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Shared Word Translation

1 Samuel 5

The Ark Is Placed beside Dagon

The Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. The Philistines took the ark of God, brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it beside Dagon. The Ashdodites rose early the next day, and look, Dagon had fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and returned him to his place. They rose early the next morning, and look, Dagon had fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. The head of Dagon and both palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only Dagon’s trunk remained to him. Therefore the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon do not tread upon the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.

The Hand of the LORD Is Heavy on Ashdod

The hand of the LORD was heavy upon the Ashdodites, and he devastated them and struck them with tumors, Ashdod and its territories. When the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel shall not remain with us, for his hand is harsh upon us and upon Dagon our god.”

The Ark Is Sent to Gath

So they sent and gathered to themselves all the rulers of the Philistines and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They said, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath.” So they brought around the ark of the God of Israel. And it happened after they brought it around that the hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great panic. He struck the men of the city, from small to great, and tumors broke out upon them.

Ekron Refuses the Ark

So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it happened when the ark of God came to Ekron that the Ekronites cried out, saying, “They have brought around the ark of the God of Israel to us to put us and our people to death!” So they sent and gathered all the rulers of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its place, so that it does not put us and our people to death.” For there was a deadly panic throughout the whole city; the hand of God was very heavy there. The men who did not die were struck with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to the heavens.