¶ The kyne brynge home the Arke with the rewardes.
CAPI. VI.
THe arke of the Lorde was in the coun∣trey [unspec A] of the Philistines seuen monethes: & the Philistines called for the preestes and the sothsayers, saynge: what shall we do with the arke of the Lorde? tell vs, wherwith we shall sende it home agayne? They sayde: Yf you sende the Arke of the God of Israell home agayne, sende it not emptye: But re∣warde it with a trespasseofferynge, and then ye shall be hoole, & it shall be knowen to you, why his hand departeth not from you. Then sayde they: And what shal be the trespasseof∣ferynge, whiche we shall rewarde hym with? They answered: fyue golden a••sses, and fyue golden myce, accordynge to the nombre of the Lordes of the Philistines. For it is one maner of plage on you all, & on your lordes. Wherfore ye shal make ymages lyke to your arsses, & ymages lyke to your myce that cor∣rupt the lande, and ye shall gyue glorye vnto the god of Israel, that he may take his hand from of you, & from of your goddes, & from of your lande. Wherfore do ye harden youre [unspec B] hertes as the Egyptians & Pharao harde∣ned theyr hertes? whiche when he toke on a∣gaynst them, dyd they not let the people go, & they departed? Nowe therfore make a newe carte, & take two mylche kyne, on whose neck there hath come no yocke. And tye the kyne to the carte, & brynge the calues home from them. And take the arke of the Lorde, & laye it vpon the carte, and put the Iuels of golde (whiche ye rewarde hym with for a synoffe∣rynge) in a coofer by the syde therof, & sende it away, that it maye go. And yf ye se that he go vp by the way of his owne coost, to Beth∣sames, then it is he that dyd vs this greate euyll. Yf no, we shall knowe then, that it is not his hande that smote vs, but it was a chaunce that happened vs. And the men dyd euen so: and toke two kyne that gaue mylke, and tyed them to the carte, and kepte the cal∣ues at home, and they layde the Arke of the [unspec C] Lorde vpon the carte, and the coofer with the myce of golde, and with the ymages of theyr arsses. And the kyne toke the streyght waye to Bethsames, and went one waye: & as they went, lowed and turned neyther to the ryght hande nor to the lefte. And the Lordes of the Philistines went after them, vntyll the bor∣ders of Bethsames. And they of Bethsames were reapyng theyr wheate heruest in the va¦leye. And they lyfte vp theyr eyes, and spyed the arke. And reioysed when they sawe it. And the carte came in to the felde of one Io∣sua a Bethsamite, and stode styl there. There was also a greate stoone. And they claue the wood of the carte & offered the kyne a burnt∣offerynge vnto the Lorde. And the Leuytes toke downe the arke of the lorde & the coofer that was with it, wherin the Iuels of golde were, and put them on the great stone. And the men of Bethsames sacrificed burntsacri∣fyce, and offered offerynges that same daye vnto the Lorde. And when the fyue Lordes of the Philistines had sene it, they returned [unspec D] to Akarō the same day. And these are the gol¦den arsses whiche the Philistines gaue to a∣mendes for a trespasseofferynge, to the lorde: for Asdod one: for Gaza one: for Askalon one: for Gath one: and for Akaron one. And golden myce, accordynge to the nombre of al the cityes of the Philistines, euen accordyng to the fyue Lordes: bothe of walled townes, & of townes vnwalled, euen vnto the greate stone of lamentacion, wheron they set downe the arke of the lorde, which stone remayneth vnto this daye / in the felde of Iosua the Bethsamite. And he plaged the men of Beth∣sames, bycause they had sene the Arke of the lorde. And he slewe amonge the people fiftye thousande, & thre score and ten men. And the other people lamented, bycause the lorde had sleyne the people with so great a slaughter. Wherfore the men of Bethsames sayd: who is able to stande before the Lorde so hooly a God: & to whome shall he go from vs? And they sent messēgers to the enhabyters of Ka∣riath Iarim, sayenge: The Philistines haue brought agayne the arke of the Lorde: come ye downe therfore, and fet it vp to you.