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1 Samuel 4
Lexham English Bible

The Battle of Aphek

4 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to meet the Philistines for battle, and they encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek. 2 The Philistines lined up for the battle to meet Israel, and the battle was prolonged[a] until Israel was defeated before the Philistines, who[b] killed about four thousand men on the battlefield.[c] 3 When the army[d] came back to the camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why has Yahweh defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of Yahweh to us from Shiloh so that it may come into our midst and deliver[e] us from the hand of our enemies.” 4 So the army sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of Yahweh of hosts who sits between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. 5 Now when the ark of the covenant of Yahweh arrived at the camp, all Israel let out a loud shout[f] so that the earth shook.

6 When the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, “What is the noise of this loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews?” Then they learned that the ark of Yahweh had come into the camp. 7 So the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come[g] to the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us, for this has never happened before![h] 8 Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the same gods who struck the Egyptians with all sorts of plagues in the desert. 9 Take courage and be men, you Philistines, lest you end up serving the Hebrews just like they have served you. Be men and fight!” 10 So the Philistines fought and Israel was defeated and each man fled to his tent, for the slaughter was very great. Thirty thousand foot soldiers from Israel fell. 11 Furthermore, the ark of God was captured,[i] and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

12 A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh that same day, and his clothes were torn and earth was on his head. 13 When he came, there was[j] Eli sitting on his chair by the side of the road[k] watching, because his heart was anxious about the ark of God. Now the man had come to give his report[l] in the city, and all the city cried out. 14 When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, “What is the noise of this commotion?” Then the man came quickly[m] and told Eli. 15 Now Eli was ninety-eight years old[n] and his eyes stayed fixed ahead[o] and he was not able to see. 16 And the man said to Eli, “I am the one who has come from the battle line! I have fled today from the battle line!” And he said, “What exactly happened,[p] my son?” 17 Then the messenger answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines. There has been a great defeat among the troops. Also, your two sons have died, Hophni and Phinehas, and the ark of God has been captured.” 18 Just as he mentioned the ark of God, he[q] fell from his chair backwards against the side of the gate. He broke his neck and died, because the man was old and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years.

19 Now his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and about to give birth. When she heard the news concerning the capture of the ark of God and that her father-in-law and her husband had died, she went into labor[r] and gave birth, because her labor pains came upon her. 20 Just before the time of her death, those attending her[s] said, “Do not fear, for you have given birth to a son.” But she did not answer, or pay any attention.[t] 21 She called the boy Ichabod,[u] saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” referring to the capture of the ark of God and concerning her father-in-law and husband. 22 And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, because the ark of God was captured.”[v]

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 4:2 Or “drawn out”
  2. 1 Samuel 4:2 Literally “and they”
  3. 1 Samuel 4:2 Literally “in the battle line in the field”
  4. 1 Samuel 4:3 Or “people”
  5. 1 Samuel 4:3 Or “save”
  6. 1 Samuel 4:5 Literally “shouted a great shout”
  7. 1 Samuel 4:7 Or “gods have come”
  8. 1 Samuel 4:7 Literally “it has not happened like this since yesterday and since the day before that”
  9. 1 Samuel 4:11 Or “taken”
  10. 1 Samuel 4:13 Literally “look”
  11. 1 Samuel 4:13 Literally “by the hand of the road”
  12. 1 Samuel 4:13 Literally “to tell”
  13. 1 Samuel 4:14 Literally “hastened and came”
  14. 1 Samuel 4:15 Literally “a son of ninety and eight years”
  15. 1 Samuel 4:15 Literally “were standing”
  16. 1 Samuel 4:16 Literally “what is the thing/matter”
  17. 1 Samuel 4:18 That is, Eli
  18. 1 Samuel 4:19 Literally “bowed down”
  19. 1 Samuel 4:20 Literally “standing over her”
  20. 1 Samuel 4:20 Literally “set her heart”
  21. 1 Samuel 4:21 The name “Ichabod” means “no glory”
  22. 1 Samuel 4:22 Or “taken”
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1 Samuele 4
Nuova Riveduta 1994

L'arca di Dio presa dai Filistei; morte di Eli e dei suoi figli

4 (A)E la parola di *Samuele era rivolta a tutto *Israele.
Israele uscí contro i *Filistei per dar battaglia, e si accampò presso Eben-Ezer; i Filistei erano accampati presso Afec. 2 I Filistei si schierarono in battaglia di fronte a Israele; il combattimento divampò e Israele fu sconfitto dai Filistei, che uccisero sul campo di battaglia circa quattromila uomini. 3 Quando il popolo fu tornato nell'accampamento, gli *anziani d'Israele dissero: «Perché oggi il Signore ci ha sconfitti davanti ai Filistei? Andiamo a Silo a prendere l'*arca del patto del Signore perché essa venga[a] in mezzo a noi e ci salvi dalle mani dei nostri nemici!» 4 Il popolo quindi mandò gente a Silo, e di là fu portata l'arca del patto del Signore degli eserciti, il quale sta fra i *cherubini; e i due figli di *Eli, Ofni e Fineas, erano là, con l'arca del patto di Dio. 5 Quando l'arca del patto del Signore entrò nell'accampamento, tutto Israele alzò grida di gioia, sí che ne rimbombò la terra. 6 I Filistei, all'udire quelle alte grida, dissero: «Che significano queste grandi grida nell'accampamento degli *Ebrei?» E seppero che l'arca del Signore era arrivata nell'accampamento. 7 I Filistei ebbero paura, perché dicevano: «Dio è venuto nell'accampamento». Ed esclamarono: «Guai a noi! Poiché non era cosí nei giorni passati. 8 Guai a noi! Chi ci salverà dalle mani di questi dèi potenti? Questi sono gli dèi che colpirono gli Egiziani d'ogni sorta di flagelli nel deserto. 9 Siate forti, Filistei, e comportatevi da uomini, affinché non diventiate schiavi degli Ebrei, come essi sono stati schiavi vostri! Comportatevi da uomini e combattete!» 10 I Filistei, dunque combatterono, Israele fu sconfitto e ciascuno fuggí verso la sua tenda. La disfatta fu enorme, e caddero fra gli Israeliti trentamila fanti. 11 L'arca di Dio fu presa e i due figli di Eli, Ofni e Fineas, morirono.

