Captured in the disastrous battle of Aphek, the Ark of the Covenant was brought to Ashdod and placed in the temple of Dagon, the Philistine sea-god, beside the statue. The next morning, the priests of Dagon found their god lying face down before the Ark of the LORD. They set him up again. The morning after, Dagon was again face down on the ground — and this time the head and both hands had been broken off and lay on the threshold; only Dagon's torso was left.
A great tumour-plague then fell on the people of Ashdod. The Ark was sent to Gath; the plague broke out there. Sent to Ekron; the plague again. After seven months the Philistines returned the Ark to Israel on a new cart pulled by two milch cows, with a guilt offering of five gold tumours and five gold mice. The cows, unattended, walked straight to the Israelite border town of Beth-Shemesh, lowing as they went — neither leaving the road nor turning back to their calves. The episode is the foundational scriptural text for the principle that the holy things of God may not be subjected to the categories of the pagan gods.