1 Samuel, Chapter 4:

Verses from 1 Samuel, Chapter 4 of the book of 1 Samuel in the Bible.

1 Samuel - Old Testament — 1 Samuel – Old Testament

The ark is captured by the Philistines

1. And the word of Samuel spread throughout all the land of Israel. At this time, the Israelites went into battle against the Philistines. They camped in Ebenezer, while the Philistines established their camp in Aphek.
2. The Philistines organized their troops into battle formation to face Israel, and the fighting intensified. Unfortunately, the Israelites were defeated by the Philistines, who killed around four thousand soldiers on the battlefield.
3. When the Israelite soldiers returned to camp, the authorities asked themselves: “Why did the Lord allow the Philistines to defeat us?” And they added: “Let us go to Shiloh to seek the ark of the covenant of the Lord so that He may go with us and deliver us from the hands of our enemies.”
4. Then they sent messengers to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, which rested between the cherubim. Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, accompanied the ark of God's covenant.
5. When the ark of the covenant of the Lord arrived at the camp, all the Israelites shouted so loudly that the earth shook. When they heard that the ark of the Lord had arrived at the camp,
6. When the Philistines heard the cries, they were intrigued and asked, “What do these cries mean in the camp of the Hebrews?”
7. The Philistines were seized with fear and said, “Powerful gods have come to the camp! Woe to us! We have never seen anything like this happen!
8. Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hands of these powerful gods? They are the same ones who struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the desert.
9. Let us be strong, Philistines! Let us show courage, otherwise we will become slaves to the Hebrews, just as they were slaves to us. Rise up and fight!”
10. And so the Philistines fought the battle, and Israel was defeated. Each man fled to his tent. The massacre was terrible: Israel lost thirty thousand infantry soldiers.
11. The ark of God was captured, and Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were killed.

Eli's death

12. That same day, a Benjamite ran from the front line of the battle to Shiloh, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head.
13. When he arrived, Eli was sitting in his chair by the roadside. He was worried, as he feared for the fate of the ark of God. The man entered the city and reported what had happened, and the city began to cry loudly.
14. Eli heard the cries and asked, “What is happening?”
15. Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see.
16. The man ran to tell Eli everything. He said, “I have just returned from the battle line; I escaped from there today.” Eli asked, “What happened, my son?”
17. The messenger replied, “Israel fled from the Philistines, and there was great slaughter among the soldiers. Furthermore, his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died, and the ark of God was captured.”
18. At the mention of the ark of God, Eli fell back from the chair, next to the gate. He had a heavy heart, and in his old age he broke his neck and died. Eli had led Israel for forty years.
19. At that same time Phinehas' wife, Eli's daughter-in-law, was pregnant and about to give birth. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and her husband had died, she went into labor and gave birth, but she did not survive the intense pain.
20. As she lay dying, the women who were helping her said, “Do not be afraid, you have given birth to a boy.” However, she neither responded nor paid attention.
21. She named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” because the ark of God had been captured and because her father-in-law and her husband had died.
22. And he added: “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”