They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither.

And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the Lord was against the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts.

10 Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people.

11 So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to his own place, that it slay us not, and our people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.

12 And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

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So they called together all the rulers(A) of the Philistines and asked them, “What shall we do with the ark of the god of Israel?”

They answered, “Have the ark of the god of Israel moved to Gath.(B)” So they moved the ark of the God of Israel.

But after they had moved it, the Lord’s hand was against that city, throwing it into a great panic.(C) He afflicted the people of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors.[a] 10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron.(D)

As the ark of God was entering Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought the ark of the god of Israel around to us to kill us and our people.” 11 So they called together all the rulers(E) of the Philistines and said, “Send the ark of the god of Israel away; let it go back to its own place, or it[b] will kill us and our people.” For death had filled the city with panic; God’s hand was very heavy on it. 12 Those who did not die(F) were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 5:9 Or with tumors in the groin (see Septuagint)
  2. 1 Samuel 5:11 Or he