1 Now the Philistines, having taken the ark of God, took it with them from Eben-ezer to Ashdod.2 They took the ark of God into the house of Dagon and put it by the side of Dagon.3 And when the people of Ashdod got up early on the morning after, they saw that Dagon had come down to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord. And they took Dagon up and put him in his place again.4 And when they got up early on the morning after, Dagon had come down to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord; and his head and his hands were broken off on the doorstep; only the base was in its place.5 So to this day no priest of Dagon, or any who come into Dagon's house, will put his foot on the doorstep of the house of Dagon in Ashdod.6 But the hand of the Lord was hard on the people of Ashdod and he sent disease on them through all the country of Ashdod.7 And when the men of Ashdod saw how it was, they said, Let not the ark of the God of Israel be with us, for his hand is hard on us and on Dagon our god.8 So they sent for all the lords of the Philistines to come together there, and said, What are we to do with the ark of the God of Israel? And their answer was, Let the ark of the God of Israel be taken away to Gath. So they took the ark of the God of Israel away.9 But after they had taken it away, the hand of the Lord was stretched out against the town for its destruction: and the signs of disease came out on all the men of the town, small and great.10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And when the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of the town made an outcry, saying, They have sent the ark of the God of Israel to us for the destruction of us and of our people.11 So they sent and got together all the lords of the Philistines, and they said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go back to its place, so that it may not be the cause of death to us and to our people: for there was a great fear of death through all the town; the hand of God was very hard on them there.12 And those men who were not overtaken by death were cruelly diseased: and the cry of the town went up to heaven.

1 Philisthiim autem tulerunt arcam Dei, et asportaverunt eam a lapide Adjutorii in Azotum. 2 Tuleruntque Philisthiim arcam Dei, et intulerunt eam in templum Dagon, et statuerunt eam juxta Dagon. 3 Cumque surrexissent diluculo Azotii altera die, ecce Dagon jacebat pronus in terra ante arcam Domini : et tulerunt Dagon, et restituerunt eum in locum suum. 4 Rursumque mane die altera consurgentes, invenerunt Dagon jacentem super faciem suam in terra coram arca Domini : caput autem Dagon, et du palm manuum ejus absciss erant super limen : 5 porro Dagon solus truncus remanserat in loco suo. Propter hanc causam non calcant sacerdotes Dagon, et omnes qui ingrediuntur templum ejus, super limen Dagon in Azoto, usque in hodiernum diem. 6 Aggravata est autem manus Domini super Azotios, et demolitus est eos : et percussit in secretiori parte natium Azotum, et fines ejus. Et ebullierunt vill et agri in medio regionis illius, et nati sunt mures et facta est confusio mortis magn in civitate. 7 Videntes autem viri Azotii hujuscemodi plagam, dixerunt : Non maneat arca Dei Isral apud nos : quoniam dura est manus ejus super nos, et super Dagon deum nostrum. 8 Et mittentes congregaverunt omnes satrapas Philisthinorum ad se, et dixerunt : Quid faciemus de arca Dei Isral ? Responderuntque Gethi : Circumducatur arca Dei Isral. Et circumduxerunt arcam Dei Isral. 9 Illis autem circumducentibus eam, fiebat manus Domini per singulas civitates interfectionis magn nimis : et percutiebat viros uniuscujusque urbis, a parvo usque ad majorem, et computrescebant prominentes extales eorum. Inieruntque Gethi consilium, et fecerunt sibi sedes pelliceas. 10 Miserunt ergo arcam Dei in Accaron. Cumque venisset arca Dei in Accaron, exclamaverunt Accaronit, dicentes : Adduxerunt ad nos arcam Dei Isral ut interficiat nos et populum nostrum. 11 Miserunt itaque et congregaverunt omnes satrapas Philisthinorum : qui dixerunt : Dimittite arcam Dei Isral, et revertatur in locum suum, et non interficiat nos cum populo nostro. 12 Fiebat enim pavor mortis in singulis urbibus, et gravissima valde manus Dei. Viri quoque qui mortui non fuerant, percutiebantur in secretiori parte natium : et ascendebat ululatus uniuscujusque civitatis in clum.