1Sa 4, 1Sa 31 | ESV | STEP | And the word of Samuel came to all Israel . Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines . They encamped at Ebenezer , and the Philistines encamped at Aphek .

1 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.

Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. They encamped at ^aEbenezer, and the Philistines encamped at ^bAphek. 2 The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle spread, Israel was defeated before the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle. 3 And when the people came 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 ^cfrom Shiloh, that it ^{▼▼Or he} may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.” 4 So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, ^ewho is enthroned on the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

5 As soon as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel ^fgave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded. 6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, “What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” And when they learned that the ark of the Lord had come to the camp, 7 the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. 8 Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. 9 ^gTake courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews ^has they have been to you; be men and fight.”

10 So the Philistines fought, ⁱand Israel was defeated, ^jand they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. 11 ^kAnd the ark of God was captured, ^land the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

The Death of Eli

12 A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day, ^mwith his clothes torn and with dirt on his head. 13 When he arrived, ⁿEli was sitting on his seat by the road watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told the news, all the city cried out. 14 When Eli heard the sound of the outcry, he said, “What is this uproar?” Then the man hurried and came and told Eli. 15 Now Eli was ninety-eight years old ^oand his eyes were set so that he could not see. 16 And the man said to Eli, “I am he who has come from the battle; I fled from the battle today.” And he said, ^p“How did it go, my son?” 17 He who brought the news answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great defeat among the people. Your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.” 18 As soon as he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward ^qfrom his seat by the side of the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years.

19 Now his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant, about to give birth. And when she heard the news that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed and gave birth, for her pains came upon her. 20 And about the time of her death the women attending her said to her, ^r“Do not be afraid, for you have borne a son.” But she did not answer or pay attention. 21 And she named the child ^sIchabod, saying, ^t“The glory has departed ^{▼▼Or gone into exile; also verse 22} from Israel!” because ^vthe ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. 22 And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, ^wfor the ark of God has been captured.”

1 Samuel 31

The Death of Saul

1 ^xNow the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain ^yon Mount Gilboa. 2 And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down ^zJonathan and ^aaAbinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. 3 ^abThe battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. 4 ^acThen Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these ^aduncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, ^aefor he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword ^afand fell upon it. 5 And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. 6 Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together. 7 And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. And the Philistines came and lived in them.

8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 So they cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines, ^agto carry the good news ^ahto the house of their idols and to the people. 10 ^aiThey put his armor in the temple of ^ajAshtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of ^akBeth-shan. 11 ^alBut when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 ^amall the valiant men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh ^anand burned them there. 13 And they took their bones ^aoand buried them under ^apthe tamarisk tree in Jabesh and ^aqfasted seven days.