1 Samuel 6:16-21

English Standard Version

¹⁶ And when ^(A)the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron.

¹⁷ These are the golden tumors that the Philistines returned as a ^(B)guilt offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron, ¹⁸ and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, ^(C)both fortified cities and unwalled villages. ^(D)The great stone beside which they set down the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.

^19 (E)And he struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked upon the ark of the Lord. He struck seventy men of them,^[a] and the people mourned because the Lord had struck the people with a great blow. ²⁰ Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, ^(F)“Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?” ²¹ So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of ^(G)Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to you.”