1 Samuel 6:7-12

The Ark Returned to Israel

⁷ Now then, take and prepare _l a new cart and two milk cows _m on which there has never come a yoke, and yoke the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them. ⁸ And take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart and put in a box at its side _n the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as _b a guilt offering. Then send it off and let it go its way ⁹ and watch. If it goes up on the way to its own land, to _o Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm, but if not, then we shall know that it is not _p his hand that struck us; it happened to us by coincidence."

¹⁰ The men did so, and took two milk cows and yoked them to the cart and shut up their calves at home. ¹¹ And they put the ark of the Lord on the cart and the box with the golden mice and the images of their tumors. ¹² And the cows went straight in the direction of _q Beth-shemesh along _r one highway, lowing as they went. They turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of _q Beth-shemesh.

1. Cross References
   2 Samuel 6:3
   And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart.
   
2. Cross References
   Numbers 19:2
   This is the statute of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, in which there is no blemish, and on which a yoke has never come.
   
3. Cross References
   1 Samuel 6:4 - 5
   And they said, "What is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?" They answered, "Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague was on all of you and on your lords.
   
4. Cross References
   1 Samuel 6:3
   They said, "If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why his hand does not turn away from you.
   
5. Cross References
   Joshua 15:10
   And the boundary circles west of Baalah to Mount Seir, passes along to the northern shoulder of Mount Jearim (that is, Chesalon), and goes down to Beth-shemesh and passes along by Timnah.
   
6. Cross References
   1 Samuel 6:3
   They said, "If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why his hand does not turn away from you.
   
7. Cross References
   Joshua 21:16
   Ain with its pasturelands, Juttah with its pasturelands, Beth-shemesh with its pasturelands - nine cities out of these two tribes.
   
8. Cross References
   Joshua 21:16
   Ain with its pasturelands, Juttah with its pasturelands, Beth-shemesh with its pasturelands - nine cities out of these two tribes.
   
9. Cross References
   Numbers 20:19
   And the people of Israel said to him, "We will go up by the highway, and if we drink of your water, I and my livestock, then I will pay for it. Let me only pass through on foot, nothing more.
   

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.