1 Kings 4
4
1And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight: and Israel went out to war against the Philistines, and camped by the Stone of help. And the Philistines came to Aphec,
2And put their army in array against Israel. And when they had joined battle, Israel turned their backs to the Philistines. And there was slain in that fight here and there in the fields about four thousand men.
3And the people returned to the camp: and the ancients of Israel said: Why hath the Lord defeated us to-day before the Philistines? Let us fetch unto us the ark of the covenant of the Lord from Silo: and let it come in the midst of us, that it may save us from the hand of our enemies.
4So the people sent to Silo; and they brought from thence the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts sitting upon the cherubims. And the two sons of Heli, Ophni and Phinees, were with the ark of the covenant of God.
5And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord was come into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, and the earth rang again.
6And the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, and they said: What is this noise of a great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the Lord was come into the camp.
7And the Philistines were afraid, saying: God is come into the camp. And sighing, they said:
8Woe to us: for there was no such great joy yesterday and the day before. Woe to us. Who shall deliver us from the hand of these high gods? These are the gods that struck Egypt with all the plagues in the desert.
9Take courage and behave like men, ye Philistines: lest you come to be servants to the Hebrews, as they have served you. Take courage and fight.
10So the Philistines fought; and Israel was overthrown; and every man fled to his own dwelling. And there was an exceeding great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.
11And the ark of God was taken: and the two sons of Heli, Ophni and Phinees, were slain.
12And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Silo the same day, with his clothes rent, and his head strewed with dust.
13And when he was come, Heli sat upon a stool over against the way watching. For his heart was fearful for the ark of God. And when the man was come into the city, he told it: and all the city cried out.
14And Heli heard the noise of the cry, and he said: What meaneth the noise of this uproar? But he made haste, and came, and told Heli.
15Now Heli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, and he could not see.
16And he said to Heli: I am he that came from the battle, and have fled out of the field this day. And he said to him: What is there done, my son?
17And he that brought the news answered, and said: Israel has fled before the Philistines; and there has been a great slaughter of the people. Moreover thy two sons, Ophni and Phinees, are dead. And the ark of God is taken.
18And when he had named the ark of God, he fell from his stool backwards by the door, and broke his neck, and died. For he was an old man, and far advanced in years. And he judged Israel forty years.
19And his daughter-in-law the wife of Phinees, was big with child, and near her time. And hearing the news that the ark of God was taken, and her father-in-law, and her husband, were dead, she bowed herself and fell in labour: for her pains came upon her on a sudden.
20And when she was upon the point of death, they that stood about her said to her: Fear not, for thou hast borne a son. She answered them not, nor gave heed to them.
21And she called the child Ichabod, saying: The glory is gone from Israel, because the ark of God was taken, and for her father-in-law, and her husband.
22And she said: The glory is departed from Israel, because the ark of God was taken.
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
1 Samuel 4
4
The Army Sends for the Ark
1Israel went to fight against the Philistines and camped near Ebenezer while the Philistines camped at Aphek. 2The Philistines organized their troops to meet Israel in battle. As the battle spread, the Philistines defeated Israel and killed about 4,000 soldiers in the field.
3When the troops came back to the camp, the leaders of Israel asked, “Why has the Lord used the Philistines to defeat us today? Let’s get the ark of the Lord’s promise from Shiloh so that he may be with us and save us from our enemies.” 4The troops sent some men who brought back the ark of the promise of the Lord of Armies—who is enthroned over the angels.#4:4 Or “cherubim.” Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, came along with God’s ark. 5When the Lord’s ark came into the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth rang with echoes.
6As the Philistines heard the noise, they asked, “What’s ⌞all⌟ this shouting in the Hebrew camp?” The Philistines found out that the Lord’s ark had come into the camp. 7Then they were frightened and said, “A god has come into ⌞their⌟ camp.” They also said, “Oh no! Nothing like this has ever happened before. 8We’re in trouble now! Who can save us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every kind of plague in the desert. 9Be strong, Philistines, and act like men, or else you will serve the Hebrews as they served you. Act like men and fight.”
The Ark Captured
10The Philistines fought and defeated Israel. Every ⌞Israelite⌟ soldier fled to his tent. It was a major defeat in which 30,000 Israelite foot soldiers died. 11The ark of God was captured. Both of Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
12A man from the tribe of Benjamin ran from the front line of the battle. He went to Shiloh that day with his clothes torn and dirt on his head.#4:12 Tearing one’s clothes and throwing dirt on one’s head was a sign of mourning. 13When he arrived, Eli was sitting on a chair beside the road, watching. He was worried about the ark of God. The man went into the city to tell the news. The whole city cried out. 14Hearing the cry, Eli asked, “What is this commotion?” So the man went quickly to tell Eli the news. 15(Eli was 98 years old, and his eyesight had failed so that he couldn’t see.)
16The man told Eli, “I’m the one who came from the battle. I fled from the front line today.”
“What happened, son?” Eli asked.
17“Israel fled from the Philistines,” the messenger answered. “Our troops suffered heavy casualties. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, also are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.”
18When the messenger mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell from his chair backwards toward the gate. He broke his neck, and he died. (The man was old and heavy.) He had judged #4:18 Eli served as a God-appointed political/religious leader of Israel like the judges in the book of Judges. Israel for 40 years.
19His daughter-in-law, Phinehas’ wife, was pregnant. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been captured and her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went into labor prematurely and gave birth to a son. 20As she was dying, the women helping her said, “Don’t be afraid. You’ve given birth to a son.” But she didn’t answer or pay attention.
21She called the boy Ichabod [No Glory], saying, “Israel’s glory is gone,” because the ark of God had been captured and because her father-in-law and her husband ⌞died⌟. 22“Israel’s glory is gone because the ark of God has been captured,” she said.
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