1 Samuel 4

4 ¹ Samuel's word reached all Israel. Israel went to fight the Philistines, camped at Ebenezer; Philistines at Aphek.

² The Philistines lined up against Israel; battle spread, Israel was defeated before them, losing about four thousand men in the field. ³ When the troops returned to camp, Israel's elders asked, "Why did our Father let the Philistines defeat us today? Let's bring our Father's covenant ark from Shiloh, so he may come among us and save us from our enemies."

⁴ So they sent to Shiloh and brought the ark of the covenant of the Father of heaven's armies, seated above the cherubim. Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of our Father. ⁵ When the ark of our Father's covenant entered the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly the earth shook. ⁶ The Philistines heard the shout and asked, "What is this great shout in the Hebrew camp?" Then they knew our Father's ark had entered the camp. ⁷ The Philistines were afraid, saying, "A god has entered the camp! We're doomed—this never happened before." ⁸ We're doomed! Who will save us from these mighty gods, the gods who struck Egypt with every plague in the wilderness? ⁹ Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you'll serve the Hebrews as they served you. Be men—fight! ¹⁰ Philistines fought; Israel was defeated, fleeing each to his tent. The slaughter was massive: thirty thousand Israelite foot soldiers fell. ¹¹ The ark of our Father was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

Eli Falls and the Glory Departs

¹² A Benjamite ran from the battle line to Shiloh that day, clothes torn, dust on his head. ^a a v12 Tearing one's clothes and putting dust on the head were ancient signs of deep grief and mourning. ¹³ On arrival, Eli sat on his seat by the road watching, his heart trembling for the ark of our Father. The man entered the city, told it, and the whole city cried out. ¹⁴ When Eli heard the outcry he asked, "What is this uproar?" The man rushed to tell him.

¹⁵ Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes had grown so dim that he could not see. ¹⁶ The man told Eli, "I came from the line, fled it today." Eli asked, "What happened, my son?"

¹⁷ The messenger answered, "Israel fled before the Philistines; also, heavy losses among the troops; also, your two sons Hophni and Phinehas are dead; and the ark of our Father was captured."

¹⁸ As he mentioned our Father's ark, Eli fell backward off his seat at the gate, broke his neck, and died — old and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years.

¹⁹ His daughter-in-law, Phinehas's wife, was pregnant, near delivery. Hearing our Father's ark seized and her father-in-law and husband dead, she crouched and gave birth, for pain overwhelmed her. ²⁰ As she lay dying, the women beside her said, "Don't be afraid, for you've borne a son." But she didn't answer or notice. ²¹ She named the boy Ichabod: "Glory has left Israel" — over the capture of our Father's ark, her father-in-law, and her husband. ^b b v21 The name Ichabod means "no glory" — the mother's cry that the glory of our Father had departed from Israel with the ark. ²² She said, "The glory has left Israel, for our Father's ark is captured."