Just as the abuse of the Ark had proven a curse to the Is'ra-el-ites, so its presence among the Phi-lis'tines became the source of terrible calamities. When the people came into the temple to worship on the next morning they found the image of Da'gon lying on its face before the Ark. On the next morning a still worse thing happened, for they found that not only had Da'gon fallen again, but his head and hands, the emblems of his strength, were cut off. Neither priests nor people dared to cross the threshold of the temple. In addition to the mysterious disasters which befell their fish-god, the people of the city and surrounding coast-lands were afflicted with a plague of boils, which caused great suffering and death.
Overwhelmed by their sufferings and by the clear supremacy of the God of Is'ra-el over their chief god, the people of Ash'dod hastily sent the Ark off to Gath, another chief city of the nation ten miles to the east. When the same affliction came upon the people of that city, they rushed the Ark off to Ek'ron, where the same punishments were repeated.
The cry of the people against these disasters was so intense that the lords of the Phi-lis'tines gathered in council. It was then decided to send the Ark back to Is'ra-el with an offering of golden jewels; this was done in the hope of appeasing the anger of God against them. Under the instructions of the magicians of the land they prepared five golden emerods to represent the plague of boils, and five golden mice in token of the hordes of these pests which had infested the land. This was in keeping with the heathen custom of presenting to their gods offerings which expressed the mercy desired.
A new cart drawn by two milch kine was used for the removal of the Ark. It was carried to Beth-she'mesh within the borders of Ben'ja-min, placed on a large stone in the field of a man named Josh'u-a, and there the cows were offered as a burnt sacrifice to the LORD.
The people of Beth-she'mesh did not treat the Ark with proper reverence,-some of them even looking into it-so the LORD punished thousands of them with death. The Ark was then removed to Kir-jath-Je'a-rim, a much larger town in the territory of the tribe of Ju'dah on the road to Shi'loh. Here it was placed in the home of A-bin'a-dab, and his son E-le-a'zar was appointed to protect it from all irreverence. The Ark remained in the house of A-bin'a-dab for seventy years or more, and was later restored to the Tabernacle by David.
