1 Samuel

And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod.

1The Philistines had taken the ark of God. The ark was the special gold chest that belonged to Israel. They carried it from Ebenezer to their city Ashdod.

2When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.

2The Philistines brought the ark into the temple of Dagon. Dagon was the god they prayed to. They set the ark beside the statue of Dagon.

3And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again.

3The next morning the people of Ashdod got up early. They found the statue of Dagon lying face down in front of the ark. So they picked Dagon up and stood him back in his place.

4And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.

4The next morning they got up early again. Dagon was lying face down in front of the ark again. This time his head and both his hands were broken off. They lay on the doorstep. Only the body of the statue was left.

NoteThe KJV says "the palms of his hands" and "the stump of Dagon." It means the statue's hands broke off and only its trunk was left standing.

5Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon’s house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day.

5That is why the priests of Dagon do not step on that doorstep. Priests were the men who served at the temple. No one who enters Dagon's temple in Ashdod steps there, even today.

6But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof.

6But the LORD's hand pressed hard on the people of Ashdod. He ruined them. He made painful lumps grow on their bodies, in the city and the land around it.

NoteThe KJV word "emerods" is an old word for painful swellings or tumors on the body.

7And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god.

7The men of Ashdod saw what was happening. They said, "The ark of Israel's God must not stay with us. His hand is hard on us and on our god Dagon."

8They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, 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.

8So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines. They asked, "What should we do with the ark of Israel's God?" The rulers said, "Move it to the city of Gath." So they carried the ark to Gath.

9And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts.

9But after they moved it there, the LORD's hand was against that city too. Great trouble came on the people. Painful lumps broke out on the men, young and old.

10Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people.

10So they sent the ark of God to the city of Ekron. When it arrived, the people of Ekron cried out. They said, "They have brought us the ark of Israel's God to kill us and our people!"

11So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, Send 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.

11So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines. They said, "Send the ark of Israel's God away. Let it go back to its own place. Then it will not kill us and our people." Deadly trouble had spread through the whole city. God's hand was pressing very hard there.

12And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

12The men who did not die had the painful lumps on them. The cry of the city went up to heaven.