1 Samuel 4
- 1
- And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel
went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer: and
the Philistines pitched in Aphek.
- 2
- And the Philistines put themselves in array against
Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the
Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.
- 3
- And when the people were come into the camp, the elders
of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the
Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh
unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our
enemies.
- 4
- So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from
thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between
the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with
the ark of the covenant of God.
- 5
- And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into
the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again.
- 6
- And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout,
they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the
Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp.
- 7
- And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is
come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a
thing heretofore.
- 8
- Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of
these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the
plagues in the wilderness.
- 9
- Be strong and quit yourselves like men, O ye
Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to
you: quit yourselves like men, and fight.
- 10
- And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and
they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for
there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.
- 11
- And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli,
Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.
- 12
- And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and
came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his
head.
- 13
- And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside
watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came
into the city, and told it, all the city cried out.
- 14
- And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said,
What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told
Eli.
- 15
- Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes
were dim, that he could not see.
- 16
- And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the
army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my
son?
- 17
- And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled
before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the
people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of
God is taken.
- 18
- And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of
God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his
neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged
Israel forty years.
- 19
- And his daughter in law, Phinehas' wife, was with child,
near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was
taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself
and travailed; for her pains came upon her.
- 20
- And about the time of her death the women that stood by
her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not,
neither did she regard it.
- 21
- And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is
departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her
father in law and her husband.
- 22
- And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the
ark of God is taken.
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