1 ا حتَفَظَ الفِلِسْطِيُّونَ بِصُنْدُوقِ الله فِي أرْضِهِمْ أحَدَ عَشَرَ شَهراً.

Now the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months.

2 و َبَعدَ ذَلِكَ دَعُوا كَهَنَتَهُمْ وَسَحَرَتَهُمْ وَسَألُوهُمْ: «ماذا يَنبَغِي عَلَينا أنْ نَفعَلَ بِصُنْدُوقِ اللهِ ؟ أشِيرُوا عَلَينا كَيفَ نُعِيدُ الصُّنْدُوقَ إلَى مَكانِهِ.»

And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord ? Tell us how we should send it to its place.”

3 ف َأجابَ الكَهَنَةُ وَالسَّحَرَةُ: «إنْ أرَدتُمْ أنْ تُرسِلُوا صُنْدُوقَ إلَهِ إسْرائِيلَ، فَلا تُرسِلُوهُ فارِغاً. بَلْ قَدِّمُوا عَطايا لإلَهِ إسْرائِيلَ، حِينَئِذٍ سَتُشفَوْنَ. حِينَ تَعْمَلُونَ هَذا، سَتَعْرِفُونَ لِماذا يَسْتَمِرُّ اللهُ فِي ضَرْبِكُمْ.»

So they said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty; but by all means return it to Him with a trespass offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why His hand is not removed from you.”

4 ف َسَألَ الفِلِسْطِيُّونَ: «أيُّ نَوعٍ مِنَ العَطايا يَنبَغِي أنْ نُقَدِّمَ؟» فَأجابَ الكَهَنَةُ وَالسَّحَرَةُ: «قَدِّمُوا خَمسَةَ نَماذِجَ ذَهَبِيَّةً تُشبِهُ الأورامَ، وَخَمسَةَ نَماذِجَ ذَهَبِيَّةٍ تُشبِهُ الفِئرانَ. فَقَدْ عانَيتُمْ أنتُمْ وَقادَتُكُمْ مِنَ الأورامَ وَالفِئرانَ.

Then they said, “What is the trespass offering which we shall return to Him?” They answered, “Five golden tumors and five golden rats, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines. For the same plague was on all of you and on your lords.

5 ف اصنَعُوا نَماذِجَ أورامٍ وَنَماذِجَ فِئرانٍ كَتِلكَ الَّتِي تَجُولُ فِي مَدِينَتِنا. وَمَجَّدُوا إلَهَ إسْرائِيلَ. فَلَعَلَّهُ يَتَوَقَّفُ عَنْ مُعاقَبَتِكُمْ أنتُمْ وَآلِهَتِكُمْ وَأرْضِكُمْ.

Therefore you shall make images of your tumors and images of your rats that ravage the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will lighten His hand from you, from your gods, and from your land.

6 و َلا تُعانِدُوا كَما فَعَلَ فِرعَوْنُ وَالمِصرِيُّونَ، فَعاقَبَهُمُ اللهُ. وَبَعدَ ذَلِكَ اضطُرَّ المِصْرِيُّونَ إلَى إطلاقِ سَراحِهِمْ مِنْ مِصْرَ.

Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He did mighty things among them, did they not let the people go, that they might depart?

7 « اصنَعُوا عَرَبَةً جَدِيدَةً، وَأحضِرُوا بَقَرَتَينِ وَلَدَتا عِجلَينِ حَديثاً، وَلَمْ يَسبِقْ لَهُما أنْ عَمِلَتا فِي الحُقُولِ. اربِطُوا البَقَرَتَينِ إلَى العَرَبَةِ لِجَرِّها. ثُمَّ خُذُوا العِجلَيْنِ إلَى الحَظِيرَةِ، وَلا تُبقُوهُما مَعَ أُمَّيهِما.

Now therefore, make a new cart, take two milk cows which have never been yoked, and hitch the cows to the cart; and take their calves home, away from them.

