1 Samuel 4

All 22 verses in the Clear Bible Translation. Tap a verse to compare the KJV and read what it means.

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1. 1And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Israel went out to fight the Philistines and set up camp near Ebenezer, while the Philistines camped at Aphek.
2. 2The Philistines formed their battle lines against Israel. When the fighting broke out, the Philistines defeated Israel and killed about 4,000 soldiers on the battlefield.
3. 3When the people returned to the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD here from Shiloh. When it comes among us, it may save us from the power of our enemies."
4. 4So they sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, who dwells between the cherubim. Eli's 2 sons, Hophni and Phinehas, came along with the ark of the covenant of God.
5. 5When the ark of the covenant of the LORD arrived in the camp, all of Israel erupted in such a thunderous shout that the ground shook.
6. 6The Philistines heard the roar and asked, "What's all that shouting in the Hebrew camp?" When they found out that the ark of the LORD had been brought into the camp,
7. 7The Philistines were afraid because they said, "God has come into the camp." Then they said, "We are doomed! Nothing like this has ever happened before."
8. 8"We are doomed! Who will rescue us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness."
9. 9"Stand strong and fight like men, Philistines! Otherwise you'll end up as slaves to the Hebrews, just like they've been slaves to you. Be men and fight!"
10. 10So the Philistines fought, and Israel was crushed. Every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was devastating — 30,000 Israelite foot soldiers fell that day.
11. 11The ark of God was captured, and Eli's 2 sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were killed.
12. 12That same day, a man from the tribe of Benjamin ran from the battlefield to Shiloh with his clothes torn and dirt on his head.
13. 13When he arrived, Eli was sitting on a chair beside the road, watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. When the man entered the city and told the news, the entire city cried out.
14. 14Eli heard the sound of the crying and asked, "What's all this commotion about?" The man rushed over and told Eli what had happened.
15. 15Eli was 98 years old by this time, and his eyes had grown so dim that he couldn't see.
16. 16The man said to Eli, "I just came from the battlefield — I escaped from the fighting today." Eli asked, "What happened, my son?"
17. 17The messenger answered, "Israel fled from the Philistines. There was a terrible slaughter among our people. Your 2 sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead. And the ark of God has been captured."
18. 18The moment the man mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair beside the gate. He broke his neck and died, because he was old and heavy. He had served as judge over Israel for 40 years.
19. 19Eli's daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near her due date. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been captured and that both her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed down and went into labor, for her pains came upon her.
20. 20As she lay dying, the women attending her said, "Don't be afraid — you've given birth to a son!" But she didn't respond or even acknowledge their words.
21. 21She named the boy Ichabod, saying, "The glory has departed from Israel" — because the ark of God had been captured, and because of the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband.
22. 22She said, "The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been taken."