1 Samuel 4:11–18

¹¹Also ^kthe ark of God was captured; and ^lthe two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

Death of Eli

¹²Then a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line the same day, and ^mcame to Shiloh with his clothes torn and ⁿdirt on his head. ¹³Now when he came, there was Eli, sitting on ^oa seat ⁵by the wayside watching, for his heart ⁶trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told it, all the city cried out. ¹⁴When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, “What does the sound of this tumult mean?” And the man came quickly and told Eli. ¹⁵Eli was ninety-eight years old, and ^phis eyes were so ⁷dim that he could not see.

¹⁶Then the man said to Eli, “I am he who came from the battle. And I fled today from the battle line.”

And he said, ^q“What happened, my son?”

¹⁷So the messenger answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead; and the ark of God has been captured.”

¹⁸Then it happened, when he made mention of the ark of God, that 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 had judged Israel forty years.