1 Samuel 5

1 After the Philistines captured the Ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.

Now the Philistines had taken the ark of God, and they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.

2 They brought the Ark of God into the Temple of Dagon and placed it next to Dagon.

And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.

3 When the people of Ashdod got up early the next day, they saw Dagon had fallen on his face in front of the Ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and set him back up.

And when those of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of Jehovah. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again.

4 When they got up early the next morning, they saw Dagon had fallen on his face in front of the Ark of the Lord, with his head and hands broken off lying on the doorstep. Only his body remained intact.

And when they arose early on the morning of the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of Jehovah, and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands lay cut off upon the threshold. Only the stump of Dagon was left to him.

5 (That's why the priests of Dagon, and all who enter the temple of Dagon in Ashdod, don't tread on the doorstep, even up to now.)

Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any who come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod, to this day.

6 The Lord punished the people of Ashdod and its surrounding area, devastating them and plaguing them with swellings.

But the hand of Jehovah was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with tumors, even Ashdod and the borders of it.

7 When the people of Ashdod saw what was going on, they said, “We can't let the Ark of the God of Israel remain here with us, because he is punishing us and Dagon our god.”

And when 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 hard upon us, and upon Dagon our god.

8 So they sent for all the Philistine rulers and asked them, “What should we do with the Ark of the God of Israel?” “Take the Ark of the God of Israel to Gath,” they replied. So they moved it to Gath.

They 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? And they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about to Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel there.

9 But once they'd moved the Ark to Gath, the Lord also took action against that town, throwing it into great confusion and attacking the people of the town, young and old, with a plague of swellings.

And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of Jehovah was against the city with a very great discomfiture. And he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and tumors broke out upon them.

10 So they sent the Ark of God to Ekron, but as soon as it arrived, the leaders of Ekron shouted, “They've moved the Ark of the God of Israel here to kill us and our people!”

So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, 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.

11 So they sent for all the Philistine rulers and said, “Send the Ark of the God of Israel away, back to where it came from, otherwise it's going to kill us and our people.” People were dying throughout the town, creating terrible panic, for God's punishment was very hard.

They 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 discomfiture throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.

12 Those who didn't die were plagued with swellings, and the cry for help from the town reached up to heaven.

And the men who did not die were smitten with the tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.