The Ark in Ashdod and Ekron
1The Philistines had captured the ark of God. They took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2They carried the ark into the temple of their god Dagon. They set it down beside the statue of Dagon. 3The people of Ashdod got up early the next day. They saw the statue of Dagon. There it was, lying on the ground! It had fallen on its face in front of the ark of the Lord. So they picked up the statue of Dagon. They put it back in its place. 4But the following morning when they got up, they saw the statue of Dagon. There it was, lying on the ground again! It had fallen on its face in front of the ark of the Lord. Its head and hands had been broken off. Only the body of the statue was left. Its head and hands were lying in the doorway of the temple. 5That’s why to this day no one steps on the bottom part of the doorway of Dagon’s temple at Ashdod. Not even the priests of Dagon step there.
6The Lord’s power was against the people of Ashdod and the settlements near it. He destroyed them. He made them suffer with growths in their bodies. 7The people of Ashdod saw what was happening. They said, “The ark of the god of Israel must not stay here with us. His power is against us and against our god Dagon.” 8So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines. They asked them, “What should we do with the ark of the god of Israel?”
The rulers answered, “Have the ark moved to Gath.” So they moved it.
9But after the people of Ashdod had moved the ark, the Lord’s power was against Gath. That threw its people into a great panic. The Lord made them break out with growths in their bodies. It happened to young people and old people alike. 10So the ark of God was sent to Ekron.
As the ark was entering Ekron, the people of the city cried out. They shouted, “They’ve brought the ark of the god of Israel to us. They want to kill us and our people.” 11So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines. They said, “Send the ark of the god of Israel away. Let it go back to its own place. If you don’t, it will kill us and our people.” The death of so many people had filled the city with panic. God’s power was against the city. 12Those who didn’t die suffered with growths in their bodies. The people of Ekron cried out to heaven for help.
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1-2ペリシテ人は奪い取った神の箱を、エベン・エゼルの戦場からアシュドデの町へ移し、偶像ダゴンの宮に運び込みました。 3ところが翌朝、人々が見物に来ると、なんということでしょう。ダゴンが神の箱の前で、うつぶせに倒れているではありませんか。人々はあわてて元どおりに安置しました。 4ところが、次の日も同じことが起こったのです。ダゴンの像は神の箱の前にうつぶせに倒れ、しかも今度は胴体だけで、頭と両手は切り取られて敷居のあたりに散らばっていました。 5そういうわけで、ダゴンの祭司も参拝者も、今日に至るまで、アシュドデにあるダゴンの宮の敷居を踏んだことがありません。
6さらに主は、アシュドデと周囲の村々の住民を腫物で打ち始めました。 7この出来事に人々は浮足立ちました。「これ以上、イスラエルの神の箱をここに置いてはならない。ダゴンの神もろとも、みんな大変な目に会うぞ。」
8ペリシテ人の五つの町の指導者が召集され、イスラエルの神の箱をどうしたものか協議しました。その結果、ガテに移しました。 9ところが移せば移したで、今度はガテの町の人々が、老若を問わず、腫物によって打たれたのです。町はパニックに陥りました。 10そこで人々は、その箱をエクロンに送りました。しかし神の箱を見たエクロンの人々は、「イスラエルの神の箱を持って来たりして、われわれまで殺す気か」と騒ぎだしたのです。 11そこで人々はもう一度指導者を召集し、町が全滅しないように神の箱をイスラエルに戻してほしいと懇願しました。腫物の災難が広がり、町はどこもかしこも死の恐怖におびえていたからです。 12いのちが助かった者もひどい腫物に悩まされ、至る所で悲痛な叫びが聞かれました。
