o them.

4:21. And she called the child Ichabod, saying: The glory is gone from
Israel, because the ark of God was taken, and for her father in law, and
for her husband:

Ichabod... That is, Where is the glory? or, there is no glory. We see
how much the Israelites lamented the loss of the ark, which was but the
symbol of God's presence among them. How much more ought Christians to
lament the loss of God himself, when by sin they have driven him out of
their souls.

4:22. And she said: The glory is departed from Israel, because the ark
of God was taken.

1 Kings Chapter 5

Dagon twice falleth down before the ark. The Philistines are grievously
afflicted, wherever the ark cometh.

5:1. And the Philistines took the ark of God, and carried it from the
Stone of help into Azotus.

5:2. And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it into the
temple of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.

5:3. And when the Azotians arose early the next day, behold Dagon lay
upon his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord: and they took
Dagon, and set him again in his place.

5:4. And the next day again, when they rose in the morning, they found
Dagon lying upon his face on the earth before the ark of the Lord: and
the head of Dagon, and both the palms of his hands, were cut off upon
the threshold:

5:5. And only the stump of Dagon remained in its place. For this cause
neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that go into the temple, tread on
the threshold of Dagon in Azotus unto this day.

5:6. And the hand of the Lord was heavy upon the Azotians, and he
destroyed them, and afflicted Azotus and the coasts thereof with
emerods. And in the villages and fields in the midst of that country,
there came forth a multitude of mice, and there was the confusion of a
great mortality in the city.

5:7. And the men of Azotus seeing this kind of plague, said: The ark of
the God of Israel shall not stay with us: for his hand is heavy upon us,
and upon Dagon, our god.

5:8. And sending, they gathered together all the lords of the
Philistines to them, and said: What shall we do with the ark of the God
of Israel? And the Gethites answered: Let the ark of the God of Israel
be carried about. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about.

5:9. And while they were carrying it about, the hand of the Lord came
upon every city with an exceeding great slaughter: and he smote the men
of every city, both small and great, and they had emerods