Soothly these be the golden arses, which the Philistines yielded to the Lord for their trespass; Ashdod yielded one; Gaza one; Askelon one; Gath one; Ekron one;
do not ye tell this in Gath, neither tell ye in the way-lots of Askelon; lest peradventure the daughters of Philis-tines be glad, lest the daughters of uncircumcised men joy.
And Ahaziah felled [or fell] through the alures, [or windows] or lattice of his solar, which he had in Samaria, and was made sick; and he sent messengers, and said to them, Go ye, and counsel with Baalzebub, [the] god of Ekron, whether I may live after this sickness of me.
And he went out, and fought against Philistines, and destroyed the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod; and he builded strong places in Ashdod, and in Philistines.
and to all men generally, to all the kings of the land Uz, and to all the kings of the land of Philistines, and to Ashkelon, and to Azzah, and to Ekron, and to the residues of Ashdod;
And the Lord saith these things, On three great trespasses of Gaza, and on four, I shall not convert it, for it translated perfect captivity, to enclose that altogether in Idumea.
Go ye into Calneh, and see ye, and go ye from thence into Hamath the great; and go ye down into Gath of Palestines, and to all the best realms of them, if their term be broader than your term.
The Lord smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and the Lord smite the part of body whereby ordures, or turds, be voided out; also the Lord smite thee with scab, and itching, so that thou mayest not be cured.
Therefore the spirit of the Lord felled into him; and he went down to Ashkelon, and killed there thirty men, whose clothes he took away, and he gave to them that solved the problem; and he was full wroth, and went up into his father’s house.
And when the Philistines had taken him, anon they put out his eyes, and led him bound with chains to Gaza, and they enclosed him in prison, and made him to grind.
Therefore they sent the ark of the Lord into Ekron. And when the ark of the Lord had come into Ekron, men of Ekron cried [out], and said, They have brought to us the ark of God of Israel, that he slay us and our people.
And they sent, and gathered all the wise men, either princes, of Philistines to them, and said, What shall we do of the ark of God of Israel? And the men of Gath answered, The ark of God of Israel be led about; and they led about the ark of God of Israel.
And they said, What is it, that we owe to yield to him for trespass? And they answered to them, By the number of the provinces of Philistines, ye shall make five golden arses, and five golden mice; for one vengeance was to all of you, and to your wise men, either princes.