1 Samuel 4:1–11

¹Thus the word of Samuel came to all Israel.

Now the Israelites went out to meet the Philistines in battle and camped at Ebenezer, while the Philistines camped at Aphek. ²The 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.

³When 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^a with us to save us from the hand of our enemies.”

⁴So 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.

⁵When the ark of the covenant of the LORD entered the camp, all the Israelites raised such a great shout that the ground shook.

⁶On 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, ⁷the Philistines were afraid. “The gods have entered^b their camp!” they said. “Woe to us, for nothing like this has happened before. ⁸Woe to us! 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. ⁹Take courage and be men, O Philistines! Otherwise, you will serve the Hebrews just as they served you. Now be men and fight!”

¹⁰So 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. ¹¹The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.