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1 Samuel 6:8
ESV And take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart and put in a box at its side the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as a guilt offering. Then send it off and let it go its way
NIV Take the ark of the Lord and put it on the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending back to him as a guilt offering. Send it on its way,
NASB Then take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart; and put the articles of gold which you return to Him as a guilt offering in a saddlebag by its side. Then send it away that it may go.
CSB Take the ark of the Lord, place it on the cart, and put the gold objects that you’re sending him as a guilt offering in a box beside the ark. Send it off and let it go its way.
NLT Put the Ark of the Lord on the cart, and beside it place a chest containing the gold rats and gold tumors you are sending as a guilt offering. Then let the cows go wherever they want.
KJV And take the ark of the Lord, and lay it upon the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which ye return him for a trespass offering, in a coffer by the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go.
NKJV Then take the ark of the Lord and set it on the cart; and put the articles of gold which you are returning to Him as a trespass offering in a chest by its side. Then send it away, and let it go.

What does 1 Samuel 6:8 mean?

The priests have instructed the leaders of the Philistines on how best to send the ark of the Lord (Exodus 25:10–16) back to Israel. Their plan also includes testing whether the plague ravaging their land was truly from the Lord (1 Samuel 6:1–7). First, they are to include a guilt offering (1 Samuel 6:3–4). Then they must get the ark back to the land of Israel. To do so, the priests have instructed the leaders to have a new cart built and to yoke the cart to two milk cows who have never been yoked before while their calves remain back home (1 Samuel 6:7).

Now the priests instruct the leaders to place the ark of the Lord on the cart, along with a box containing the guilt offering. That offering consists of five gold tumors and five gold mice, or perhaps five gold tumors shaped as mice (1 Samuel 6:4). These gold pieces are being sent to the Lord as the Philistine version of a guilt offering in which the representation of a bad thing would be sent away in hopes of an angry god taking the actual bad thing away from them, as well.

Finally, the priests instruct the leaders to release the cows and let them go in whatever direction they will. Since the cows have never been harnessed, they won't be influenced by any human instruction. Nature would lead the un-trained animals back home to their calves. Divine influence would lead them straight to Israel. The course they take will reveal to the priests the true cause of the plague upon the Philistines (1 Samuel 6:9).
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