1 Samuel 6

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

1 耶和華的約櫃在非利士人之地七個月。

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 非利士人將祭司和占卜的聚了來，問他們說：「我們向耶和華的約櫃應當怎樣行？請指示我們用何法將約櫃送回原處。」

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 他們說：「若要將以色列上帝的約櫃送回去，不可空空地送去，必要給他獻賠罪的禮物，然後你們可得痊癒，並知道他的手為何不離開你們。」

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 非利士人說：「應當用甚麼獻為賠罪的禮物呢？」他們回答說：「當照非利士首領的數目，用五個金痔瘡，五個金老鼠，因為在你們眾人和你們首領的身上都是一樣的災。

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 所以當製造你們痔瘡的像和毀壞你們田地老鼠的像，並要歸榮耀給以色列的上帝，或者他向你們和你們的神，並你們的田地，把手放輕些。

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 你們為何硬着心像埃及人和法老一樣呢？上帝在埃及人中間行奇事，埃及人豈不釋放以色列人，他們就去了嗎？

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 現在你們應當造一輛新車，將兩隻未曾負軛有乳的母牛套在車上，使牛犢回家去，離開母牛。

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 把耶和華的約櫃放在車上，將所獻賠罪的金物裝在匣子裏，放在櫃旁，將櫃送去。

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 你們要看看：車若直行以色列的境界到伯‧示麥去，這大災就是耶和華降在我們身上的；若不然，便可以知道不是他的手擊打我們，是我們偶然遇見的。」

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

10 非利士人就這樣行：將兩隻有乳的母牛套在車上，將牛犢關在家裏，

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 把耶和華的約櫃和裝金老鼠並金痔瘡像的匣子都放在車上。

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 牛直行大道，往伯‧示麥去，一面走一面叫，不偏左右。非利士的首領跟在後面，直到伯‧示麥的境界。

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 伯‧示麥人正在平原收割麥子，舉目看見約櫃，就歡喜了。

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 車到了伯‧示麥人約書亞的田間，就站住了。在那裏有一塊大磐石，他們把車劈了，將兩隻母牛獻給耶和華為燔祭。

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 利未人將耶和華的約櫃和裝金物的匣子拿下來，放在大磐石上。當日伯‧示麥人將燔祭和平安祭獻給耶和華。

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

16 非利士人的五個首領看見，當日就回以革倫去了。

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 非利士人獻給耶和華作賠罪的金痔瘡像，就是這些：一個是為亞實突，一個是為迦薩，一個是為亞實基倫，一個是為迦特，一個是為以革倫。

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 金老鼠的數目是照非利士五個首領的城邑，就是堅固的城邑和鄉村，以及大磐石。這磐石是放耶和華約櫃的，到今日還在伯‧示麥人約書亞的田間。

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 耶和華因伯‧示麥人擅觀他的約櫃，就擊殺了他們七十人；那時有五萬人在那裏 。百姓因耶和華大大擊殺他們，就哀哭了。

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‧示麥人說：「誰能在耶和華這聖潔的上帝面前侍立呢？這約櫃可以從我們這裏送到誰那裏去呢？」

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 於是打發人去見基列‧耶琳的居民，說：「非利士人將耶和華的約櫃送回來了，你們下來將約櫃接到你們那裏去吧！」