<P> 1 Samuel 5 and 6 describe the Philistines as having to move the Ark to several parts of their territory, as tumours or hemorrhoids ("emerods") afflicted the people in each town to which it was taken: Ashdod, then Gath, then Ekron . The Septuagint adds that "mice sprang up in the midst of their country". Stirrup points out that the "severity of the punishments increases through the passage": tumours in Ashdod (vv. 6 - 8), extensive tumours and panic in Gath, which had volunteered to take on the Ark (vv. 9, 10a), and tumours on those who did not die and deathly panic in Ekron, which was' volunteered' to take the Ark (vv . 10b - 12). The text explicitly ascribes the plague to "Yahweh's hand" (1 Samuel 5: 6). </P> <P> In Ashdod, when the Ark was placed in the temple of Dagon, the statue of Dagon was found prostrate in front of the Ark the next morning; after the statue of Dagon was restored to its place, it was again found prostrate the next morning, and this time its head and hands had also been broken off . </P> <P> Leithart provides a number of parallels between the Philistine captivity of the Ark and the Plagues of Egypt in the Book of Exodus . The ark brings about plagues, humbles the gods of the Philistines and returns full of treasure . In fact, the Philistine diviners refer to the events of the Exodus in 1 Samuel 6: 6 . On the advice of these diviners about how to end the plagues, the Philistines made a guilt offering of five golden tumors and five gold mice (representing the five Philistine rulers). They then placed the gold along with the ark on a cart drawn by two milch cows, who head straight for Israel and do not waver . The ark stops at Beth Shemesh before finding a more permanent home at Kiriath - Jearim . </P>

Where was the ark of the covenant taken