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18 The golden mice, however, corresponded to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five leaders, including fortified cities and open villages.[a] The large stone on which the ark of the Lord was placed is still in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite at the present time.(A)

Penalty for Irreverence. 19 The descendants of Jeconiah did not join in the celebration with the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh when they saw the ark of the Lord, and seventy of them were struck down. The people mourned over this great calamity which the Lord had inflicted upon them. 20 The men of Beth-shemesh asked, “Who can stand in the presence of the Lord, this Holy God? To whom can the ark go so that we are rid of it?”

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Footnotes

  1. 6:18 Open villages: the plague devastated both fortified cities and villages, an indication of the Lord’s power over the Philistines.