1 Samuel 4:1-11

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

5And as the ark of the covenant of the Lord was coming into the camp, 8all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth resounded. 6And 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. 7So the 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 will save us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness. 910Take courage and be men, Philistines, or you will become slaves to the Hebrews, 11as they have been slaves to you; so be men and fight!”

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