1 Samuel 5

1The Philistines had taken the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.

2So the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it beside Dagon.

3When the Ashdodites rose early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen facedown on the ground before the ark of Yahweh. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place.

4When they rose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen facedown on the ground before the ark of Yahweh, and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold; only Dagon was left on him.

5Therefore, to this day the priests of Dagon and all who enter Dagon's temple in Ashdod do not step on Dagon's threshold.

6And the hand of Yahweh was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he devastated them and struck them with tumors, Ashdod and its territory.

7When the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, because his hand is heavy against us and against Dagon our god.”

8So they sent and gathered all the lords of the Philistines to themselves, and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” And they said, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath.” So they brought the ark of the God of Israel around.

9And after they had moved it around, the hand of Yahweh was against the city, causing a very great panic; and he struck the men of the city, from small to great, and tumors broke out on them.

10So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But when the ark of God came to Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, saying, “They have brought around to me the ark of the God of Israel, to kill me and my people!”

11So they sent and gathered all the lords of the Philistines, and they said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its place, so that it may not kill us and our people.” For there was a deadly panic throughout the whole city; the hand of God was very heavy there.

12And the men who did not die were struck with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.