1st Shamu'AL (1 Samuel) — 5

The Ark in Philistia

1 After the Philistines captured the Ark of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, they took it from the battleground at Abanazar to the town of Ashdud. 

2 They carried the Ark of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH into the temple of Dagun and placed it beside an idol of Dagun. 

3 But when the citizens of Ashdud went to see it the next morning, Dagun had fallen with his face to the ground in front of the Ark of  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH! So they took Dagun and put him in his place again. 

4 But the next morning the same thing happened, Dagun had fallen face down before the Ark of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH again. This time his head and hands had broken off and were lying in the doorway. Only the trunk of his body was left intact. 

5 That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagun nor anyone who enters the temple of Dagun in Ashdud will step on its threshold.

6 Then the heavy hand of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH  struck the people of Ashdud and the nearby villages with a plague of tumors. 

7 When the people realized what was happening, they cried out, “We can not keep the Ark of the 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH of Yashar'AL here any longer! 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH is against us! We will all be destroyed along with Dagun, our idol deity.”

8 So they called together the rulers of the Philistine towns and asked, “What should we do with the Ark of the 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH of Yashar'AL?” The rulers discussed it and replied, “Move it to the town of Gath.” So they moved the Ark of the 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH of Yashar'AL to Gath. 

9 But when the Ark arrived at Gath, the heavy hand of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH fell on its men, young and old; he struck them with a plague of tumors, and there was a great panic.

10 So they sent the Ark of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH to the town of Akrun, but when the people of Akrun saw it coming they cried out, “They are bringing the Ark of the 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH of Yashar'AL here to kill us, too!” 

11 The people summoned the Philistine rulers again and begged them, “Please send the Ark of the 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH of Yashar'AL back to its own country, or it will kill us all.” For the deadly plague from 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH had already begun, and great fear was sweeping across the town. 

12 Those who did not die were afflicted with tumors; and the cry from the town rose to Shamaym.