ach. 4:1; 7:12
bJosh. 13:3
cJudg. 16:23
d[Isa. 46:1, 2]
e[Jer. 50:2; Ezek. 6:4, 6; Mic. 1:7]
f[Zeph. 1:9]
g[Ex. 9:3; Ps. 32:4; Acts 13:11]
hch. 6:5
iJosh. 13:3
jch. 7:13; 12:15; Deut. 2:15
k[See ver. 6 above]
l[See ver. 8 above]
m[See ver. 6 above]
n[See ver. 6 above]

1 Samuel 5

The Philistines and the Ark

1When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from aEbenezer to bAshdod. 2Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside cDagon. 3And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, dDagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place. 4But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord, eand the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. 5This is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon fdo not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.

6 gThe hand of the Lord was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with htumors, both Ashdod and its territory. 7And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for his hand is hard against us and against Dagon our god.” 8So they sent and gathered together all ithe lords of the Philistines and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath.” So they brought the ark of the God of Israel there. 9But after they had brought it around, jthe hand of the Lord was against the city, causing a very great panic, and he afflicted the men of the city, both young and old, so that ktumors broke out on them. 10So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But as soon as the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought around to us the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people.” 11 lThey sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people.” For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city. mThe hand of God was very heavy there. 12The men who did not die were struck with ntumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

Copyright information for ESV