1Imidlertid bragte filistrene Guds Ark fra slagmarken ved Eben-Ezer til byen Ashdod2og ind i deres afgudstempel, hvor den blev stillet ved siden af statuen af deres afgud, som hed Dagon.3Næste morgen kom byens indbyggere til templet for at se arken. Men dér lå Dagon næsegrus på jorden foran Guds Ark. De skyndte sig at stille ham på plads igen,4men næste morgen lå Dagon igen næsegrus på jorden foran Guds Ark. Hovedet og hænderne var tilmed brækket af og lå på dørtærskelen, kun kroppen var tilbage.5(Det er grunden til, at Dagons præster og de, som dyrker ham, den dag i dag undgår at træde på dørtærsklen til Dagons tempel i Ashdod.)6Herrens straf kom over indbyggerne i Ashdod. Han sendte en frygtelig plage over dem, så der udbrød en epidemi af bylder både i Ashdod og i de omliggende landsbyer.7Da folk blev klar over sammenhængen, udbrød de: „Vi vil ikke have Israels Guds Ark her i byen længere. Han er imod os og vil gøre det af med både os og vores gud, Dagon.”8Så sammenkaldte de filisterbyernes fem konger til rådslagning. „Hvad skal vi gøre ved Israels Guds Ark?” spurgte de. „Lad os flytte den til Gat,” var der nogen der foreslog.9Men da arken ankom til Gat, sendte Herren den samme plage over indbyggerne der. Både unge og gamle fik bylder, og de blev grebet af rædsel.10Derfor sendte de arken videre til Ekron. Da indbyggerne i Ekron så arken komme, protesterede de: „Nu bringer de Israels Guds Ark til os for at slå os ihjel!”11Byens ledere sendte straks bud til filisterkongerne og bad dem om at sørge for at få arken sendt tilbage til israelitterne, for ellers ville de alle blive udryddet. Byldeplagen var allerede begyndt i Ekron, og indbyggerne var rædselsslagne.12Nogle døde, mens resten blev dækket af bylder, og deres klageråb lød overalt.
English Standard Version
The Philistines and the Ark
1When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.2Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon.3And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place.4But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.5This is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.6The hand of the Lord was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory.7And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for his hand is hard against us and against Dagon our god.”8So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath.” So they brought the ark of the God of Israel there.9But after they had brought it around, the hand of the Lord was against the city, causing a very great panic, and he afflicted the men of the city, both young and old, so that tumors broke out on them.10So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But as soon as the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought around to us the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people.”11They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people.” For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city. The hand of God was very heavy there.12The men who did not die were struck with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
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