1Samuel:4
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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 .
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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 .
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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 .
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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 .
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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 .
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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 .
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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 .
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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 .
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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 .
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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 .
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And the ark of God was taken ;
and the two sons of Eli ,
Hophni and Phinehas ,
were slain .
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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 .
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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 .
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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 .
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Now Eli was ninety and eight years old ;
and his eyes were dim ,
that he could not see .
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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 ?
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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 .
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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 .
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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 .
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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 .
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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 .
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And she said ,
The glory is departed from Israel :
for the ark of God is taken .