1 Samuel 5

1Now the Philistines had captured the ark of God, and they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2The Philistines took the ark of God, brought it into the temple of Dagon, and set it up beside Dagon. 3When the people of Ashdod got up early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen face down on the ground before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and set him back in his place. 4Early the following morning they rose, and there was Dagon, fallen face down on the ground before the ark of the LORD. Dagon’s head and both his hands lay cut off on the threshold; only his body was left. 5That is why, to this day, the priests of Dagon and everyone who enters Dagon’s temple in Ashdod do not step on Dagon’s threshold.

6Then the hand of the LORD weighed heavily on the people of Ashdod. He brought ruin on them and struck them with tumors, both Ashdod and the land around it. 7When the people of Ashdod saw how things stood, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain among us. His hand is pressing hard on us and on Dagon our god.” 8So they sent for all the rulers of the Philistines and gathered them together. “What should we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” they asked. The rulers replied, “Have the ark of the God of Israel taken over to Gath.” So they took the ark of the God of Israel over there.

9But after they had moved it, the hand of the LORD was against that city and threw it into a great panic. He struck the people of the city, young and old, and tumors broke out on them. 10So they sent the ark of God on to Ekron. But as soon as the ark of God arrived in Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought the ark of the God of Israel over to us to kill us and our people!” 11So they sent for all the rulers of the Philistines and gathered them together. “Send the ark of the God of Israel away,” they said. “Let it go back to its own place, so that it does not kill us and our people.” For a deadly panic had spread through the whole city; the hand of God was very heavy there. 12Those who did not die were struck with tumors, and the cry of the city for help rose up to heaven.