The Ark Afflicts the Philistines

1And the Philistines toke the arke of God, and caryed it from the Eben ezer vnto Asdod. 2Yea the Philistines toke the arke of God, and brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon. 3And when they of Asdod were vp in the next daye in the mornyng, beholde, Dagon was fallen vpon his face on the earth before the arke of the Lorde: And they toke Dagon, and set him in his place agayne. 4And when they were come earlie in the next morning, beholde, Dagon was fallen vpon his face on the grounde before the arke of the Lorde, and his head and his two handes cut of vpon the thresholde, that onely the stumpe of Dagon was left to him. 5And therfore is it, that the priestes of Dagon, neither any man that commeth into Dagons house, treade not on the thresholde of Dagon in Asdod, vnto this day.

6But the hand of the Lorde was heauie vpon them of Asdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerodes, both Asdod, and all the coastes thereof. 7And when the men of Asdod sawe that it was so, they saide: The arke of the God of Israel shal not abide here with vs, for his hand is sore vpon vs, & vpon Dagon our God. 8They sent therfore, and gathered all the lordes of the Philistines vnto them, and saide: What shall we do with the arke of the God of Israel? They aunswered: Let the arke of the God of Israel be caryed about vnto Gath. And they caried the arke of the God of Israel about. 9And when they had caryed it about, the hand of the Lorde was agaynst the citie with a very great destruction, and he smote the men of the citie both small and great, and they had emerodes in their secrete partes. 10Therfore they sent the arke of God to Acaron: and assoone as the arke of God came to Acaron, the Acaronites cryed out, saying: They haue brought the arke of the God of Israel to vs, to slea vs, and our people. 11And so they sent, and gathered together al the lordes of the Philistines, and saide: Send away the arke of the God of Israel, to go agayne to his owne place, that it slea vs not, and our people. For there was a destruction and death thorowout all the citie, and the hand of God was exceeding sore there. 12And the men that dyed not, were smitten with the emerodes: And the crye of the citie went vp to heauen.