The man said to Eli, “I have come from the battle line. Indeed, I escaped from the battle line today.” Eli said, “How did things go, my son?” The messenger replied, “Israel has fled before the Philistines and there has also been a great slaughter among the people. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been taken.” When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell off the seat backwards by the side of the [city] gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was old and heavy. He had judged Israel for forty years. Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas’ wife, was pregnant, and was about to give birth; so when she heard the news that the ark of God had been taken and that her father-in-law and her husband had died, she kneeled down and gave birth, because her [labor] pains began. And about the time of her death [following the sudden birth] the women attending her said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son.” But she did not answer or pay any attention. And she named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has left Israel,” because the ark of God had been taken and because of [the deaths of] her father-in-law and her husband. She said, “The glory has left Israel, for the ark of God has been taken.”
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Compare All Versions: 1 Samuel 4:16-22
5 Days
Eli was a judge and a high priest, yet because he "failed to plug the leak" in his home, he faced the judgment of God. In this 5-day devotional, learn lessons from Eli’s life that will convict you to plug the leaks in your life.
The Holy Spirit uses God’s Word to grow believers in their faith and increase their passion for Jesus. Break down the book of 1 Samuel into the “Big Picture” of the passage, then “Digging Deeper” into that section, and then move into “Living Out” the lessons that are taught in the passage in this 5-day reading plan.
7 Days
This week, we will explore the book of 1 Samuel, engaging the transition of Israel from the age of judges to the age of kings. We will spend two days with each of the main characters—Samuel, Saul, and David—seeing both things to emulate and things to avoid as men of God.
12 Days
This reading plan will introduce you to the book of Samuel, including why and under what circumstances the book was written and how it applies to Christians today.
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