⁴ They asked, “What guilt offering should we send back to him?”

And they answered, “Five gold tumors and five gold mice^(A) corresponding to the number of Philistine rulers,^(B) since there was one plague for both you^[a] and your rulers. ⁵ Make images of your tumors and of your mice that are destroying the land. Give glory to Israel’s God,^(C) and perhaps he will stop oppressing you,^[b](D) your gods, and your land.^(E)

¹¹ Then they put the ark of the Lord on the cart, along with the box containing the gold mice and the images of their tumors.

¹⁸ The number of gold mice also corresponded to the number of Philistine cities of the five rulers, the fortified cities and the outlying villages.^(A) The large rock^[a](B) on which the ark of the Lord was placed is still in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh today.

¹⁷ “Those who dedicate and purify themselves to enter the groves^(A) following their leader,^[a] eating meat from pigs, vermin,^[b] and rats, will perish together.”

This is the Lord’s declaration.