1Samuel:4-5

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* And the word of Samuel came to all Israel . Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle , and pitched beside Ebenezer : and the Philistines pitched in Aphek . * And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel : and when they joined battle , Israel was smitten before the Philistines : and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men . * And when the people were come into the camp , the elders of Israel said , Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines ? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us , that , when it cometh among us , it may save us out of the hand of our enemies . * So the people sent to Shiloh , that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts , which dwelleth between the cherubims : and the two sons of Eli , Hophni and Phinehas , were there with the ark of the covenant of God . * And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp , all Israel shouted with a great shout , so that the earth rang again . * And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout , they said , What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews ? And they understood that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp . * And the Philistines were afraid , for they said , God is come into the camp . And they said , Woe unto us ! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore . * Woe unto us ! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods ? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness . * Be strong , and quit yourselves like men , O ye Philistines , that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews , as they have been to you : quit yourselves like men , and fight . * And the Philistines fought , and Israel was smitten , and they fled every man into his tent : and there was a very great slaughter ; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen . * And the ark of God was taken ; and the two sons of Eli , Hophni and Phinehas , were slain . * And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army , and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent , and with earth upon his head . * And when he came , lo , Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching : for his heart trembled for the ark of God . And when the man came into the city , and told it , all the city cried out . * And when Eli heard the noise of the crying , he said , What meaneth the noise of this tumult ? And the man came in hastily , and told Eli . * Now Eli was ninety and eight years old ; and his eyes were dim , that he could not see . * And the man said unto Eli , I am he that came out of the army , and I fled to day out of the army . And he said , What is there done , my son ? * And the messenger answered and said , Israel is fled before the Philistines , and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people , and thy two sons also , Hophni and Phinehas , are dead , and the ark of God is taken . * And it came to pass , when he made mention of the ark of God , that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate , and his neck brake , and he died : for he was an old man , and heavy . And he had judged Israel forty years . * And his daughter in law , Phinehas ' wife , was with child , near to be delivered : and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken , and that her father in law and her husband were dead , she bowed herself and travailed ; for her pains came upon her . * And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her , Fear not ; for thou hast born a son . But she answered not , neither did she regard it . * And she named the child Ichabod , saying , The glory is departed from Israel : because the ark of God was taken , and because of her father in law and her husband . * And she said , The glory is departed from Israel : for the ark of God is taken . * And the Philistines took the ark of God , and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod . * When the Philistines took the ark of God , they brought it into the house of Dagon , and set it by Dagon . * And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow , behold , Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD . And they took Dagon , and set him in his place again . * And when they arose early on the morrow morning , behold , Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD ; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold ; only the stump of Dagon was left to him . * Therefore neither the priests of Dagon , nor any that come into Dagon 's house , tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day . * But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod , and he destroyed them , and smote them with emerods , even Ashdod and the coasts thereof . * And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so , they said , The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us : for his hand is sore upon us , and upon Dagon our god . * They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them , and said , What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel ? And they answered , Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about unto Gath . And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither . * And it was so , that , after they had carried it about , the hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great destruction : and he smote the men of the city , both small and great , and they had emerods in their secret parts . * Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron . And it came to pass , as the ark of God came to Ekron , that the Ekronites cried out , saying , They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us , to slay us and our people . * So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines , and said , Send away the ark of the God of Israel , and let it go again to his own place , that it slay us not , and our people : for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city ; the hand of God was very heavy there . * And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods : and the cry of the city went up to heaven . * And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months .

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