41 Thus the word of Samuel came to all Israel . Now Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle and camped beside Ebenezer while the Philistines camped in Aphek . 2 The Philistines drew up in battle array to meet Israel . When the battle spread , Israel was defeated before the Philistines who killed about four thousand men on the battlefield e . 3 When the people came into the camp , the elders of Israel said , " Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines ? Let us take to ourselves from Shiloh the ark of the covenant of the Lord , that it may come among us and deliver us from the power of our enemies ." 4 So the people sent to Shiloh , and from there they carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts who sits above the cherubim ; and the two sons of Eli , Hophni and Phinehas , were there with the ark of the covenant of God . 5 As the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp , all Israel shouted with a great shout , so that the earth resounded . 6 When the Philistines heard the noise of the shout , they said , "What does the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?" Then they understood that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp . 7 The Philistines were afraid , for they said , "God has come into the camp ." And they said , " Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before . 8 "Woe to us! Who shall deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods ? These are the gods who smote the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness . 9 " Take courage and be men , O Philistines , or you will become slaves to the Hebrews , as they have been slaves to you; therefore, be men and fight ."
10 So the Philistines fought and Israel was defeated , and every man fled to his tent ; and the slaughter was very great , for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers . 11 And the ark of God was taken ; and the two sons of Eli , Hophni and Phinehas , died .
12 Now a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes torn and dust on his head . 13 When he came , behold , Eli was sitting on his seat by the road eagerly watching , because his heart was trembling for the ark of God . So the man came to tell it in the city , and all the city cried out. 14 When Eli heard the noise of the outcry , he said , "What does the noise of this commotion mean?" Then the man came hurriedly and told Eli . 15 Now Eli was ninety-eight e years old , and his eyes were set so that he could not see . 16 The man said to Eli , "I am the one who came from the battle line . Indeed, I escaped from the battle line today ." And he said , " How did things go , my son ?" 17 Then the one who brought the news replied , "Israel has fled before the Philistines and there has also been a great slaughter among the people , and your two sons also , Hophni and Phinehas , are dead , and the ark of God has been taken ." 18 When he mentioned the ark of God , Eli fell off e the seat backward beside e the gate , and his neck was broken and he died , for he was old and heavy . Thus he judged Israel forty years .
19 Now his daughter-in-law , Phinehas's wife , was pregnant and about to give birth ; and when she heard the news that the ark of God was taken and that her father-in-law and her husband had died , she kneeled down and gave birth , for her pains came upon her. 20 And about the time of her death the women who stood by her said to her, " Do not be afraid , for you have given birth to a son ." But she did not answer or pay attention . 21 And she called the boy Ichabod , saying , " The glory has departed from Israel ," because the ark of God was taken and because of her father-in-law and her husband . 22 She said , "The glory has departed from Israel , for the ark of God was taken ."
