< 1 Samuel 5 >

1 Forsothe Filisteis token the arke of God, and baren awey it fro the stoon of help in to Azotus.
Now the Philistines had taken the ark of God, and they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.
2 And Filisteis tokun the arke of God, and brouyten it to the temple of Dagon, and settiden it bisidis Dagon.
The Philistines took it, and brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.
3 And whanne men of Azotus hadden rise eerli in the todir dai, lo! Dagon lay low in the erthe bifor the arke of the Lord. And thei token Dagon, and restoriden hym in his place.
And the Ashdodites rose early on the next day, and look, Dagon had fallen on his face before the ark of the LORD. So they raised up Dagon and set him in his place again.
4 And eft thei risiden eerli in the tothir day, and founden Dagon liggynge on his face on the erthe bifor the arke of the Lord. Forsothe the heed of Dagon, and twei pawmes of his hondis weren kit of on the threisfold;
And it happened when they arose early the next morning, look, Dagon had fallen on his face before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold. Only Dagon's torso was intact.
5 certis the stok aloone of Dagon lefte in his place. For this cause the preestis of Dagon, and alle that entren in to his temple, treden not on the threisfold of Dagon in Azotus til in to this dai.
Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any who come into Dagon's house, step on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod, to this day.
6 Forsothe the hond of the Lord was maad greuouse on men of Azotus, and he distriede hem, and he smoot Azotus and the coostis therof in the priuyere part of buttokis; and townes and feeldis in the myddis of that cuntrey buyliden out, and myis camen forth; and greet confusioun of deth was maad in the citee.
But the hand of the LORD was heavy on the Ashdodites, and he ravaged them and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory. And he brought up against them mice, and they burst out in their ships, and mice sprang up in the midst of their land, and there was a great terror of death in the city.
7 Sotheli men of Azotus sien siche a veniaunce, and seiden, The arke of God of Israel dwelle not at vs; for his hond is hard on vs, and on Dagon oure god.
When the men of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, "The ark of God shall not stay with us; for his hand is severe on us, and on Dagon our god."
8 And thei senten, and gaderiden alle the wise men, `ether princes, of Filisteis `to hem, and seiden, What schulen we do of the arke of God of Israel? And men of Geth answeriden, The arke of God of Israel be led aboute; and thei ledden aboute the arke of God of Israel.
So they sent and gathered all the lords of the Philistines to them, and said, "What shall we do with the ark of God?" Then the Gittites answered, "Let the ark of God be carried over to us." So they brought the ark of God to Gath.
9 Forsothe while thei ledden it aboute, the hond of the Lord `of ful greet sleyng was maad on alle citees; and he smoot men of ech citee fro a litil man til to `the more, and the lowere entraylis `of hem wexiden rotun, and camen forth; and men of Geth token counsel, and maden to hem seetis of skynnes, ethir cuyschuns.
And it came about that after they had brought it around, the hand of the LORD 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.
10 Therfor thei senten the arke of the Lord in to Accoron. And whanne the arke of the Lord hadde come in to Accoron, men of Accoron crieden, and seiden, Thei han brought to vs the arke of God of Israel, that he sle vs and oure puple.
So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. It happened, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, "Why have you brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to kill us and our people?"
11 Therfor thei senten, and gaderiden alle the wise men, `ethir princes, of Filisteis; whiche seiden, Delyuere ye the arke of God of Israel, and turne it ayen in to his place, and sle not vs with oure puple.
And they sent 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, so that it will not kill us and our people." For there was a panic throughout all the city when the ark of God arrived there.
12 For dreed of deeth was maad in alle citees, and the hond of the Lord was `greuouse greetli. Also the men, that weren not deed, weren smytun in the priuy part of buttokis, and the yelling of ech citee stiede in to heuene.
The men who did not die were struck with the tumors; and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

< 1 Samuel 5 >