1 ¶ When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.

2 And the Philistines took the ark of God into the temple of Dagon, and set it next to Dagon.

3 And when the people of Ashdod got up early the next day, Dagon had fallen with his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon, and put him back in his place.

4 And when they got up early the next day, Dagon had fallen with his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and the palms of both his hands were broken off and lying on the threshold; only the torso of Dagon remained.

5 That is why neither the priests of Dagon, nor any who come into Dagon’s house, step on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.

6 ¶ But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon those of Ashdod, and he terrified them, and afflicted them with swellings, both Ashdod and the surrounding territory.

7 And 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 grievous upon us, and upon Dagon our god.

8 So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, 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 around to Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel there.

9 But after they had taken it there, the hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great destruction: and he afflicted the men of the city, both small and great, and they had swellings on their private parts.

10 Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And when the ark of God arrived in Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people.

11 So 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 return to its own place, so that it does not kill us, and our people: for the fear of death pervaded the city; God’s hand was very heavy there.

12 And the men who did not die were afflicted with swellings: and the cry of the city went up to heaven.