8 و َضَعُوا صُنْدُوقَ اللهِ عَلَى العَرَبَةِ ثُمَّ ضَعُوا النَّماذِجَ الذَّهَبِيَّةَ فِي صُنْدُوقٍ بِالقُرْبِ مِنْهُ. فَالنَّماذِجُ الذَّهَبِيَّةُ هِيَ عَطاياكُمْ إلَى اللهِ لِكَي يَغفِرَ خَطاياكُمْ. فَأرسِلُوا العَرَبَةَ وَما عَلَيها فِي طَرِيقِها.

Then take the ark of the Lord and set it on the cart; and put the articles of gold which you are returning to Him as a trespass offering in a chest by its side. Then send it away, and let it go.

9 و َراقِبُوا العَرَبَةَ. فَإنِ اتَّجَهَتِ البَقَرَتانِ إلَى بَيْتَ شَمْسَ فِي أرْضِ إسْرائِيلَ، يَكُونُ اللهُ هُوَ مَنِ ابْتَلانا بِهَذا المَرَضِ الشَّدِيدِ. أمّا إذا لَمْ تَذهَبا مُباشَرَةً إلَى بَيتَ شَمسَ، حِينَئِذٍ، نَعلَمُ أنَّ ما حَدَثَ لَنا لَمْ يَكُنْ عِقاباً مِنَ اللهِ، بَلْ هُوَ حَدَثٌ طَبيعِيٌّ.»

And watch: if it goes up the road to its own territory, to Beth Shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we shall know that it is not His hand that struck us—it happened to us by chance.”

10 ف فَعَلَ الرِّجالُ ذَلِكَ. وَجَدُوا بَقَرَتَينِ وَلَدَتا عِجلَينِ حَدِيثاً، فَرَبَطُوا البَقَرَتَينِ بِالعَرَبَةِ، وَأرسَلُوا العِجلَينِ إلَى الحَظيرَةِ.

Then the men did so; they took two milk cows and hitched them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.

11 ث ُمَّ وَضَعَ الفِلِسْطِيُّونَ صُنْدُوقَ اللهِ عَلَى العَرَبَةِ، وَوَضَعُوا الصُّنْدُوقِ الَّذِي يَحْتَوِي عَلَى النَّماذِجِ الذَّهَبِيَّةِ لِلأورامِ وَالفِئْرانِ إلَى جانِبِهِ.

And they set the ark of the Lord on the cart, and the chest with the gold rats and the images of their tumors.

12 ف اتَّجَهَتِ البَقَرَتانِ إلَى بَيْتَ شَمْسَ مُباشَرَةً. وَظَلَّتِ البَقَرَتانِ عَلَى الطَّرِيقِ تَسِيرانِ فِي خَطٍّ مُستَقِيمٍ دُونَ أنْ تَحِيدا يَمِيناً أوْ شِمالاً. وَكانَتا تُصْدِرانِ خُواراً طَوالَ الطَّرِيقِ. وَتَبِعَ حُكّامُ الفِلِسْطِيِّينَ البَقَرَتَينِ إلَى حُدُودِ مَدِينَةِ بَيْتَ شَمْسَ.

Then the cows headed straight for the road to Beth Shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right hand or the left. And the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh.

13 و َكانَ سُكّانُ مَدِينَةِ بَيْتَ شَمْسَ يَحصُدُونَ الحُبُوبَ فِي الوادِي. فَلَمّا رَفَعُوا أنظارَهُمْ، رَأَوْا الصُّنْدُوقَ. فَفَرِحُوا بِرُؤيَتِهِ، وَرَكَضُوا لِكَي يُحضِرُوهُ.

Now the people of Beth Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley; and they lifted their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.

14 ف َوَصَلَتِ العَرَبَةُ إلَى حَقلِ رَجُلٍ اسْمُهُ يَشُوعُ البَيتَ شَمسِيِّ، وَتَوَقَّفَتْ هُناكَ عِندَ صَخرَةٍ كَبِيرَةٍ. فَكَسَرَ سُكّانُ بَيتَ شَمسَ العَرَبَةَ وَقَدَّمُوا البَقَرَتَينِ ذَبِيْحَةً للهِ.

Then the cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and stood there; a large stone was there. So they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord.

