3
When the Ashdoditesaroseearly the nextmorning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the groundbefore the ark of the LORD. So they tookDagon and set him in his placeagain.
4
But when they aroseearly the nextmorning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the groundbefore the ark of the LORD. And the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cutoff on the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.
7
When the men of Ashdodsaw that it was so, they said, "The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is severe on us and on Dagon our god."
8
So they sent and gatheredall the lords of the Philistines to them and said, "What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?" And they said, "Let the ark of the God of Israel be broughtaround to Gath." And they brought the ark of the God of Israel around.
9
After they had brought it around, the hand of the LORD was against the city with verygreatconfusion; and He smote the men of the city, bothyoung and old, so that tumorsbroke out on them.
10
So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And as the ark of Godcame to Ekron the Ekronitescried out, saying, "They have brought the ark of the God of Israelaround to us, to kill us and our people."
11
They sent therefore and gatheredall the lords of the Philistines and said, "Sendaway the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, so that it will not kill us and our people." For there was a deadlyconfusionthroughout the city; the hand of God was veryheavythere.