuuza nti, “Ani ayinza okuyimirira mu maaso ga Mukama, Katonda ono omutukuvu? Essanduuko ya Mukama tugiweereze ani?”
216:21 Yos 9:17; 15:9, 60; 1By 13:5-6Ne batuma ababaka eri abatuuze b’e Kiriyasuyalimu n’obubaka nti, “Abafirisuuti bakomezzaawo essanduuko ya Mukama. Muserengete, mujje mugiddukire mugitwale ewammwe.”
