1 Samuel 4:11–18

¹¹The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.^r

ELI’S DEATH AND ICHABOD’S BIRTH

¹²That same day, a Benjaminite man ran^s from the battle and came to Shiloh. His clothes were torn,^t and there was dirt on his head. ¹³When he arrived, there was Eli sitting on his chair beside the road waiting,^u because he was anxious about the ark of God. When the man entered the city to give a report, the entire city cried out.

¹⁴Eli heard the outcry and asked, “Why this commotion?” The man quickly came and reported to Eli. ¹⁵At that time Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes didn’t move because he couldn’t see.^v

¹⁶The man said to Eli, “I’m the one who came from the battle.^B I fled from there today.”

“What happened, my son?”^w Eli asked.

¹⁷The messenger answered, “Israel has fled from the Philistines, and also there was a great slaughter among the people. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are both dead, and the ark of God has been captured.” ¹⁸When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off the chair by the city gate,^x and since he was old and heavy, his neck broke and he died. Eli had judged Israel forty years.