The Ark in Philistine Hands

5 After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer^(A) to Ashdod,^{(B) 2} brought it into the temple of Dagon^[a](C) and placed it next to his statue.^{[b] 3} When the people of Ashdod got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen with his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord.^(D) So they took Dagon and returned him to his place. ⁴ But when they got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen with his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. This time, both Dagon’s head and the palms of his hands were broken off and lying on the threshold. Only Dagon’s torso remained.^[c]

⁵⁴ David took Goliath’s^[a] head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put Goliath’s weapons in his own tent.