1 Kingdoms 4

1Now in those days the Philistines gathered into battle against Israel, and Israel went out to meet them in battle and encamped beside Ebenezer. The Philistines encamped in Aphek.

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2And the Philistines prepared battle plans against Israel, and the battle turned against Israel, and the men of Israel fell before the Philistines. About four thousand men were struck down in the battle lines.

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3And when the people came into the camp, the elders of Israel said, 'Why did the Lord cause us to be defeated today before the Philistines? Let us take the ark of our God out from Shiloh and let it proceed from the midst of us, and it will save us from the hand of our enemies.'

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4So the people sent to Shiloh, and from there they brought out the ark of the covenant of the Lord, who is seated between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark.

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5And when the ark of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a loud voice, and the earth shook.

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6Now when the Philistines heard the shout, the Philistines said, 'What is this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews?' Then they understood that the ark of the Lord was in the camp.

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7And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, 'These are the gods that have come into the camp! Woe to us! Deliver us today, Lord, for such a thing has never happened before.

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8Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the desert.

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9Be strong and conduct yourselves like men, you Philistines, so that you do not become servants of the Hebrews, even as they previously served us. Conduct yourselves like men and fight them!'

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10So they fought them, and the men of Israel were defeated, and every man fled to his tent. There was a very great slaughter, and thirty thousand troops of Israel fell.

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11The ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli died, Hophni and Phinehas.

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12Then a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line, and on that day he came to Shiloh with his clothes torn and dirt on his head.

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13Behold! When he arrived, Eli was sitting on a seat by the gate watching the road, for his heart was bewildered about the ark of God. And when the man entered the city and reported it, the city cried out.

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14When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, 'What is the sound of this outcry?' And the man came quickly and told Eli.

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15Eli was ninety years old, and his eyes looked up and he could not see. Then Eli said to the men standing around him, 'What is this roaring sound?'

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16Then the man who came quickly to Eli said to him, 'I am the one who came from the camp, who fled today from the battle line.' And he said, 'What happened, my child?'

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17So the young man answered and said, 'The men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and there was a great slaughter among the people, and your two sons died. And the ark of God was captured.'

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18And it came to pass, as Eli remembered the ark of God, he fell backward from the seat by the side of the gate and broke his back and died, for the man was old and heavy. He judged Israel for twenty years.

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19Now Eli's daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was pregnant, about to give birth. When she heard the news that the ark of God was captured, and her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she crouched down and gave birth, for her labor pains came upon her.

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20And in her time of delivery, when she was at the point of death, the women standing at her side said to her, 'Do not fear, you have borne a son.' But she did not answer, and her heart did not understand.

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21Woe, Ichabod, is what she named the young boy, for the sake of the ark of God, for her father-in-law, and for her husband.

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22And they said, 'The glory of Israel is exiled from its home, for the ark of God is taken.'

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