15 و َكانَ الَّلاوِيُّونَ قَدْ أنْزَلُوا صُنْدُوقَ اللهِ وَالصُّنْدُوقَ الَّذِي يَحتَوِي عَلَى النَّماذِجِ الذَّهَبِيَّةِ، وَوَضَعُوهُما عَلَى الصَّخرَةِ الكَبِيرَةِ. بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ، وَطَوالَ ذَلِكَ اليَومِ، قَدَّمَ أهلُ بَيتَ شَمْسَ ذَبائِحَ وَتَقْدِماتٍ للهِ.

The Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the chest that was with it, in which were the articles of gold, and put them on the large stone. Then the men of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices the same day to the Lord.

16 و َشاهَدَ حُكّامُ الفِلِسْطِيِّينَ الخَمسَةُ ما فَعَلَهُ أهلُ بَيْتَ شَمْسَ، ثُمَّ رَجِعُوا إلَى عَقْرُونَ فِي ذَلِكَ اليَومِ.

So when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.

17 و َهَكَذا أرسَلَ الفِلِسْطِيُّونَ نَماذِجَ ذَهَبِيَّةً لِأورامٍ إلَى اللهِ لِلتَّكفيرِ عَنْ خَطاياهُمْ. فَأرسَلُوا نَمُوذَجاً ذَهَبِيّاً واحِداً لِوَرَمٍ عَنْ كُلِّ مَدِينَةٍ مِنَ المُدُنِ الفِلِسْطِيِّةِ: أشدُودَ، وَغَزَّةَ، وَأشقَلُونَ، وَجَتَّ، وَعَقرُونَ.

These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned as a trespass offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron;

18 و َأرسَلَ الفِلِسْطِيُّونَ أيضاً نَماذِجَ ذَهَبِيَّةً لِفِئرانٍ. وَكانَ عَدَدُ الفِئرانِ الذَّهَبِيَّةِ مُماثِلاً لِعَدَدِ المُدُنِ التّابِعَةِ لِلحُكّامِ الفِلِسْطِيِّينَ الخَمسَةِ. وَهِيَ مُدُنٌ مُسَوَّرَةٌ. وَلِكُلٍّ مِنها قُرَى مُحِيطَةٌ بِها. وَقَدْ وَضَعَ أهلُ بَيتَ شَمسَ صُنْدُوقَ اللهِ عَلَى صَخرَةٍ. وَمازالَتْ تِلكَ الصَّخرَةُ فِي حَقلِ يَشُوعَ البَيتَ شَمسِيِّ.

and the golden rats, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and country villages, even as far as the large stone of Abel on which they set the ark of the Lord, which stone remains to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.

19 و َنَظَرَ أهلُ بَيْتَ شَمْسَ إلَى داخِلِ صُنْدُوقِ اللهِ. فَأماتَ اللهُ سَبعِينَ رَجُلاً مِنْ بَيتَ شَمسَ. فَصَرَخَ أهلُ بَيتَ شَمسَ لِأنَّ اللهَ عاقَبَهُمْ عِقاباً قاسِياً.

Then He struck the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. He struck fifty thousand and seventy men of the people, and the people lamented because the Lord had struck the people with a great slaughter. The Ark at Kirjath Jearim

20 ف َقالَ أهلُ بَيتَ شَمسَ: «أينَ نَجِدُ مَنْ يَتَوَلَّى أمرَ صُندُوقِ اللهِ المُقَدَّسِ؟ وَإلَى أينَ نُخرِجُ الصُّندُوقَ مِنْ وَسَطِنا؟»

And the men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? And to whom shall it go up from us?”

21 و َكانَ هُناكَ كاهِنٌ في قِرياتِ يَعارِيمَ. فَأرسَلَ أهلُ بَيْتَ شَمْسَ رُسُلاً لِسُكّانِ قِرْياتِ يَعارِيمَ. فَقالَ الرُّسُلُ: «أرْجَعَ الفِلِسْطِيُّونَ صُنْدُوقَ اللهِ ، فانزِلْ إلَينا وَخُذْهُ إلَى مَدِينَتِكَ.»

So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought back the ark of the Lord; come down and take it up with you.”