¹² Then the cows went straight up toward Beth Shemesh, keeping on the road and lowing all the way; they did not turn to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth Shemesh.

¹³ Now the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat^(A) in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the sight. ¹⁴ The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and there it stopped beside a large rock. The people chopped up the wood of the cart and sacrificed the cows as a burnt offering^(B) to the Lord. ¹⁵ The Levites^(C) took down the ark of the Lord, together with the chest containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock.^(D) On that day the people of Beth Shemesh^(E) offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord. ¹⁶ The five rulers of the Philistines saw all this and then returned that same day to Ekron.

¹⁷ These are the gold tumors the Philistines sent as a guilt offering to the Lord—one each^(F) for Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron.

The Temple Musicians^(A)

³¹ These are the men^(B) David put in charge of the music^(C) in the house of the Lord after the ark came to rest there.

Ministering Before the Ark^(A)(B)(C)

16 They brought the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched^(D) for it, and they presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before God.