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          DASV: 1 Samuel 4    

1 The word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out
against the Philistines in battle, and camped beside Ebenezer,
while the Philistines camped at Aphek.
2 The Philistines positioned themselves for battle against Israel.
As the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines,
and they slew 4,000 in the battlefield.
3 When the troops returned to camp, the elders of Israel said,
"Why has the LORD allowed us to be defeated by the Philistines?
Let's bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh,
so that it may go with us, and save us from the hand of
our enemies."
4 So the troops sent to Shiloh and brought back the ark of the
covenant of the LORD of hosts, who sits between the cherubim.
The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the
ark of the covenant of God.
5 When the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp,
all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth shook.

6 When the Philistines heard the sound of the shout, they said,
"What's all this shouting in the camp of the Hebrews?" They
found out that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp.
7 The Philistines were terrified, for they thought, "The gods
have come into the camp." They lamented, "We're in trouble now!
For nothing like this has happened before.
8 Bad news for us! Who can save us from the hand of these
mighty gods? These are the very gods who destroyed the Egyptians
with all sorts of plagues in the wilderness.
9 Be strong and act like men, Philistines, that you not become
slaves to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Be men and
fight."
10 The Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated. Everyone fled
to his tent. There was a great slaughter with Israel loosing
30,000 soldiers.
11 The ark of God was captured and the two sons of Eli, Hophni
and Phinehas, were killed.

12 A Benjaminite man ran from the battle front, and came to Shiloh
the same day, with his clothes torn and dirt strewn on his head.
13 When he arrived, Eli was sitting on his chair watching by
the roadside; for his heart trembled for the ark of God.
When the man came into the town, and told what had happened,
all the town cried out.
14 When Eli heard the uproar of the crying, he asked, "What does
all this ruckus mean?" The man quickly came and told Eli.
15 Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes had glazed
over, so that he could not see.
16 The man said to Eli, "I have just come from the battle,
I just fled from it today." Eli asked, "How did it go, my son?"
17 The one who brought the tidings answered, "Israel has fled
before the Philistines, and there was a great slaughter among
the troops. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead,
and the ark of God has been captured."
18 When he made mention of the ark of God, Eli toppled backward
off his seat by the side of the gate. He broke his neck and died,
for he was old and heavy. He judged Israel forty years.

19 His daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was pregnant, near her
due date. When she heard the tidings that the ark of God had
been captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were
dead, she went into labor and gave birth; for labor pains
had overcome her.
20 Just before she died the women who were standing by her said,
"Don't be afraid you have given birth to a son." But she did
not respond or pay attention.
21 She named the child Ichabod, saying, "The glory has departed
from Israel," because the ark of God had been captured and
because of the death of her father-in-law and husband.
22 She said, "The glory has departed from Israel, for the
ark of God has been captured."

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