1 Samuel 6

6 ¹Di ark of our Papa stay for Philistine land for seven months. ²Di Philistine people call di priests and di people wey dey tell future: “Wetin we go do with di ark of di LORD? Tell us how we go take send am go back im place.”

³Dem talk say, “If una wan send back di ark of Israel God, no send am empty-handed, but make una sure say una return guilt offering give am. Na den una go well, and una go sabi why im hand no comot from una.”

⁴“Wetin be di guilt offering wey we go return give am?” dem ask. Dem answer say, “Five gold swellings and five gold rats, wey match di number of di Philistine rulers, becos di same plague strike una all and una rulers.”

⁵“Make una carve images of una swellings and di rats wey dey spoil di land; give glory to Israel God. Maybe im go lift im hand comot from una, from una gods, and from una land. ⁶Why una go make una heart hard like Egypt and Pharaoh do? No be say, afta im deal with dem well-well, dem come gree let di people go dem way?”

⁷“Now go get one new cart and two cows wey dey give dem pikin milk, wey nobody never put yoke put for dia neck. Tie di cows for di cart, but carry dia calf comot from dem and lock am for pen. ⁸Take di LORD ark, put am for di cart, and put inside one box for im side di gold things wey una dey return give am as guilt offering. Den make una send am go. ⁹Watch am: if e go up di road go im own land, go Beth-shemesh, na im bring dis big trouble come our head. But if e no go, den we go sabi say no be im hand strike us—na just ordinary tin happen.”

¹⁰Di men do so: dem take two cows wey dey give dem pikin milk, tie dem for di cart, and lock dia calf for house. ¹¹Dem put di ark of our Papa and di box wey carry di gold rats and di images of dia swellings for di cart. ¹²Di cows waka straight go Beth-shemesh, dem stay for one road, dem dey moo as dem dey go, dem no turn go right or go left. Di Philistine rulers follow dem go reach di border of Beth-shemesh. ¹³Di Beth-shemesh people, wey dey harvest dia wheat for di valley, look up, see di ark, and dem happy well-well to see am. ¹⁴Di cart reach Joshua field for Beth-shemesh and stop for side of one big stone. Dem split di wood of di cart and offer di cows as burnt offering give our Papa. ¹⁵Di Levites take down di ark of our Papa and di box wey dey im side wey carry di gold things, and dem put dem for di big stone. Dat day di Beth-shemesh people offer burnt offerings and sacrifice give our Papa. ¹⁶Di five rulers of di Philistines see all dis tins and dem go back reach Ekron di same day. ¹⁷Dis na di gold swellings wey di Philistines return give our Papa as guilt offering: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, and one for Ekron. ¹⁸Di gold rats match di number of all di Philistine towns wey belong to di five rulers—both di towns wey get wall and di villages wey no get wall. Di big stone wey dem put di ark of our Papa on top still dey stand as witness today for di field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh. ¹⁹But our Papa strike down some men of Beth-shemesh becos dem look inside di ark of di Covenant, and im kill seventy of dem. Di people cry becos im strike dem with dis big blow. ²⁰Di men of Beth-shemesh talk say, “Who fit stand before our Papa, dis holy God? And to who di ark go go up comot from us?”

²¹Dem send messengers go di people of Kiriath-jearim say: “Di Philistines don return our Papa ark. Come down, carry am come up come una side.”