Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle , and encamped beside Ebenezer; and the Philistines encamped in Aphek.

²The Philistines put themselves in array against Israel . When they joined battle , Israel was defeated by the Philistines , who killed about four thousand men of the army in the field .

³When the people had come into the camp , the elders of Israel said, “Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines ? Let’s get the ark of the LORD ’s covenant out of Shiloh and bring it to us , that it may come amongst us and save us out of the hand of our enemies.”

⁴So the people sent to Shiloh , and they brought from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of Armies , who sits above the cherubim ; and the two sons of Eli , Hophni and Phinehas , were there with the ark of the covenant of God .

⁵When the ark of the LORD ’s covenant came into the camp , all Israel shouted with a great shout , so that the earth resounded .

⁶When the Philistines heard the noise of the shout , they said , “What does the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” They understood that the LORD ’s ark had come into the camp .

⁷The Philistines were afraid , for they said, “God has come into the camp .” They said, “Woe to us ! For there has not been such a thing before .

⁸Woe to us ! Who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods that struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness .

⁹Be strong and behave like men , O you Philistines , that you not be servants to the Hebrews , as they have been to you . Strengthen yourselves like men , and fight !”

¹⁰The Philistines fought , and Israel was defeated , and each man fled to his tent. There was a very great slaughter ; for thirty thousand footmen of Israel fell .

¹¹God’s ark was taken ; and the two sons of Eli , Hophni and Phinehas , were slain .

¹²A man of Benjamin ran out of the army and came to Shiloh the same day , with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head .

¹³When he came , behold , Eli was sitting on his seat by the road watching , for his heart trembled for God’s ark. When the man came into the city and told about it , all the city cried out .

¹⁴When Eli heard the noise of the crying , he said , “What does the noise of this tumult mean?”

The man hurried , and came and told Eli .

¹⁵Now Eli was ninety-eight years old . His eyes were set , so that he could not see .

¹⁶The man said to Eli , “I am he who came out of the army , and I fled today out of the army .”

He said , “How did the matter go , my son ?”

¹⁷He who brought the news answered , “Israel has fled before the Philistines , and there has been also a great slaughter amongst the people . Your two sons also , Hophni and Phinehas , are dead , and God’s ark has been captured .”

¹⁸When he made mention of God ’s ark, Eli fell from off his seat backward by the side of the gate ; and his neck broke , and he died , for he was an old man and heavy . He had judged Israel forty years .

¹⁹His daughter-in-law , Phinehas ’ wife, was with child , near to giving birth . When she heard the news that God’s ark was taken and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead , she bowed herself and gave birth ; for her pains came on her .

²⁰About the time of her death the women who stood by her said to her , “Don’t be afraid , for you have given birth to a son .” But she didn’t answer , neither did she regard it .

²¹She named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel !” because God’s ark was taken , and because of her father-in-law and her husband.[#4:21 “Ichabod” means “no glory”.]

²²She said, “The glory has departed from Israel ; for God’s ark has been taken .”