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the Philistines had captured the Ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 They then took the Ark of God into the temple of Dagon and they set it up beside the statue of Dagon. 3 When the people of Ashdod arose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen with his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord! So they took Dagon and set him back in his place again. 4 But when they arose early the next morning, Dagon had fallen with his face to the ground again before the ark of the Lord! The head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold. Only the body of Dagon was left to him. 5 That is why, to this day, neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into the temple of Dagon in Ashdod step on the threshold of Dagon.
6 Now the hand of the Lord was heavy upon the people of Ashdod, and He ravaged them and struck them with tumours, both in Ashdod and its territories. 7 When the men of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is heavy upon us and upon our god Dagon.” 8 So they called together all the lords of the Philistines and asked, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?”
They answered, “The ark of the God of Israel should be moved to Gath.” So the men of Ashdod moved the ark of the God of Israel.
9 After they had moved it, the hand of the Lord came against the city, causing a great panic. He struck down the men of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumours. 10 So they sent the Ark of God to Ekron.
But when the Ark of God arrived at Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, “They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to us to kill us and our people!” 11 So they called together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel. Let it return again to its own place so that it won’t kill us and our people.” For the panic of death had spread throughout the whole city, for the hand of God had fallen heavily there. 12 The men who did not die were stricken with tumours, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.