1 Samuel 4:1–11

The Capture of the Covenant Box

4At that time the Philistines gathered to go to war against Israel, so^l the Israelites set out to fight them. The Israelites set up their camp at Ebenezer and the Philistines at Aphek. ²The Philistines attacked, and after fierce fighting they defeated the Israelites and killed about 4,000 men on the battlefield. ³When the survivors came back to camp, the leaders of Israel said, “Why did the Lord let the Philistines defeat us today? Let’s go and bring the Lord’s Covenant Box from Shiloh, so that he^m will go with us and save us from our enemies.” ^4*So they sent messengers to Shiloh and fetched the Covenant Box of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned above the winged creatures.ⁿ And Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, came along with the Covenant Box.

⁵When the Covenant Box arrived, the Israelites gave such a loud shout of joy that the earth shook. ⁶The Philistines heard the shouting and said, “Listen to all that shouting in the Hebrew camp! What does it mean?” When they found out that the Lord’s Covenant Box had arrived in the Hebrew camp, ⁷they were afraid, and said, “A god has come into their camp! We’re lost! Nothing like this has ever happened to us before! ⁸Who can save us from those powerful gods? They are the gods who slaughtered the Egyptians in the desert! ⁹Be brave, Philistines! Fight like men, or we will become slaves to the Hebrews, just as they were our slaves. So fight like men!”

¹⁰The Philistines fought hard and defeated the Israelites, who went running to their homes. There was a great slaughter: 30,000 Israelite soldiers were killed. ¹¹God’s Covenant Box was captured, and Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were both killed.