THE FIRST BOOK OF
SAMUEL,
1 Samuel 5 ©
The Philistines place the ark of God at Ashdod in the house of their idol Dagon, v. 1, etc. Who falls down before the same, 3. This is done again the next day, and his head and hands are broken off from his body, 4. The Philistines are grievously plagued with emerods in all the cities where they brought the ark, 6. So that they take counsel together how they may be rid of the ark, 7. They send it into Ekron, 10. At which those of Ekron were much troubled, 10. At length they resolved to send it home again to the Israelites, 11.
AND the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from 1Eben-ezer unto 2Ashdod.
When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it 3into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.
¶And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again.
And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of 4Dagon was left to him.
5Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread 6on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day.
But the 7hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he 8destroyed them, and smote them with 9emerods, even Ashdoda and the coasts thereof.
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 sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god.
They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And 10they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about unto 11Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither.
And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great 12destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had 13emerods 14in their secret parts.
¶Therefore they sent the ark of God to 15Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, 16that the 17Ekronites cried out, saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people.
So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to his own place, that it slay 18us not, and our people: for there was a 19deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.
And the men 20that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the 21city went up to heaven.