The Ark Afflicts the Philistines 1 UST When the Philistine soldiers captured God’ s sacred chest, they took it from the area of Ebenezer{, where they had fought the Israelites,} to their city of Ashdod. BSB BSB: After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod,
2 UST They carried it into the temple of their god Dagon and placed it alongside a statue of Dagon. BSB BSB: carried it into the temple of Dagon, and set it beside his statue.
3 UST The next morning, when the people of Ashdod first got up, they{ went into the temple and} saw that the statue was lying face down on the ground in front of Yahweh’ s sacred chest! So they picked up the statue of Dagon and put it back in its usual place. BSB BSB: When the people of Ashdod got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on his face before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and returned him to his place.
4 UST But when they first got up the following morning, they saw that it was once again lying face down on the ground in front of Yahweh’ s sacred chest. And the statue no longer had its head or hands. Those were lying in the doorway. All it had left was its body. BSB BSB: But when they got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on his face before the ark of the LORD, with his head and his hands broken off and lying on the threshold. Only the torso remained.
5 UST That is the reason why, ever since that time, the priests of Dagon and everyone else who enters the temple of Dagon in Ashdod do not step on the doorway{ where the hands and head of Dagon were lying}. BSB BSB: That is why, to this day, the priests of Dagon and all who enter the temple of Dagon in Ashdod do not step on the threshold.
6 UST Then Yahweh made the people of Ashdod suffer greatly. A plague{ of mice} destroyed their crops, and many people in the city and in the surrounding region got unhealthy growths on their skin. BSB BSB: Now the hand of the LORD was heavy on the people of Ashdod and its vicinity, ravaging them and afflicting them with tumors.
7 UST When the people of Ashdod saw what was happening, they cried out,“The god of the Israelites is severely punishing us and our god Dagon. So we cannot keep his sacred chest here!” BSB BSB: And when the men of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not stay here with us, because His hand is heavy upon us and upon our god Dagon.”
8 UST They summoned the five rulers of the Philistines and asked them,“What should we do with the sacred chest of the God of the Israelites?” The rulers replied,“Send the sacred chest to the city of Gath.” So they moved it to Gath. BSB BSB: So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and asked, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” “It must be moved to Gath,” they replied. So they carried away the ark of the God of Israel.
9 UST But when they took the sacred chest to Gath, Yahweh made the people of that city suffer as well. This caused very great distress. Throughout the city, people of all ages died, and many others got unhealthy skin growths. BSB BSB: But after they had moved the ark to Gath, the LORD’s hand was also against that city, throwing it into great confusion and afflicting the men of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors.
11 UST So the people of Ekron also summoned the Philistine rulers. When they came, the people said to them,“Send this sacred chest of the god of the Israelites back to its own place! Otherwise, it will cause us and our families to die!” There was great distress throughout the city because so many people were dying. God was punishing them very severely. BSB BSB: Then the Ekronites called together all the rulers of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel. It must return to its place, so that it will not kill us and our people!” For a deadly confusion had pervaded the city; the hand of God was very heavy upon it.
12 UST Some of the people in Ekron had already died, and the rest of the people were suffering badly because of unhealthy growths on their skin. The people of the city were wailing so loudly that other people far away could hear them. BSB BSB: Those who did not die were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.