1 Samuel 5

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 When the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.	1 The Philistines, having captured the ark of God, transferred it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.
2 Taking the ark of God, the Philistines put it in the temple of Dagon, setting it down beside Dagon.	2 They then took the ark of God and brought it into the temple of Dagon, placing it beside Dagon.
3 When the people of Ashdod got up the fol owing morning and went to the temple of Dagon, there layDagon face down on the ground before the ark of Yahweh. They picked Dagon up and put him back in his place.	3 When the people of Ashdod rose early the next morning, Dagon was lying prone on the ground before the ark of the LORD. So they picked Dagon up and replaced him.
4 But when they got up on the fol owing morning, there lay Dagon face down on the ground before the arkof Yahweh, and Dagon's head and two hands lay severed on the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left inits place.	4 But the next morning early, when they arose, Dagon lay prone on the ground before the ark of the LORD, his head and hands broken off and lying on the threshold, his trunk alone intact.
5 This is why the priests of Dagon and the people frequenting Dagon's temple never step on Dagon'sthreshold in Ashdod, even today.	5 For this reason, neither the priests of Dagon nor any others who enter the temple of Dagon tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this very day; they always step over it.
6 Yahweh oppressed the people of Ashdod; he ravaged them and afflicted them with tumours -- Ashdodand its territory. When the people of Ashdod saw what was happening they said,	6 Now the LORD dealt severely with the people of Ashdod. He ravaged and afflicted the city and its vicinity with hemorrhoids; he brought upon the city a great and deadly plague of mice that swarmed in their ships and overran their fields.
7 'The ark of the God of Israel must not stay here with us, for he is oppressing us and our god Dagon.'	7 On seeing how matters stood, the men of Ashdod decided, "The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for he is handling us and our god Dagon severely."
8 So they summoned al the Philistine chiefs to them, and said, 'What shal we do with the ark of the Godof Israel?' They decided, 'The ark of the God of Israel shal be taken away to Gath.' So they took the ark of theGod of Israel to Gath.	8 So they summoned all the Philistine lords and inquired of them, "What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?" The men of Gath replied, "Let them move the ark of the God of Israel on to us."
9 But after they had taken it there, Yahweh oppressed that town and a great panic broke out; afflicting thepeople of the town from highest to lowest, he brought them out in tumours too.	9 So they moved the ark of the God of Israel to Gath! But after it had been brought there, the LORD threw the city into utter turmoil: he afflicted its inhabitants, young and old, and hemorrhoids broke out on them.
10 They then sent the ark of God to Ekron, but when it came to Ekron the Ekronites shouted, 'They havebrought me the ark of the God of Israel to kil me and my people!'	10 The ark of God was next sent to Ekron; but as it entered that city, the people there cried out, "Why have they brought the ark of the God of Israel here to kill us and our kindred?"
11 They summoned al the Philistine chiefs and said, 'Send the ark of the God of Israel away; let it goback to where it belongs and not kill me and my people' -- for there was mortal panic throughout the town; Godwas oppressing them.	11 Then they, too, sent a summons to all the Philistine lords and pleaded: "Send away the ark of the God of Israel. Let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our kindred." A deadly panic had seized the whole city, since the hand of God had been very heavy upon it.
12 The people who did not die were afflicted with tumours, and the wailing from the town rose to the sky.	12 Those who escaped death were afflicted with hemorrhoids, and the outcry from the city went up to the heavens.