Our Father's Ark Falls to the Philistines
Israel loses a battle, so they fetch our Father's ark like a weapon. The Philistines win anyway: thirty thousand dead, the ark captured, Eli's sons killed, Eli falling backward at the news. A dying woman names her son Ichabod, the glory has left Israel.
4 1Samuel's word reached all Israel. Israel went to fight the Philistines, camped at Ebenezer; the Philistines camped at Aphek.
2The Philistines lined up against Israel; battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who struck down about 4,000 men in the field. 3When the troops returned to camp, Israel's elders asked, "Why did our Father let the Philistines defeat us today? Let's bring our Father's covenant ark from Shiloh, so he may come among us and save us from our enemies."
4So the people sent to Shiloh and brought the ark of the covenant of the Father of heaven's armies, seated above the cherubim. Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of our Father. 5When the ark of our Father's covenant entered the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly the earth shook. 6The Philistines heard the shout and asked, "What is this great shout in the Hebrew camp?" Then they knew our Father's ark had entered the camp. 7The Philistines were afraid, for they said, "A god has entered the camp!" Then they said, "We're doomed—this never happened before. 8We're doomed! Who will save us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every plague in the wilderness. 9Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you'll serve the Hebrews as they served you. Be men—fight! 10Philistines fought; Israel was defeated, fleeing each to his tent. The slaughter was massive: 30,000 Israelite foot soldiers fell." 11The ark of our Father was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
Eli Falls and the Glory Departs
12A Benjamite ran from the battle line to Shiloh that day, clothes torn, dust on his head. a a v12 Tearing one's clothes and putting dust on the head were ancient signs of deep grief and mourning. 13On arrival, Eli sat on his seat by the road watching, his heart trembling for the ark of our Father. The man entered the city, told it, and the whole city cried out. 14When Eli heard the outcry he asked, "What is this uproar?" Then the man hurried over and told Eli.
15Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes had grown so dim that he could not see. 16The man told Eli, "I came from the battle, fled the battle line today." Eli asked, "What happened, my son?"
17The messenger answered, "Israel fled before the Philistines; also, heavy losses among the troops; also, your two sons Hophni and Phinehas are dead; and the ark of our Father was captured."
18As he mentioned our Father's ark, Eli fell backward off his seat at the gate, broke his neck, and died—old and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years.
19His daughter-in-law, Phinehas's wife, was pregnant, near delivery. Hearing our Father's ark seized and her father-in-law and husband dead, she crouched and gave birth, for pain overwhelmed her. 20As she lay dying, the women beside her said, "Don't be afraid, for you've borne a son." But she didn't answer or notice. 21She named the boy Ichabod, saying, "The glory has departed from Israel"—over the capture of our Father's ark, her father-in-law, and her husband. b b v21 The name Ichabod means "no glory" — the mother's cry that the glory of our Father had departed from Israel with the ark. 22She said, "The glory has left Israel, for our Father's ark is captured."
