1 Samuel 6

1 When the ark of the LORD had been in the land of the Philistines seven months,

1 耶和华的约柜在非利士人的地方停留了七个月。

2 the Philistines summoned the priests and diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how to send it back to its place.”

2 非利士人叫来他们的祭司和占卜者，问道：“我们该怎样处理耶和华的约柜呢？请告诉我们怎样把它送回原处？”

3 They replied, “If you return the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it away empty, but by all means return it to Him with a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and you will understand why His hand has not been lifted from you.”

3 他们答道：“你们若把以色列上帝的约柜送回去，不可空手送去，一定要向祂献上赔罪的礼物，这样你们就可以得到医治，也可以知道祂为什么惩罚你们。”

4 “What guilt offering should we send back to Him?” asked the Philistines. “Five gold tumors and five gold rats,” they said, “according to the number of rulers of the Philistines, since the same plague has struck both you and your rulers.

4 非利士人问：“我们该送什么作赔罪的礼物呢？”他们答道：“你们要按非利士首领的数目，送五个金毒疮和五只金鼠，因为你们和你们的首领都遭受了同样的灾难。

5 Make images of your tumors and of the rats that are ravaging the land. Give glory to the God of Israel, and perhaps He will lift His hand from you and your gods and your land.

5 所以，你们要制作金毒疮和毁坏田地的老鼠的像，尊崇以色列的上帝，也许祂会放过你们、你们的神明及田地。

6 Why harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened theirs? When He afflicted them, did they not send the people out so they could go on their way?

6 你们为什么像法老和埃及人那样心里顽固呢？当上帝严厉地对待他们时，他们岂没有让以色列人离开埃及吗？

7 Now, therefore, prepare one new cart with two milk cows that have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up.

7 现在，你们快去准备一辆新车，把两头还在哺养小牛、从未负过轭的母牛套在车上，然后把小牛带回牛圈里。

8 Take the ark of the LORD, set it on the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending back to Him as a guilt offering. Then send the ark on its way,

8 你们要把耶和华的约柜放在车上，旁边放箱子，里面装赔罪的金物，然后送这辆车上路。

9 but keep watching it. If it goes up the road to its homeland, toward Beth-shemesh, it is the LORD who has brought on us this great disaster. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not His hand that punished us and that it happened by chance.”

9 你们要留意观察，如果车朝以色列边境的伯·示麦去，这大灾难就是耶和华降给我们的。如果不朝那方向走，我们就知道不是祂惩罚我们，是偶然发生的。”

10 So the men did as instructed. They took two milk cows, hitched them to the cart, and penned up their calves.

10 于是，非利士人一一照做，他们牵来两头还在哺养小牛的母牛，把它们套在车上，把小牛关在圈里，

11 Then they put the ark of the LORD on the cart, along with the chest containing the gold rats and the images of the tumors.

11 然后把耶和华的约柜和装金鼠以及金毒疮的箱子放在车上。

12 And the cows headed straight up the road toward Beth-shemesh, staying on that one highway and lowing as they went, never straying to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed behind them to the border of Beth-shemesh.

12 母牛边走边叫，不偏不离，径直朝伯·示麦走去。非利士的首领跟着它们一直来到伯·示麦的边界。

13 Now the people of Beth-shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they were overjoyed at the sight.

13 当时，伯·示麦人正在山谷里收割麦子。他们抬头看见约柜，非常高兴。

14 The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there near a large rock. The people chopped up the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD.

14 车子来到伯·示麦人约书亚的田间，在一块巨石旁边停下来。民众劈开车子，把两头母牛献给耶和华作燔祭。

15 And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the chest containing the gold objects, and they placed them on the large rock. That day the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the LORD.

15 利未人抬下耶和华的约柜和装着金物的箱子，把它们放在巨石上。那天，伯·示麦人向耶和华献上了燔祭和其他祭物。

16 And when the five rulers of the Philistines saw this, they returned to Ekron that same day.

16 那五个非利士首领看见了这一切后，就在当天回以革伦去了。

17 As a guilt offering to the LORD, the Philistines had sent back one gold tumor for each city: Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron.

17 非利士人献给耶和华的金毒疮是分别为亚实突、迦萨、亚实基伦、迦特和以革伦赔罪的。

18 The number of gold rats also corresponded to the number of Philistine cities belonging to the five rulers—the fortified cities and their outlying villages. And the large rock on which they placed the ark of the LORD stands to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.

18 那五只金鼠是按着非利士五个首领的坚固城邑和村庄的数目献上的。那块安放耶和华约柜的巨石至今还在伯·示麦人约书亚的田间。

19 But God struck down some of the people of Beth-shemesh because they looked inside the ark of the LORD. He struck down seventy men, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck them with a great slaughter.

19 那一天，耶和华击杀了七十个 伯·示麦人，因为他们擅自观看约柜里面。民众为此哀恸不已，

20 The men of Beth-shemesh asked, “Who can stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God? To whom should the ark go up from here?”

20 伯·示麦人说：“谁能站立在这位圣洁的上帝耶和华面前呢？该把约柜送到谁那里呢？”

21 So 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 with you.”

21 后来，他们就派使者到基列·耶琳的居民那里，说：“非利士人已经把耶和华的约柜送回来了，你们下来把它接到你们那里吧。”