Chapter 5
1Now the Philistines had taken the ark of God, and they brought it
from Ebenezer to Ashdod.
2The Philistines took the ark of God, and
brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.
3When they of
Ashdod arose early on the next day, behold, Dagon was fallen on his face to
the ground before the ark of Yahweh. They took Dagon, and set him in his
place again.
4When they arose early on the next day morning, behold,
Dagon was fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of Yahweh; and the
head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands lay cut off on the
threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.
5Therefore
neither the priests of Dagon, nor any who come into Dagon’s house, tread on
the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod, to this day.
6But the hand of Yahweh
was heavy on them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and struck them with
tumors, even Ashdod and the borders of it.
7When the men of Ashdod saw
that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with
us; for his hand is sore on us, and on Dagon our god.
8They sent
therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines to them, and said,
What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? They answered, Let the
ark of the God of Israel be carried about to Gath. They carried the ark of
the God of Israel there.
9It was so, that after they had carried
it about, the hand of Yahweh was against the city with a very great
confusion: and he struck the men of the city, both small and great; and
tumors broke out on them.
10So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. It
happened, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out,
saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to kill
us and our people.
11They sent therefore and gathered together all the
lords of the Philistines, and they said, Send away the ark of the God of
Israel, and let it go again to its own place, that it not kill us and our
people. For there was a deadly confusion throughout all the city; the hand of
God was very heavy there.
12The men who didn’t die were struck with the
tumors; and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
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