⁴ They asked, “What restitution 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 in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh to this day.

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

This is the Lord’s declaration.