10-12 So 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!” They 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. Those who didn’t die were hit with tumors. All over the city cries of pain and lament filled the air.

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11 So they called together all the rulers(A) of the Philistines and said, “Send the ark of the god of Israel away; let it go back to its own place, or it[a] 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(B) were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 5:11 Or he