¹⁷ These are the gold tumors the Philistines sent as a guilt offering to the Lord—one each^(A) for Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron. ¹⁸ And the number of the gold rats was according to the number of Philistine towns belonging to the five rulers—the fortified towns with their country villages. The large rock on which the Levites set the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.

¹⁹ But God struck down^(B) some of the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy^[a] of them to death because they looked^(C) into the ark of the Lord. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the Lord had dealt them.