撒母耳記上 5
1 培肋舍特人劫走了天主的約櫃，從厄本厄則爾運到阿市多得，
After the army of the Philistia people-group captured God’s sacred chest in Ebenezer [town], they took it to Ashdod [which is one of their biggest cities].
2 把天主的約櫃抬到達貢廟內，放在達貢近旁。
They carried it into the temple of [their god] Dagon, and placed it alongside a statue of Dagon.
3 第二天清早，阿市多得人起來，見達貢傾倒了，在上主的約櫃面前，俯伏在地；他們把達貢豎起安置在原處。
But early the next morning, when the people of Ashdod [went to see it, they saw that] the statue had fallen on its face in front of Yahweh’s sacred chest! So they set the statue up in its place again.
4 但第二天清早人們起來，見達貢又傾倒了，仍在上主的約櫃面前，俯伏在地，達貢的頭和雙手都斷在門檻上，只留下了他的魚身。──
But the following morning, [they saw that] it had fallen down in front of the sacred chest again. But this time, the statue’s head and hands had broken off, and were lying in the doorway. Only its body remained intact/unbroken.
5 因此，達貢的司祭和進達貢廟的人，都不敢踏阿市多得的廟的門檻，直到今天。
That is the reason that since that time, the priests of Dagon and everyone else who enters the temple of Dagon in Ashdod do not step on the doorsill [where the hands and head of Dagon fell].
6 上主的手重重地壓制了阿市多得人，威嚇他們，使阿市多得和附近的人都生了毒瘡。
Then Yahweh [SYN] powerfully caused the people of Ashdod and the people who lived in nearby villages to have (a very great plague/serious illness) of tumors.
7 阿市多得人一見這樣，就說：「別讓以色列天主的約櫃留在我們這裏，因他的手重重地壓制了我們的神達貢。」
The men of Ashdod realized why this was happening, and they cried out, “The god of the Israeli people is punishing us and is also punishing our god Dagon. So we cannot allow the sacred chest of the god of the Israelis to remain here!”
8 遂打發人召集了培肋舍特人所有的酋長來到他們那裏，向他們說：「對以色列天主的約櫃我們該怎麼辦﹖」他們就回答說：「把以色列天主的約櫃送到加特去! 」他們遂把以色列天主的約櫃送到加特去了。
They summoned the five kings of the Philistia people-group, and asked them, “What should we do with the sacred chest of the god of the Israelis?” The kings replied, “Take the sacred chest to Gath [city].” So they moved it to Gath.
9 他們把約櫃送去以後，上主的手又壓制那座城，使他們發生了很大的恐慌，因為上主打擊了城中的人，無論老幼，都患了毒瘡。
But after they took it to Gath, Yahweh powerfully struck the people of that city also, with the result that many men, including young men and old men, got tumors on their skin. Then the people became very afraid.
10 於是加特人又把天主的約櫃送到厄刻龍；天主的約櫃一到了厄刻龍，厄刻龍人就喊說：「人把以色列天主的約櫃送到我們這裏，是為殺害我們和我們的百姓! 」
So they took the sacred chest to Ekron [city]. But when the men carried the sacred chest into Ekron, the people there cried out, “Why are you bringing the sacred chest of the God of the Israelis into our city [RHQ]? [By doing that] you will cause us and the rest of our people to die!”
11 遂立刻派人召集培肋舍特所有的酋長來，向他們說，「你們把以色列天主的約櫃送走，送回原處，免得殺害我們和我們的百姓。」因為全城的人死的太多了，天主的手重重地壓制了那地方。
The people were terrified/in panic because [they knew that] God was starting to punish them severely. So they summoned the [five] kings of the Philistia people-group again, and [pleaded with them], saying, “Take this sacred chest of the god of the Israelis back to its own place! If you do not do that quickly, we will all die!”
12 凡沒有死的人，都患了毒瘡，因此城中哀號之聲，上達於天。
Some of the people in Ekron had already died, and the rest of the people were suffering because of tumors on their skin. So they all cried out to their gods [MTY] [to help them].
