1 Samuel 5 - The Message (MSG)

Threatened with Mass Death

5 1-2 Once the Philistines had seized the Chest of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod, brought it into the shrine of Dagon, and placed it alongside the idol of Dagon.

3-5 Next morning when the citizens of Ashdod got up, they were shocked to find Dagon toppled from his place, flat on his face before the Chest of God. They picked him up and put him back where he belonged. First thing the next morning they found him again, toppled and flat on his face before the Chest of God. Dagon’s head and arms were broken off, strewn across the entrance. Only his torso was in one piece. (That’s why even today, the priests of Dagon and visitors to the Dagon shrine in Ashdod avoid stepping on the threshold.)

6 God was hard on the citizens of Ashdod. He devastated them by hitting them with tumors. This happened in both the town and the surrounding neighborhoods. He let loose rats among them. Jumping from ships there, rats swarmed all over the city! And everyone was deathly afraid.

7-8 When the leaders of Ashdod saw what was going on, they decided, “The chest of the god of Israel has got to go. We can’t handle this, and neither can our god Dagon.” They called together all the Philistine leaders and put it to them: “How can we get rid of the chest of the god of Israel?”

The leaders agreed: “Move it to Gath.” So they moved the Chest of the God of Israel to Gath.

9 But as soon as they moved it there, God came down hard on that city, too. It was mass hysteria! He hit them with tumors. Tumors broke out on everyone in town, young and old.

10-12 So they sent the Chest of God on to Ekron, but as the Chest was being brought into town, the people shouted in protest, “You’ll kill us all by bringing in this Chest of the God of Israel!” They called the Philistine leaders together and demanded, “Get it out of here, this Chest of the God of Israel. Send it back where it came from. We’re threatened with mass death!” For everyone was scared to death when the Chest of God showed up. God was already coming down very hard on the place. Those who didn’t die were hit with tumors. All over the city cries of pain and lament filled the air.

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1 Samuel 5 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

5 And the Philistines have taken the ark of God, and bring it in from Eben-Ezer to Ashdod, 2 and the Philistines take the ark of God and bring it into the house of Dagon, and set it near Dagon. 3 And the Ashdodites rise early on the morrow, and lo, Dagon is fallen on its face to the earth, before th...
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1 Samuel 5 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

5 And the Philistines took the ark of God, and bare it away from the stone of help into Ashdod. (And the Philistines took the Ark of God, and carried it away from Ebenezer unto Ashdod.) 2 And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it into the temple of Dagon, and setted it beside Dagon. 3 ...
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1 Samuel 5 - World English Bible (WEB)

5 Now the Philistines had taken God’s ark, and they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 The Philistines took God’s ark, and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon. 3 When the people of Ashdod arose early on the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before Y...
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1 Samuel 5 - The Voice (VOICE)

5 The Philistines brought the captured covenant chest of the True God from Ebenezer to one of their capital cities called Ashdod. 2 There the Philistines took the chest of the True God into the house of their god, Dagon, and placed it in a place of honor beside the idol of Dagon. 3 When the people...
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1 Samuel 5 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

The Ark Afflicts the Philistines5 Now the Philistines had taken the ark of God and they brought it from Eben-ezer to Ashdod. 2 The Philistines took the ark of God and brought it to the temple of Dagon, and placed it beside Dagon. 3 But when the Ashdodites arose early next morning, to everyone’s su...
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1 Samuel 5 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

The Philistines and the Ark5 When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they carried it from Ebene′zer to Ashdod; 2 then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon. 3 And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, Dagon ...
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1 Samuel 5 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

The Philistines and the Ark5 When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they carried it from Ebene′zer to Ashdod; 2 then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon. 3 And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, Dagon ...
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1 Samuel 5 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

The Philistines and the Ark5 When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod; 2 then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and placed it beside Dagon. 3 When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fa...
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1 Samuel 5 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

The Philistines and the Ark5 When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod;(A)2 then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and placed it beside Dagon.(B)3 When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, ...
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1 Samuel 5 - New Living Translation (NLT)

The Ark in Philistia5 After the Philistines captured the Ark of God, they took it from the battleground at Ebenezer to the town of Ashdod. 2 They carried the Ark of God into the temple of Dagon and placed it beside an idol of Dagon. 3 But when the citizens of Ashdod went to see it the next morning, ...
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1 Samuel 5 - New Life Version (NLV)

The Philistines and the Special Box5 The Philistines took the special box of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 They took the special box of God into the house of Dagon, and set it beside Dagon. 3 When the Ashdodites got up early the next morning, they saw that Dagon had fallen on his f...
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1 Samuel 5 - New King James Version (NKJV)

The Philistines and the Ark5 Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it (A)from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of (B)Dagon[a] and set it by Dagon. 3 And when the people of Ashdod arose early in the morning, there was Dago...
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1 Samuel 5 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

The ark in Ashdod and Ekron5 After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon. 3 When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground befo...
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1 Samuel 5 - New International Version (NIV)

The Ark in Ashdod and Ekron5 After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer(A) to Ashdod.(B) 2 Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon.(C) 3 When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen(D) on his face on the g...
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1 Samuel 5 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

The Ark in Ashdod and Ekron5 The Philistines had captured the ark of God. They took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 They carried the ark into the temple of their god Dagon. They set it down beside the statue of Dagon. 3 The people of Ashdod got up early the next day. They saw the statue of Dagon. Th...
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1 Samuel 5 - New English Translation (NET)

God Sends Trouble for the Philistines Who Have the Ark5 Now the Philistines had captured the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 The Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the temple of Dagon, where they positioned it beside Dagon. 3 When the residents of Ashdod got u...
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