1 Samuel 6

EL LIBRO DEL PUEBLO DE DIOS	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 El arca del Señor permaneció siete meses en territorio filisteo.	1 Now the ark of the Lord was in the region of the Philistines for seven months.
2 Luego los filisteos convocaron a los sacerdotes y adivinos, y les preguntaron: «¿Qué haremos con el Arca del Señor? Indíquennos cómo podemos enviarla al lugar donde estaba:.	2 And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying: “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Reveal to us in what manner we should send it back to its place.” And they said:
3 Ellos respondieron: «Si devuelven el Arca del Dios de Israel, no la envíen sin nada, sino que deberán ofrecerle una reparación. Si así logran curarse, sabrán por qué su mano no se apartaba de ustedes».	3 “If you send back the ark of the God of Israel, do not choose to release it empty. Instead, repay to him what you owe because of sin. And then you will be cured. And you will know why his hand did not withdraw from you.”
4 «¿Qué reparación debemos ofrecerle?», preguntaron los filisteos. Ellos respondieron: «Cinco tumores de oro y cinco ratones de oro, uno por cada uno de los príncipes filisteos. Porque la misma plaga la han padecido ustedes y ellos.	4 And they said, “What is it that we ought to repay to him because of transgression?” And they responded:
5 Hagan unas imágenes de los tumores y de los ratones que devastan el país, y den gloria al Dios de Israel. Tal vez así su mano no pese tanto sobre ustedes, sobre sus dioses y sobre su país.	5 “In accord with the number of the provinces of the Philistines, you shall fashion five gold cysts and five gold mice. For the same plague has been upon all of you and your princes. And you shall fashion a likeness of your cysts and a likeness of the mice, which have destroyed the land. And so shall you give glory to the God of Israel, so that perhaps he may lift off his hand from you, and from your gods, and from your land.
6 ¿Por qué se van a obstinar como lo hicieron Egipto y el Faraón? ¿No tuvieron acaso que dejarlos partir cuando el Señor se ensañó con ellos?	6 Why have you hardened your hearts, just as Egypt and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he was struck, did he not then release them, and they went away?
7 Hagan ahora mismo un carro nuevo y tomen dos vacas que estén criando y que no hayan llevado el yugo. Aten las vacas al carro, dejando a sus crías encerradas en el establo.	7 Now therefore, fashion and take a new cart, with two cows that have given birth, but on which no yoke has been imposed. And yoke them to the cart, but retain their calves at home.
8 Luego tomarán el Arca del Señor y la pondrán sobre el carro. Al lado de ella, en un cofre, colocarán los objetos de oro que le ofrecen en reparación. Después, la dejarán partir.	8 And you shall take the ark of the Lord, and you shall place it upon the cart, with the articles of gold that you have paid to him on behalf of transgression. You shall place these in a little box at its side. And release it, so that it may go.
9 Fíjense bien: si ella sube en dirección a su territorio, hacia Bet Semes, quiere decir que el Señor nos ha infligido esta gran calamidad; en caso contrario, sabremos que no fue su mano la que nos golpeó, sino que esto nos ha sucedido por casualidad.	9 And you shall watch. And if, indeed, it ascends by the way of his own parts, toward Beth-shemesh, then he has done this great evil to us. But if not, then we shall know that it is by no means his hand that has touched us, but instead it happened by chance.”
10 Así lo hicieron: tomaron dos vacas que estaban criando y las ataron al carro, pero encerraron a sus crías en el establo.	10 Therefore, they did it in this way. And taking two cows that were feeding calves, they yoked them to the cart, and they enclosed their calves at home.
11 Luego pusieron sobre el carro el Arca del Señor y el cofre con los ratones de oro y las imágenes de los tumores.	11 And they placed the ark of God upon the cart, with the little box that held the gold mice and the likenesses of the cysts.
12 Las vacas se fueron derecho por el camino de Bet Semes; iban muriendo, siempre por el mismo sendero, sin desviarse ni a la derecha ni a la izquierda. Y los príncipes de los filisteos las siguieron hasta la frontera de Bet Semes.	12 But the cows went directly along the way that leads to Beth-shemesh. And they advanced only in one direction, lowing as they went. And they did not turn aside, neither to the right, nor to the left. Moreover, the princes of the Philistines followed them, as far as the borders of Beth-shemesh.
13 La gente de Bet Semes estaba cosechando el trigo en el valle. Al levantar los ojos, divisaron el Arca y se alegraron de verla.	13 Now the Beth-shemeshites were harvesting wheat in the valley. And lifting up their eyes, they saw the ark, and they were glad when they had seen it.
14 El carro llegó al campo de Josué de Bet Semes y se detuvo. Allí había una gran piedra. Entonces hicieron astillas la madera del carro y ofrecieron las vacas en holocausto al Señor.	14 And the cart went into the field of Joshua, a Beth-shemeshite, and it stood still there. Now in that place was a great stone, and so they cut up the wood of the cart, and they placed the cows upon it as a holocaust to the Lord.
15 Mientras tanto, los levitas habían bajado el Arca del Señor y el cofre que estaba con ella, donde se encontraban los objetos de oro, y los depositaron sobre la piedra grande. La gente de Bet Semes ofreció aquel día holocaustos y sacrificios al Señor.	15 But the Levites took down the ark of God, and the little box that was at its side, in which were the articles of gold, and they placed them upon the great stone. Then the men of Beth-shemesh offered holocausts and immolated victims, on that day, to the Lord.
16 Al ver esto, los príncipes de los filisteos regresaron a Ecrón aquel mismo día.	16 And the five princes of the Philistines saw, and they returned to Ekron on the same day.
17 Los tumores de oro que los filisteos presentaron como reparación al Señor fueron uno por Asdod, uno por Gaza, uno por Ascalón, uno por Gat y uno por Ecrón.	17 Now these are the gold cysts, which the Philistines repaid to the Lord for transgression: for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ashkelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one.
18 Y el número de los ratones de oro correspondía al de todas las ciudades de los filisteos, gobernadas por los cinco príncipes, desde las ciudades fortificadas hasta los poblados desguarnecidos. Testigo de esto es la piedra grande sobre la que depositaron el Arca del Señor, y que hasta el día de hoy está en el campo de Josué de Bet Semes.	18 And there were gold mice, according to the number of the cities of the Philistines, of the five provinces, from the fortified city to the village that was without a wall, and even to the great stone upon which they placed the ark of the Lord, which was, at last in that day, in the field of Joshua, the Beth-shemeshite.
19 El Señor castigó a la gente de Bet Semes, porque habían mirado el Arca del Señor. Como él hirió a setenta hombres, el pueblo estuvo de duelo porque el Señor les había infligido un castigo tan grande.	19 Then he struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had seen the ark of the Lord. And he struck down some of the people: seventy men, and fifty thousand of the common people. And the people lamented, because the Lord had struck the people with a great slaughter.
20 Los hombres de Bet Semes dijeron: «¿Quién podrá resistir en la presencia del Señor, este Dios tan santo? ¿A quién enviársela, para que esté lejos de nosotros?».	20 And the men of Beth-shemesh said: “Who will be able to stand in the sight of the Lord, this holy God? And who will ascend to him from us?”
21 En seguida mandaron unos mensajeros a los habitantes de Quiriat Iearím, para decirles: «Los filisteos han devuelto el Arca del Señor. Bajen y súbanla con ustedes».	21 And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying: “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Descend and lead it back to you.”