1 Samuel 4:1-11

1Thus the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle and camped beside 1Ebenezer while the Philistines camped in 2Aphek. 2The Philistines drew up in battle array to meet Israel. When the battle spread, Israel was 3defeated before the Philistines who killed about four thousand men on the battlefield. 3When the people came into the camp, the elders of Israel said, “4Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? 5Let us take to ourselves from Shiloh the ark of the covenant of the Lord, that 6it may come among us and deliver us from the power of our enemies.” 4So the people sent to Shiloh, and from there they carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts 7who sits above the cherubim; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

5As the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, 8all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth resounded. 6When 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. 7The Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp.” And they said, “9Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. 8Woe 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. 910Take courage and be men, O Philistines, or you will become slaves to the Hebrews, 11as they have been slaves to you; therefore, be men and fight.”

10So the Philistines fought and 12Israel was 13defeated, and 14every man fled to his tent; and the slaughter was very great, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11And the ark of God was taken; and 15the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.