"The Lord's hand
was heavy upon the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; he
brought devastation upon them and afflicted them with
tumors. When the men of Ashdod saw what was happening, they
said, 'The ark of the god of Israel must not stay here with
us, because his hand is heavy upon us and upon Dagon our
god.' So they called together all the rulers of the
Philistines and asked them, "What shall we do with the ark
of the god of Israel?"