retain it, but to dedicate five golden images, one for every
city, as a thank-offering to God, on account of his having taken
care of their preservation, and having kept them alive when their
lives were likely to be taken away by such distempers as they
were not able to bear up against. They also would have them make
five golden mice like to those that devoured and destroyed their
country (2) to put them in a bag, and lay them upon the ark; to
make them a new cart also for it, and to yoke milch kine to it
(3) but to shut up their calves, and keep them from them, lest,
by following after them, they should prove a hinderance to their
dams, and that the dams might return the faster out of a desire
of those calves; then to drive these milch kine that carried the
ark, and leave it at a place where three ways met, and So leave
it to the kine to go along which of those ways they pleased; that
in case they went the way to the Hebrews, and ascended to their
country, they should suppose that the ark was the cause of their
misfortunes; but if they turned into another road, they said, "We
will pursue after it, and conclude that it has no such force in
it."

3. So they determined that these men spake well; and they
immediately confirmed their opinion by doing accordingly. And
when they had done as has been already described, they brought
the cart to a place where three ways met, and left it there and
went their ways; but the kine went the right way, and as if some
persons had driven them, while the rulers of the Philistines
followed after them, as desirous to know where they would stand
still, and to whom they would go. Now there was a certain village
of the tribe of Judah, the name of which was Bethshemesh, and to
that village did the kine go; and though there was a great and