And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.

  Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. They
encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek. The
Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle
spread, Israel was defeated before the Philistines, who killed
about four thousand men on the field of battle. And when the people
came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the LORD
defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of
the covenant of the LORD here from Shiloh, that it may come among
us and save us from the power of our enemies.” So the people sent
to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the
LORD of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim. And the two sons
of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the
covenant of God.

  As soon as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the
camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded.
And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they
said, “What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews
mean?” And when they learned that the ark of the LORD had come to
the camp, the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “A god has
come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like
this has happened before. Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the
power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the
Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. Take
courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the
Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight.”

  So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they
fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter,
for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. And the ark of
God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas,
died.

  A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the
same day, with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head. When he
arrived, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road watching, for his
heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the
city and told the news, all the city cried out. When Eli heard the
sound of the outcry, he said, “What is this uproar?” Then the man
hurried and came and told Eli. Now Eli was ninety-eight years old
and his eyes were set so that he could not see. And the man said to
Eli, “I am he who has come from the battle; I fled from the battle
today.” And he said, “How did it go, my son?” He who brought the
news answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines,
and there has also been a great defeat among the people. Your two
sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has
been captured.” As soon as he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell
over backward from his seat by the side of the gate, and his neck
was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. He had
judged Israel forty years.

  Now his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant,
about to give birth. And when she heard the news that the ark of
God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were
dead, she bowed and gave birth, for her pains came upon her. And
about the time of her death the women attending her said to her,
“Do not be afraid, for you have borne a son.” But she did not
answer or pay attention. And she named the child Ichabod, saying,
“The glory has departed from Israel!” because the ark of God had
been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. And
she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God
has been captured.”

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001
by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.