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1 And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Abenezer to Azotus. 2 And the Philistines took the ark of the Lord, and brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon. 3 And the people of Azotus rose early, and entered into the house of Dagon; and looked, and behold, Dagon had fallen on his face before the ark of the Lord: and they lifted up Dagon, and set him in his place. And the hand of the Lord was heavy upon the Azotians, and he plagued them, and he struck them in their secret parts, Azotus and her coasts. 4 And it came to pass when they rose early in the morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off each before the threshold, and both the wrists of his hands had fallen on the floor of the porch; only the stump of Dagon was left. 5 Therefore the priests of Dagon, and every one that enters into the house of Dagon, do not tread upon the threshold of the house of Dagon in Azotus until this day, for they step over. 6 And the hand of the Lord was heavy upon Azotus, and he brought evil upon them, and it burst out upon them into the ships, and mice sprang up in the midst of their country, and there was a * great and indiscriminate mortality in the city. 7 And the men of Azotus saw that it was so, and they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us, for his hand is † heavy upon us and upon Dagon our god. 8 And they send and gather the lords of the Philistines to them, and say, What shall we do to the ark of the God of Israel? and the Gittites say, Let the ark of God come over to us; and the ark of the God of Israel came to Geth. 9 And it came to pass after it went about to Geth, that the hand of the Lord comes upon the city, a very great confusion; and he struck the men of the city small and great, and struck them in their secret parts: and the Gittites made to themselves images of tumours. 10 And they send away the ark of God to Ascalon; and it came to pass when the ark of God went into Ascalon, that the men of Ascalon cried out, saying, Why have you⌃ brought back the ark of the God of Israel to us, to kill us and our people? 11 And they send and gather the lords of the Philistines, and they said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it lodge in its place; and let it not kill us and our people. 12 For there was a very great confusion in all the city, when the ark of the God of Israel entered there; and those, who lived and ‡ died not were struck with tumours; and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
* 5:6 Gr. great confusion of death. † 5:7 Gr. hard. ‡ 5:12 Gr. dead.