5:1 And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from
Eben-ezer to Ashdod.
5:2 When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it
into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.
5:3 And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold,
Dagon [had] fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of
the LORD. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again.
5:4 And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold,
Dagon had 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 threshhold; only [the stump of] Dagon
was left to him.
5:5 Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come
into Dagon's house, tread on the threshhold of Dagon in Ashdod
to this day.
5:6 But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and
he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, [even] Ashdod,
and its borders.
5:7 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 severe upon us, and upon Dagon our god.
5:8 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 [thither].
5:9 And it was [so], that after they had carried it thither, the
hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great
destruction: and he smote the men of the city both small and
great, and they had emerods in their secret parts.
5:10 Therefore 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 slay us and our people.
5:11 So they sent and convened all the lords of the Philistines,
and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go
again to its own place, that it slay us not, and our people:
for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the
hand of God was very heavy there.
5:12 And the men that died not, were smitten with the emerods:
and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
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