And the Azotians rose early and entered the house of Dagon, and they looked, and behold, Dagon had fallen upon his face before the ark of God. And they raised Dagon up and set him in his place. And the hand of the Lord was heavy upon the Azotians, and he tormented them and struck them in their private parts, Azotos and its borders.
And it came to pass, when they rose early in the morning, behold, Dagon had fallen upon his face before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both palms of his hands were cut off upon the front parts of amapheth, each one; and both the wrists of his hands had fallen upon the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left.
Therefore the priests of Dagon, and everyone who enters the house of Dagon, do not tread upon the step of the house of Dagon in Azotus to this day, for they always step clean over it.
And the hand of the Lord was heavy upon Azotus, and he brought it upon them, and it broke out upon them as far as the ships; and in the middle of her country mice sprang up, and there came a great confusion of death in the city.
And the men of Azotus saw that it was so, and they say, The ark of the God of Israel shall not stay with us, for his hand is hard upon us and upon Dagon our god.
And they send and gather the lords of the Philistines to them, and they say, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And the Gittites say, Let the ark of God come over to us. And the ark of God came over to Geththa.
And it came to pass after it had come over, that the hand of the Lord comes upon the city, a very great tumult; and he struck the men of the city from small to great, and he struck them in their seats; and the Gittites made for themselves seats.
And they send away the ark of God to Ascalon. And it came to pass, when the ark of God entered Ascalon, that the Ascalonites cried out, saying, Why have you turned the ark of the God of Israel back to us, to put us and our people to death?
And they send and gather the lords of the Philistines, and they said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it settle in its own place, and let it not put us and our people to death; for there came a very heavy confusion of death in the whole city when the ark of the God of Israel entered there.