1 Samuel 5:1–12
5 Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it afrom Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of bDagon 1and set it by Dagon. 3 And when the people of Ashdod arose early in the morning, there was Dagon, cfallen on its face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and dset it in its place again. 4 And when they arose early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. eThe head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold; only 2Dagon’s torso was left of it. 5 Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon’s house ftread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
6 But the ghand of the Lord was heavy on the people of Ashdod, and He hravaged them and struck them with itumors, 3both Ashdod and its jterritory. 7 And when the men of Ashdod saw how it was, they said, “The ark of the kGod of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is harsh toward us and Dagon our god.” 8 Therefore they sent and gathered to themselves all the llords 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 away to mGath.” So they carried the ark of the God of Israel away. 9 So it was, after they had carried it away, that nthe hand of the Lord was against the city with a very great destruction; and He struck the men of the city, both small and great, 4and tumors broke out on them.
10 Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. So it was, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, “They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to us, to kill 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 go back to its own place, so that it does not kill us and our people.” For there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there. 12 And the men who did not die were stricken with the tumors, and the ocry of the city went up to heaven.