ǃGaeǀhaos ǂGaes Filisteǁîn tawa
1 Filisteǁîn ge ǃGaeǀhaos ǂGaes Elob disa ū tsî Ebenesersa xu ǁîn ǃās, Asdods ǁga ge ǃgû-ū. 2 Tsîn ge ǁîsa ǁîn elob, Dagonni tempeli ǃnâ ǂgâ-ū tsî Dagonni īb xōǀkhā ge mâi. 3 Sao ra ǁgoagan ge Asdods khoena Dagonni īb, ǃGaeǀhaos ǂGaes ǃKhūb dis aiǃâ, ǃhūb ai ǁnāǁgoe ǃkhaisa ge mû. On ge Dagonni ība ūkhâi tsî ǁkhawa ǃkhais âb ai ge mâi-oa. 4 Xawe sao ra tsēs ǃnauǁgoagan ge khâi, ob ge Dagonni ība ǁkhawa ais ǂama, ǃGaeǀhaos ǂGaes ǃKhūb dis aiǃâ ge ǁnāǁgoe i. ǁÎb danas tsî ǁôakha tsîn ge khôaǁnâ hâse dao-ams ǃnâ ge ǁgoe i, tsîs ge soros ǀguisa ge ǃgau hâ i. 5 ǁNā-amaga gu ge Dagonni di pristergu tsî ǁîb tempeli ǃnâ ra ǂgân tsîn hoana nētsēs kōse Dagonni tempeli, Asdods ǃnâ mâb dao-ams ǃnâ dā tama hâ.
6 ǃKhūb ge Asdods khoena kaise ǃgomse ge ǁkhara tsîb ge Asdods tsî ǁnā ǀkharib din ai tsuide hā kai tsî ǁîna ge ǃaoǃao. 7 Tsî Asdods din ge tare-i ra īsa mû, on ge ge mî: “ǃGaeǀhaos ǂGaes Israeli di Elob disa as ǃaruǀî tā sada tawa hâ, ǁîb kaise sada tsî sada elob, Dagonni tsîna ra ǁkhara xuige.” 8 Tsîn ge sîsabega sî tsî hoa koro gao-aogu Filisteǁîn diga ǂgaiǀhao tsî ge dî: “Tare-e da ǃGaeǀhaos ǂGaes, Israeli di Elob dis ǀkha nî dī?”
O gu ge gao-aoga ge mî: “As ǁîsa Gats ǃoa ǃgû-ūhe.” On ge ǃGaeǀhaos ǂGaes Israeli di Elob disa ǁnāǀî ge ǃgû-ū. 9 Xawe ǁîsan ge sī-ūs khaoǃgâb ge ǃKhūba ǁnā ǃās ona ǁkhara tsî kai ǃaoba ǁîs ǃnâ ge hā kai. ǁÎb ge ǁnā ǃās di khoen hoana, ǂkhamna xu kain kōse tsuin ǀkha ge ǁkhara. 10 ǁNās khaoǃgân ge ǃGaeǀhaos ǂGaes Elob disa Ekrons ǁga ge sî. ǁÎs ge ǁnāpa sī, on ge Ekrons khoena ge ǃau: “ǃGaeǀhaos ǂGaes Israeli di Elob disan ge sida ǃoa go hā-ū, sida tsî sida khoenan nî ǃgamga.” 11 On ge ǁkhawa sîsabega sî tsî Filisteǁîn di ǂgaeǂgui-aogu hoaga ǀhaoǀhao tsî ge mî: “ǃGaeǀhaos ǂGaes Israeli di Elob disa sî-oa ǁîs di ǃkhais ǂûs ǁga, îs tā sida tsî sida khoen tsîda ǃgam.” Kai ǃaob ge hoaraga ǃās ǃnâ ge hâ i, Elob ge ǁîna ǃgomse ǁkhara xui-ao. 12 ǁNān ǁō tama ge in ain ge tsuina ge ǂoa tsîb ge ǃaub âna ǃnūseb kōse gere ǁnâusen.
The Covenant Box among the Philistines
1 After the Philistines captured the Covenant Box, they carried it from Ebenezer to their city of Ashdod, 2 took it into the temple of their god Dagon, and set it up beside his statue. 3 Early the next morning the people of Ashdod saw that the statue of Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground in front of the Lord's Covenant Box. So they lifted it up and put it back in its place. 4 Early the following morning they saw that the statue had again fallen down in front of the Covenant Box. This time its head and both its arms were broken off and were lying in the doorway; only the body was left. ( 5 That is why even today the priests of Dagon and all his worshipers in Ashdod step over that place and do not walk on it.)
6 The Lord punished the people of Ashdod severely and terrified them. He punished them and the people in the surrounding territory by causing them to have tumors. 7 When they saw what was happening, they said, “The God of Israel is punishing us and our god Dagon. We can't let the Covenant Box stay here any longer.” 8 So they sent messengers and called together all five of the Philistine kings and asked them, “What shall we do with the Covenant Box of the God of Israel?”
“Take it over to Gath,” they answered; so they took it to Gath, another Philistine city. 9 But after it arrived there, the Lord punished that city too and caused a great panic. He punished them with tumors which developed in all the people of the city, young and old alike. 10 So they sent the Covenant Box to Ekron, another Philistine city; but when it arrived there, the people cried out, “They have brought the Covenant Box of the God of Israel here, in order to kill us all!” 11 So again they sent for all the Philistine kings and said, “Send the Covenant Box of Israel back to its own place, so that it won't kill us and our families.” There was panic throughout the city because God was punishing them so severely. 12 Even those who did not die developed tumors and the people cried out to their gods for help.
