Open English Translation 1SA Chapter 5

5 Now the Philistines had taken the sacred chest, and they took it from Eben-Ezer to Ashdod 2 where they carried it into the temple of their god Dagon and placed it beside a statue of Dagon. 3 Early the next day when the Ashdodites got up, to their horror Dagon had fallen to the ground on its face in front of Yahweh’s box. So they stood it up and returned it to its place. 4 But then the next morning, more shock: Dagon had fallen to the ground on its face in front of Yahweh’s box but now its hands and head were cut off, and were lying on the threshhold. Only its body remained intact. 5 (Because of that, until this day Dagon’s priests and everyone who enters Dagon’s temple in Ashdod won’t tread on the threshhold.)

6 Yahweh caused a lot of trouble for the people of Ashdod and he terrified them. He caused them and the people in the region to get lumpy growths on their skin. 7 When the leaders in Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The God of Israel’s box mustn’t stay with us because he’s punishing both us and our god Dagon.” 8 So they sent for all the Philistine rulers, and when they’d assembled they asked, “What should we do with the God of Israel’s box?”

“Let the God of Israel’s box be taken around to Gat,” they decided. So they moved it there. 9 After it arrived, Yahweh started punishing Gat and both young and old men in the city started getting growths on their skin, and it caused a huge panic. 10 So they sent God’s box to Ekron, but as soon as it entered the city, the Ekronites cried out, “Hey! They’ve brought the God of Israel’s box here to kill us and our people.” 11 So they sent for the Philistine rulers, and when they’d assembled they said, “Send the God of Israel’s box away. Send it back to its place so it won’t cause us and our people to die.” Because there was a deadly panic all over the city as God’s punishment there was severe 12 and the men who didn’t die suffered with the growths. So the people’s cry went up to the heavens.