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¹ And the word of Samuel was revealed to all Israel. And Israel went out to meet the Philistines for battle. And they pitched beside Ebenezer, and the Philistines pitched in Aphek.² And the Philistines set themselves in order to meet Israel, and the battle was spread. And Israel was stricken before the Philistines. And they struck about four thousand men from the battle line in the field.³ And the people came into the camp, and the elders of Israel said, Why has Jehovah stricken us today before the Philistines? Let us take the ark of the covenant of Jehovah to us, and let it come intoour midst; and it will save us from the handof our enemies.⁴ And the people sent to Shiloh, and they took from there the ark of the covenant of Jehovah of Hosts, who dwells between the cherubs. And the two sons of Eli were there with the ark of the covenant of God, Hophni and Phinehas.⁵ And it happened, when the ark of the covenant of Jehovah came into the camp, all Israel shouted a great shout, and the earth shook.⁶ And the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, and said, What is the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they saw that the ark of Jehovah had come into the camp.⁷ And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God has come to the camp. And they said, Woe to us! For never has it been like this before.⁸ Woe to us! Who will deliver us out of the hand of these great gods? These are the gods who struck Egypt with every plague in the wilderness.⁹ Make yourselves strong and become men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews, as they were slaves to you. Then you must be men and fight.

¹⁰ And the Philistines fought, and Israel was beaten. And they each one fled to his tent. And the blow was very great, and thirty thousand footmen of Israel fell.¹¹ And the ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli died, Hophni and Phinehas.

¹² And a man of Benjamin ran out of the battle line and came to Shiloh on that day. And his clothes were torn, and earth on his head.¹³ And he came in. And, behold, Eli was sitting on the seat by the side of the highway, watching. For his heart trembled for the ark of God. And the man came in to report in the city. And all the city cried out.¹⁴ And Eli heard the noise of the cry, and said, What is the noise of this tumult? And the man hurried and came and reported to Eli.¹⁵ And Eli was ninety eight years old, and his eyes were set, and he was not able to see.¹⁶ And the man said to Eli, I am he who has come from the ranks, and I fled today out of the battle line. And he said, How did the matter go, my son?¹⁷ And he bearing the news answered and said, Israel has fled before the Philistines; and also there has been a great slaughter among the people. And also your two sons have died, Hophni and Phinehas. And the ark of God has been taken.¹⁸ And it happened when he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell off the seat backward, by the side of the gate. And his neck was broken, and he died. For the man was old and heavy. And he judged Israel forty years.

¹⁹ And his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was with child, about to bear. And she heard the report of the taking of the ark of God, and that her father-in-law and her husband had died. And she bowed and bore, for her pains hadturned in on her.²⁰ And at the time of her death, when the women who stood by her said, Fear not, for you have borne a son; she did not even answer, nor set her heart.²¹ And she called the child Ichabod, saying, The glory has departed from Israel, because of the taking of the ark of God, and because of her father-in-law and her husband.²² And she said, The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been taken.