1 Then Samuel would speak to the whole nation of Israel.
The Philistines Capture the Sacred Chest
One day the Israelites went out to fight the Philistines. They set up camp near Ebenezer, and the Philistines camped at Aphek. 2 The Philistines made a fierce attack. They defeated the Israelites and killed about 4,000 of them.
3 The Israelite army returned to their camp, and the leaders said, “Why did the Lord let us lose to the Philistines today? Let's get the sacred chest where the Lord's agreement with Israel is kept. Then the Lord will help us and rescue us from our enemies.”
4 The army sent some soldiers to bring back the sacred chest from Shiloh, because the Lord All-Powerful has his throne on the winged creatures on top of the chest.
As Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, 5 brought the chest into camp, the army cheered so loudly that the ground shook. 6 The Philistines heard the noise and said, “What are those Hebrews shouting about?”
When the Philistines learned that the sacred chest had been brought into the camp, 7 they were scared to death and said:
The gods have come into their camp. Now we're in real trouble! Nothing like this has ever happened to us before. 8 We're in big trouble! Who can save us from these powerful gods? They're the same gods who made all those horrible things happen to the Egyptians in the desert.
9 Philistines, be brave and fight hard! If you don't, those Hebrews will rule us, just as we've been ruling them. Fight and don't be afraid.
10 The Philistines did fight. They killed 30,000 Israelite soldiers, and all the rest ran off to their homes. 11 Hophni and Phinehas were killed, and the sacred chest was captured.
Eli Dies
12 That same day a soldier from the tribe of Benjamin ran from the battlefront to Shiloh. He had torn his clothes and put dirt on his head to show his sorrow. 13 He went into town and told the news about the battle, and everyone started crying.
Eli was afraid that something might happen to the sacred chest. So he was sitting on his chair beside the road, just waiting. 14-15 He was 98 years old and blind, but he could hear everyone crying, and he asked, “What's all that noise?”
The soldier hurried over and told Eli, 16 “I escaped from the fighting today and ran here.”
“Young man, what happened?” Eli asked.
17 “Israel ran away from the Philistines,” the soldier answered. “Many of our people were killed, including your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. But worst of all, the sacred chest was captured.”
18 Eli was still sitting on a chair beside the wall of the town gate. And when the man said that the Philistines had taken the sacred chest, Eli fell backwards. He was a very heavy old man, and the fall broke his neck and killed him. He had been a leader of Israel for 40 years.
19 The wife of Phinehas was about to give birth. And soon after she heard that the sacred chest had been captured and that her husband and his father had died, her baby came. The birth was very hard, 20 and she was dying. But the women taking care of her said, “Don't be afraid—it's a boy!”
She didn't pay any attention to them. 21-22 Instead she kept thinking about losing her husband and her father-in-law. So she said, “My son will be named Ichabod, because the glory of Israel left our country when the sacred chest was captured.”
1 And Samuel spake vnto all Israel: and Israel went out against the Philistims to battel and pitched beside Eben-ezer: and the Philistims pitched in Aphek. 2 And the Philistims put themselues in aray against Israel: and when they ioyned the battell, Israel was smitten downe before the Philistims: who slewe of the armie in the fielde about foure thousand men. 3 So when the people were come into the campe, the Elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the Lord smitten vs this day before ye Philistims? let vs bring the Arke of the couenant of the Lord out of Shiloh vnto vs, that when it commeth among vs, it may saue vs out of the hande of our enemies. 4 Then the people sent to Shiloh, and brought from thence the Arke of the couenant of the Lord of hostes, who dwelleth betweene the Cherubims: and there were the two sonnes of Eli, Hophni, and Phinehas, with the Arke of the couenant of God. 5 And when the Arke of the couenant of the Lord came into the hoste, all Israel shouted a mightie shoute, so that the earth rang againe. 6 And when the Philistims heard the noyse of the shoute, they said, What meaneth the sound of this mightie shoute in the host of the Ebrewes? and they vnderstoode, that the Arke of the Lord was come into the hoste. 7 And the Philistims were afraide, and saide, God is come into the hoste: therefore saide they, Wo vnto vs: for it hath not bene so heretofore. 8 Wo vnto vs, who shall deliuer vs out of the hande of these mightie Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wildernes. 9 Be strong and play the men, O Philistims, that ye be not seruants vnto the Ebrewes, as they haue serued you: be valiant therefore, and fight. 10 And the Philistims fought, and Israel was smitten downe, and fled euery man into his tent: and there was an exceeding great slaughter: for there fell of Israel thirtie thousand footemen. 11 And the Arke of God was taken, and the two sonnes of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas died. 12 And there ranne a man of Beniamin out of the armie, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and earth vpon his head. 13 And when hee came, loe, Eli sate vpon a seate by the wayside, wayting: for his heart feared for the Arke of God and when the man came into the citie to tell it, all the citie cried out. 14 And when Eli heard the noyse of the crying, he sayd, What meaneth this noyse of the tumult? and the man came in hastily, and tolde Eli. 15 (Nowe Eli was fourescore and eighteene yeere olde, and his eyes were dimme that hee could not see) 16 And the man sayd vnto Eli, I came from the armie, and I fled this day out of the hoste: and he sayd, What thing is done, my sonne? 17 Then the messenger answered and sayd, Israel is fled before the Philistims, and there hath bene also a great slaughter among the people: and moreouer thy two sonnes, Hophni and Phinehas are dead, and the Arke of God is taken. 18 And when he had made mention of the Arke of God, Eli fell from his seate backward by the side of the gate, and his necke was broken, and he dyed: for he was an olde man and heauie: and he had iudged Israel fourtie yeeres. 19 And his daughter in lawe Phinehas wife was with childe neere her trauell: and when she heard the report that the Arke of God was taken, and that her father in lawe and her husband were dead, she bowed her selfe, and trauailed: for her paines came vpon her. 20 And about the time of her death, the women that stoode about her, sayd vnto her, Feare not: for thou hast borne a sonne: but she answered not, nor regarded it. 21 And she named the childe Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel, because the Arke of God was taken, and because of her father in lawe and her husband. 22 She sayde againe, The glory is departed from Israel: for the Arke of God is taken.