1 Samuel 5

Modern

Literal

The Ark Afflicts the Philistines

¹After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod,

¹And the Philistines took the ark of God, and they brought it in from Eben-ezer to Ashdod.

²carried it into the temple of Dagon, and set it beside his statue.^a

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

³When the people of Ashdod got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on his face before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and returned him to his place.

³And the Ashdodites arose early in the morning, and there was Dagon, fallen on his face to the earth before the face of the ark of YHWH. And they took Dagon, and returned him to his place.

⁴But when they got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on his face before the ark of the LORD, with his head and his hands broken off and lying on the threshold. Only the torso remained.

⁴And they arose in the morning on the next day, and behold, Dagon was fallen on his face to the ground before the face of the ark of YHWH, and the head of Dagon and the two palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold. Only Dagon was left of it.

⁵That is why, to this day, the priests of Dagon and all who enter the temple of Dagon in Ashdod do not step on the threshold.

⁵Upon thus the priests of Dagon—and all those coming into the house of Dagon—do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.

⁶Now the hand of the LORD was heavy on the people of Ashdod and its vicinity, ravaging them and afflicting them with tumors.^a

⁶And the hand of YHWH was heavy on the Ashdodites, and He ravaged them and struck them with tumors, Ashdod and its borders.

⁷And when the men of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not stay here with us, because His hand is heavy upon us and upon our god Dagon.”

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

⁸So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and asked, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?”

“It must be moved to Gath,” they replied. So they carried away the ark of the God of Israel.

⁸And 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 answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried away to Gath.” And they carried away the ark of the God of Israel.

⁹But after they had moved the ark to Gath, the LORD’s hand was also against that city, throwing it into great confusion and afflicting the men of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors.

⁹And it came to pass, after they had carried it away, that the hand of YHWH was against the city with a very great destruction, and He struck the men of the city from small and to great, and tumors broke forth on them.

¹⁰So they sent the ark of God to Ekron, but as it arrived, the Ekronites cried out, “They have brought us the ark of the God of Israel in order to kill us and our people!”

¹⁰And they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as came the ark of God to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, “They have brought to us the ark of the God of Israel to kill me and my people.”

¹¹Then the Ekronites called together all the rulers of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel. It must return to its place, so that it will not^a kill us and our people!”

For a deadly confusion had pervaded the city; the hand of God was very heavy upon it.

¹¹And 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 back to its own place, so that it does not kill me and my people.” For there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.

¹²Those who did not die were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.

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