Thus the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now the Israelites went out to meet the Philistines in battle and camped at vvv Ebenezer , while the Philistines camped at Aphek.
The Philistines arrayed themselves against Israel , and as the battle spread , Israel was defeated by the Philistines , who struck down about four thousand men on the battlefield ....
When the troops returned to the camp , the elders of Israel asked , “ Why has the LORD brought defeat on us before the Philistines today ? Let us bring ... the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh , - so that it may go with us to save us from the hand of our enemies.”
So the people sent (men) to Shiloh , and they brought back - the ark of the covenant of the LORD of Hosts , who sits enthroned between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli , Hophni and Phinehas , were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
When the ark of the covenant of the LORD entered ... the camp , all the Israelites raised such a great shout that it shook the ground.
On hearing the noise of the shout , the Philistines - asked , “ What is ... this loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews - ? ” And when they realized that the ark of the LORD had entered ... the camp ,
the Philistines were afraid -. “ The gods have entered ... their camp ! ” ... they said. “ Woe for nothing like this has happened before ....
Woe Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods ? These ... are the gods who struck - the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness.
Take courage and be men , O Philistines ! Otherwise , you will serve the Hebrews - just as they served Now be men and fight !”
So the Philistines fought , and Israel was defeated , and each man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great — thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell.
The ark of God was captured , and Eli’s two sons , Hophni and Phinehas , died.
That same day a Benjamite ... ran from the battle line all the way to Shiloh , with his clothes torn and dirt on his head.
When he arrived , there was Eli , sitting on his chair beside the road (and) watching , because his heart vvv trembled for the ark of God. When the man entered the city to give a report , the whole city cried out.
Eli - heard the outcry ... and asked , “ Why ... this commotion ? ” So the man hurried over ... and reported to Eli.
Now Eli was ninety-eight ... years old ... , and his gaze was fixed because he could not ... see.
“ I have just come from the battle , ” the man said to Eli. “ I fled from there today ....” “ What happened ... , my son ?” Eli asked.
The messenger ... answered , “ Israel has fled before the Philistines , and there has been a great slaughter among the people. ... Your two sons , Hophni and Phinehas , are both dead , and the ark of God has been captured.”
As soon as - the ark of God was mentioned , Eli fell backward ... from his chair by the city gate , and being - old and heavy , he broke his neck and died. And (Eli) had judged - Israel forty years.
Now Eli’s daughter-in-law , the wife of Phinehas , was pregnant and about to give birth. When she heard - the news of the capture of God’s ark and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband , she collapsed and gave birth , for her labor pains overtook her.
As she was dying , the women attending to her said , “ Do not be afraid , for you have given birth to a son !” But she did not respond ... or pay any heed ....
And she named the boy vvv Ichabod , saying , “ The glory has departed from Israel ,” because the ark of God had been captured (and) her father-in-law and her husband had been killed.
“ The glory has departed from Israel , ” she said , “ for the ark of God has been captured.”