12 Un uomo di *Beniamino, fuggito dal campo di battaglia, arrivò di corsa a Silo quel medesimo giorno, con le vesti stracciate e la testa coperta di terra. 13 Quando giunse, Eli stava sull'orlo della strada seduto sulla sua sedia, aspettando ansiosamente, perché gli tremava il cuore per l'arca di Dio. Appena quell'uomo entrò nella città portando la notizia, un grido si alzò da tutta la città. 14 Eli, udendo le grida, disse: «Che significa questo tumulto?» E quell'uomo corse a portare la notizia a Eli. 15 Eli aveva novantotto anni; la vista gli si era indebolita[b], cosí che non poteva vedere. 16 Quell'uomo disse a Eli: «Sono io che vengo dal campo di battaglia, e che ne sono fuggito oggi». Ed Eli disse: «Come sono andate le cose, figlio mio?» 17 E colui che portava la notizia rispose: «Israele è fuggito davanti ai Filistei; vi è stata una grande strage fra il popolo; anche i tuoi due figli, Ofni e Fineas, sono morti e l'arca di Dio è stata presa». 18 Appena udí menzionare l'arca di Dio, Eli cadde dalla sua sedia all'indietro, accanto alla porta; si ruppe la nuca e morí, perché era un uomo vecchio e pesante. Era stato *giudice d'Israele per quarant'anni.

19 Sua nuora, moglie di Fineas, era incinta e prossima al parto; quando udí la notizia che l'arca di Dio era stata presa e che suo suocero e suo marito erano morti, si curvò e partorí, perché sorpresa a un tratto dai dolori. 20 Mentre stava per morire, le donne che l'assistevano le dissero: «Non temere, poiché hai partorito un figlio». Ma lei non rispose e non ci fece caso. 21 Al suo bambino mise il nome di Icabod[c], dicendo: «La gloria si è allontanata da Israele!», perché l'arca di Dio era stata presa, ed erano morti suo suocero e suo marito. 22 E disse: «La gloria si è allontanata da Israele, perché l'arca di Dio è stata presa».

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuele 4:3 Essa venga in mezzo a noi, cioè all'arca è collegata la presenza di Dio.
  2. 1 Samuele 4:15 La vista gli si era indebolita, lett. i suoi occhi erano fissi (per cecità).
  3. 1 Samuele 4:21 Icabod, lett. senza gloria o non piú gloria.
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1 Samuel 4
New International Version

4 And Samuel’s word came to all Israel.

The Philistines Capture the Ark

Now the Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer,(A) and the Philistines at Aphek.(B) 2 The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand of them on the battlefield. 3 When the soldiers returned to camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why(C) did the Lord bring defeat on us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark(D) of the Lord’s covenant from Shiloh,(E) so that he may go with us(F) and save us from the hand of our enemies.”

4 So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim.(G) And Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

5 When the ark of the Lord’s covenant came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shout(H) that the ground shook. 6 Hearing the uproar, the Philistines asked, “What’s all this shouting in the Hebrew(I) camp?”

When they learned that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp, 7 the Philistines were afraid.(J) “A god has[a] come into the camp,” they said. “Oh no! Nothing like this has happened before. 8 We’re doomed! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck(K) the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues(L) in the wilderness. 9 Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews, as they(M) have been to you. Be men, and fight!”

10 So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated(N) and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11 The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.(O)

Death of Eli

12 That same day a Benjamite(P) ran from the battle line and went to Shiloh with his clothes torn and dust(Q) on his head. 13 When he arrived, there was Eli(R) sitting on his chair by the side of the road, watching, because his heart feared for the ark of God. When the man entered the town and told what had happened, the whole town sent up a cry.

14 Eli heard the outcry and asked, “What is the meaning of this uproar?”

The man hurried over to Eli, 15 who was ninety-eight years old and whose eyes(S) had failed so that he could not see. 16 He told Eli, “I have just come from the battle line; I fled from it this very day.”

Eli asked, “What happened, my son?”

17 The man who brought the news replied, “Israel fled before the Philistines, and the army has suffered heavy losses. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead,(T) and the ark of God has been captured.”(U)

18 When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man, and he was heavy. He had led[b](V) Israel forty years.(W)

19 His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near the time of delivery. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth, but was overcome by her labor pains. 20 As she was dying, the women attending her said, “Don’t despair; you have given birth to a son.” But she did not respond or pay any attention.

21 She named the boy Ichabod,[c](X) saying, “The Glory(Y) has departed from Israel”—because of the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband. 22 She said, “The Glory(Z) has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”(AA)

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 4:7 Or “Gods have (see Septuagint)
  2. 1 Samuel 4:18 Traditionally judged
  3. 1 Samuel 4:21 Ichabod means no glory.
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Nuova Riveduta 1994 (NR1994)

Copyright © 1994 by Geneva Bible Society

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