Samuel & King Saul

The man said to 'Eli, "I'm the soldier that came; I escaped today from the battlefield." He asked, "How did things go, my son?"

The one who had come with the news answered, "Isra'el fled before the P'lishtim, and there was a terrible slaughter among the people. Your two sons, Hofni and Pinchas, also are dead; and the ark of God was captured.

As soon as he mentioned what had happened to the ark of God, 'Eli fell backward off his seat next to the gate, broke his neck and died; for he was an old man, and heavy. He had judged Isra'el forty years.

His daughter-in-law, Pinchas's wife, was pregnant and near delivery-time. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and husband were dead, she went into abnormal labor, bent over and gave birth.

As she was dying, the women standing by her said to her, "Don't be afraid, because you have given birth to a son." But she didn't answer or show any sign of recognition.

She named the child I-Khavod [without glory], saying, "The glory has departed from Isra'el"; because the ark of God had been captured, and because of her father-in-law and husband.

She said, "The glory of Isra'el has gone into exile, because the ark of God has been captured."

The P'lishtim had captured the ark of God and brought it from Even-'Ezer to Ashdod.

Then the P'lishtim took the ark of God, brought it to the temple of Dagon and set it next to Dagon.

But early the next morning, when the people of Ashdod got up, there was Dagon, fallen down with his face to the ground before the ark of ADONAI. They took Dagon and set him in his place again;

but early the following morning, when they got up, Dagon was again fallen down with his face to the ground before the ark of ADONAI; this time, the head of Dagon and both hands lay there, severed, on the threshold; all that was left of Dagon was his torso.

This is why, to this day, the priests of Dagon and those entering his temple never walk on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod.

ADONAI began oppressing the people of Ashdod; he ravaged them, striking Ashdod and its surrounding area with tumors.

When the people of Ashdod came to understand what was happening, they said, "The ark of the God of Isra'el can't remain with us, because he is oppressing us and our god Dagon."

They summoned all the leaders of the P'lishtim and asked, "What are we to do with the ark of the God of Isra'el?" They answered, "Have the ark of the God of Isra'el carried to Gat." So they carried the ark of the God of Isra'el to Gat.

But after it arrived there, ADONAI oppressed that city, causing terrible panic. He struck the people of the city, great and small alike; tumors broke out on them.

Next they sent the ark of God to 'Ekron; but when the ark of God arrived in 'Ekron the 'Ekronim shouted, "Now they've brought the ark of the God of Isra'el to us, to kill us and our people!"

So they summoned all the leaders of the P'lishtim and said, "Send the ark of the God of Isra'el away! Let it go back to its own place, so that it won't kill us and our people!"- because death and panic pervaded the whole city; God's oppression was very heavy there.

The people who didn't die were struck with the tumors; and the city's cries for help reached the skies.

The ark of ADONAI was in the country of the P'lishtim for seven months.

The P'lishtim summoned the priests and soothsayers and asked them, "What are we to do with the ark of ADONAI? Tell us how to send it back where it belongs."

They said, "If you do send off the ark of the God of Isra'el, don't send it back empty, but return it with some sort of guilt offering for him. Then you will be cured, and you will learn why he has not stopped oppressing you."

They asked, "What kind of guilt offering should we send him?" and they replied, "Five gold models of tumors and five gold rats, because that's how many leaders the P'lishtim have, and you and your leaders all had the same illness.

So make models of your tumors and models of your rats that are infesting your land, and show respect to the God of Isra'el. Maybe he will stop oppressing you, your gods and your land.

Why be obstinate like the Egyptians and Pharaoh were? When he had done his work among them, didn't they let the people go? - and they left.