These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned for a guilt offering to the Lord: for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ashkelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one.
Do not report it in Gath, do not announce it in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, or the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.
Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria and became ill. So he sent messengers and said to them, “Go, inquire of Baal-Zebub the god of Ekron whether I will recover from this illness.”
He went out to make war with the Philistines, and he broke through the walls at Gath and Jabneh and Ashdod. Then he built cities in Ashdod and among the Philistines.
and all the foreign people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines (even Ashkelon, and Gaza, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod);
If he cannot afford an animal, then he shall bring for his guilt offering, on account of the sin that he committed, two turtledoves or two pigeons to the Lord, one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering.
Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they carried away into exile an entire deportation, to deliver them up to Edom.
Cross over to Kalneh and see, and go from there to Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Philistines— are you better than these kingdoms? Or is their territory greater than your territory?
Then the Spirit of the Lord mightily came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon and struck down thirty of their men. He took their clothes and gave them to the ones who had explained the riddle. His anger burned and he went up to his father’s house.
Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came about that as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, “They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to slay us and our people.”
So they sent and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” And they answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried around to Gath.” And they carried the ark of the God of Israel there.
Then said they, “What will be the guilt offering which we will return to Him?” They answered, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice according to the number of the lords of the Philistines. For one plague was on you all, and on your lords.