UThixo wayivumela ityeya yakhe ukuba ithatyathwe zintshaba zabo, ukuwabonisa amaSirayeli ukuba lilize kokuthembhela etyeyeni, umfuziselo wobukho bakhe, logama aye yihlambhela imithetho egcinwe phakathi etyeyeni. UThixo wayeza kuwathoba ngokuyishenxisa kuwo ityeya engcwele, iqhayiya lamandla abo nakholose ngayo. IL 164.3
AmaFilisti aqhayisa ngenxa yokuba, ngoko kucinga kwawo, enothixo odumileyo wamaSirayeli, owawenzela imimangaliso emikhulu kangaka wawenza isoyikiso kwiintshaba zawo. Ayithabatha ityeya kaThixo ayisa eAshdode ayibeka etempileni entle kakhulu, eyayenzelwe oyena thixo wawo odumileyo uDagon, ayimisa ecaleni kothixo wawo. Kusasa ababingeleli bezizithixo bangena etempileni, baza bothuswa kukumfumana uDagon ewile ngobuso emhlabeni phambhi kwetyeya kaYehova. Bamphakamisa uDagon babuya bammisa endaweni yakhe. Babecinga ukuba uwe ngengozi. Kodwa ngentsasa elandelayo bamfumana ewile njenga ngaphambhili, ngobuso bakhe, nentloko kaDagon nezandla zakhe zozibini zinqumkile. IL 165.1
Izithunywa zikaThixo ezazisoloko ziyiphahlile ityeya, zasiwisa isithixo esingenangqondo zathi kamva zasaphula, ukubonisa ukuba uYehova, uThixo ophilileyo, ungaphezu kwabo bonke oothixo, nokuba phambhi kwakhe bonke othixo babahedeni bazizinto ezingento. Abahedeni babe nentlonelo enkulu kuthixo wawo uDagon; baza bathi bakuba bemfumene onakalisiwe kakubi kangaka elele ngobuso bakhe phambhi kwetyeya kaYehova babalusizi bakubalela oku ukuba kungumhlola ombi kakhulu kumaFilisti. Bagqiba ukuba oku kuthetha ukuba amaFilisti kunye nabo bonke oothixo bawo, asaya koyiswa atshatyalaliswe ngamaHebere, aze uThixo wamaHebere abe mkhulu ngaphezulu abe namandla ngaphezu kwabo bonke oothixo. Bayifudusa ityeya etempileni yesithixo sabo bayibeka yodwa. IL 165.2
Ityeya kaThixo yagcinwa iinyanga ezisixhenxe ngamaFilisti. Aye woyisile amaSirayeli ayithabatha ityeya kaThixo, awayecinga ukuba amandla awo akuyo, acinga ke ukuba ayakuhlala esoloko ekhuselekile angabi sayoyika imikhosi yamaSirayeli. Kodwa esazulwini sovuyo lwawo kwavakala isijwili kulo lonke ilizwe lawo, yaza imbhangi yaso yalandwa yaza kuthi ngqu etyeyeni kaThixo. Yathwalelwa kwiindawo ngeendawo ngokoyika, indlela yayo yalandelwa yintshabalalo evela kuThixo, ada amaFilisti adideka mpela yinto amawayenze ngayo. Izithunywa, ezaziyipheleka, zayikhusela engozini yonke. Aye amaFilisti engacingi ukuyivula ityeya leyo; kuba uthixo wawo uDagon waye hlangene nesehlo esingangokuba oyike ukuyiphatha, okanye ukuba ayigcine kufuphi kuwo. Abiza ababingeleli nabavumisi, abuzisa kubo ukuba enze ntoni na ngetyeya kaThixo. Bawacebisa ukuba ayibuyisele kubantu abangabaniniyo, bayithumele kunye nedini letyala elixabiso likhulu, ekuya kuthi xa uThixo ethandile ukulamkela, baphiliswe. Kwa kufuneka kananjalo eqondile ukuba isandla sikaThixo siphezu kwawo ngenxa yokuba ethabathe ityeya yakhe, eyayi yeyamaSirayeli kuphela. IL 165.3