1Samuel's message spread throughout all Israel. At that time Israel went out to fight against the Philistines and camped near Ebenezer, while the Philistines were positioned at Aphek.
2The Philistines deployed their forces and the battle broke out. Israel was defeated, with about four thousand men killed on the battlefield.
3When the survivors returned to camp, the elders of Israel asked, 'Why did the LORD let the Philistines defeat us today? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh, so it can go with us into battle and save us from our enemies.'
4So the people sent to Shiloh and brought back the ark of the covenant of the LORD of Hosts, who is enthroned above the cherubim. Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, came with the ark.
5When the ark of the LORD's covenant arrived in the camp, all Israel raised such a loud shout that the ground shook.
6When the Philistines heard the roar, they asked, 'What is all that shouting in the Hebrew camp?' When they learned that the ark of the LORD had arrived,
7they were terrified. They said, 'God has come into their camp!' They cried out, 'We are in trouble! Nothing like this has ever happened before.'
8'Who can rescue us from these powerful gods? These are the gods who struck Egypt with every kind of plague in the wilderness.'
9'Be strong and fight like men, Philistines! Otherwise you will become slaves to the Hebrews, just as they were once slaves to you. Fight!'
10The Philistines fought hard, and Israel was routed. Every man fled to his own tent. It was a catastrophic defeat — thirty thousand Israelite soldiers were killed.
11The ark of God was captured, and Eli's two sons Hophni and Phinehas were killed.
12That same day a man from the tribe of Benjamin ran from the battle and arrived in Shiloh with his clothes torn and dust on his head.
13When he arrived, Eli was sitting in his chair by the side of the road watching, because his heart was anxious for the ark of God. When the man came into the city and reported the news, the whole city cried out in distress.
14When Eli heard the commotion he asked, 'What is all that noise?' The man came quickly and reported to Eli.
15Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were so dim he could not see.
16The messenger said, 'I have come from the battlefield — I escaped from the fighting today.' Eli asked, 'What happened, my son?'
17The man answered, 'Israel has fled from the Philistines, and the army has suffered a great defeat. Your two sons Hophni and Phinehas are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.'
18When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair beside the gate. His neck broke and he died, for he was old and heavy. He had led Israel as judge for forty years.
19Phinehas's wife was pregnant and near her time to give birth. When she heard that the ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and husband were dead, she went into labor, and her birth pains came on suddenly.
20As she was dying, the women attending her said, 'Don't be afraid — you have given birth to a son.' But she did not respond or pay attention.
21She named the boy Ichabod, saying, 'The glory has departed from Israel' — because the ark of God had been taken and because her father-in-law and husband were dead.
22She said, 'The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.'