5Once the Philistines had seized the Chest of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod,H6430H3947H727H430H935H72H7952brought it into the shrine of Dagon, and placed it alongside the idol of Dagon.H6430H3947H727H430H935H1004H1712H3322H681H17123Next 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.H796H7925H4283H1712H5307H6440H776H6440H727H3068H3947H1712H7725H4725H77254First 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.H7925H4283H1242H1712H5307H6440H776H6440H727H3068H7218H1712H8147H3709H3027H3772H4670H1712H76045(That's why even today, the priests of Dagon and visitors to the Dagon shrine in Ashdod avoid stepping on the threshold.)H3548H1712H935H1712H1004H1869H4670H1712H795H31176GOD 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.H3027H3068H3513H796H8074H5221H2914H6076H795H13667When 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."H582H795H7200H559H727H430H3478H3427H3027H7185H1712H4308They 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.H7971H622H5633H6430H559H6213H727H430H3478H559H727H430H3478H5437H1661H5437H727H430H3478H54379But 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.H310H5437H3027H3068H5892H3966H1419H4103H5221H582H5892H6996H1419H2914H6076H836810So 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!"H7971H727H430H6138H727H430H935H6138H6139H2199H559H5437H727H430H3478H4191H597111They 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.H7971H622H5633H6430H559H7971H727H430H3478H7725H4725H4191H5971H4194H4103H5892H3027H430H3966H351312Those who didn't die were hit with tumors. All over the city cries of pain and lament filled the air.H582H4191H5221H2914H6076H7775H5892H5927H8064