1 Samuel 5

¹ And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer untoWhich was one of the five principal cities of the Philistines.Ashdod.

² When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house ofWhich was their chief idol, and as some write, from the navel downward was like a fish, and upward like a man.Dagon, and set it by Dagon.

³ And when they of Ashdod rose the next day in the morning, beholde, Dagon was fallen vpon his face on the ground before the Arke of the Lord, and they tooke vp Dagon, and set him in his place againe.

⁴ Also they rose vp earely in the morning the next day, and beholde, Dagon was fallen vpon his face on the ground before the Arke of the Lord, and the head of Dagon and the two palmes of his hands were cut off vpon the thresholde: onely the stumpe of Dagon was left to him.

⁵ Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house,Thus instead of acknowledging the true God by this miracle, they fall into greater superstition.tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day.

⁶ But the hand of the Lord was heauie vpon them of Ashdod, and destroyed them, and smote them with the emerods, both Ashdod, and the coastes thereof.

⁷ And when the men of Ashdod sawe this, they sayd, Let not the Arke of the God of Israel abide with vs: for his hand is sore vpon vs and vpon Dagon our god.

⁸ They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said,Though they had felt God's power and were afraid of it, yet they tried him even further, which God turned to their destruction and his glory.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 about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about [thither].

⁹ And when they had caried it about, the hand of the Lord was against the citie with a very great destruction, and he smote the men of the citie both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret partes.

¹⁰ Therefore they sent the Arke of God to Ekron: and assoone as the Arke of God came to Ekron, the Ekronites cryed out, saying, They haue brought the Arke of the God of Israel to vs to slay vs and our people.

¹¹ So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, SendThe wicked when they feel the hand of God, grudge and reject him, where the godly humble themselves, and cry for mercy.away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to his own place, that it slay us not, 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 that dyed not, were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the citie went vp to heauen.