The Israelites were defeated. The Israelites fled. There was a great loss of life. 30,000 Israelite foot soldiers died. The Ark of God was captured.

Eli's sons, Phinehas and Hophni, died. Eli was disturbed about the Ark of God being captured. A man from the battlefield brought news to Eli. Eli had poor eyesight. Eli was 98 years old.

"I have come from the battlefield." "Today, I fled from there." "The Israelites have fled before the Philistines." "There was a great loss of life among the people." "Your two sons, Phinehas and Hophni, are dead."

Upon hearing about the Ark being captured, Eli fell backward near the gate. He broke his neck and died. He was old and heavy. He had judged Israel for 50 years. He had judged Israel for 40 years.

Phinehas' wife was heavily pregnant. She heard that the Ark had been captured. She heard that Phinehas had died. She went into labor due to the news. She gave birth to a son.

The midwife told her, "You have given birth to a son." She did not respond or care. She was distressed about the Ark being captured and her father-in-law's death. She named the child "Ichabod," meaning "The glory has departed from Israel." She grieved for her husband' death.

"The glory has departed from Israel." "Because the Ark of God has been captured." "I am going to the battlefield." "I can defeat the Philistines." "Now, I will protect Israel."

They did not break or destroy it. They carried it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. They placed the Ark in the temple of Dagon. The Ark was positioned near Dagon's statue. The Philistines were afraid when they saw it.

They placed it near the statue of Dagon. The next morning, the people of Ashdod found Dagon's statue fallen. The statue was lying facedown before the Ark of God. Dagon's statue was lying facedown near the Ark. The Philistines were afraid when they saw this.

Dagon's statue fell facedown again before the Ark. The statue's head had broken off. The statue's hands were also broken off. Only the statue’s torso remained. The Philistines eventually put away the statue.

Dagon’s priests do not step on Dagon’s temple threshold to this day. The people of Dagon do not step on it either. The people of Ashdod also avoid stepping on it. They placed the broken statue beside the Ark. Because the statue broke, they offered incense in the temple.

The Lord's hand was heavy against the people of Ashdod. The Lord struck the people of Ashdod and their neighbouring regions. He afflicted them with tumours. The people of Ashdod scorned the Lord. The people of Ashdod offered sacrifices to the Ark.

They saw that the Lord was punishing them. They said, "The Ark of the God of Israel cannot remain with us." "His hand is harsh against us and our god Dagon." They believed that the God of Israel was the true God. They said, "We don’t need Dagon anymore."

They sent messengers to gather all the Philistine rulers. The Philistine leaders discussed what to do with the Ark. They decided to send the Ark to another city. They carried out the plan and moved the Ark. They performed rituals and bathed in preparation.

The Lord’s hand struck that city as well. The city suffered great destruction. The leading men of the city were afflicted with tumours. The common people were also struck with tumours. The people applied ointments to the tumours.