1 Samuel 4:4-11
New Catholic Bible
The Ark Is Captured. 4 So the people sent to Shiloh to bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of hosts who is enthroned between the cherubim.[a] The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the Ark of the Covenant of God. 5 When the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all of the Israelites raised such a loud shout that it shook the earth.
6 When the Philistines heard the uproar, they asked, “What is this great uproar in the Hebrew camp?” When they found out that the Ark of the Lord had come into the camp, 7 the Philistines became frightened. They said, “A god has come into the camp!” They said, “Woe to us, for nothing like this has happened before. 8 Woe to us! Who will deliver us out of the hands of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the desert. 9 Be strong. Act manfully, O Philistines, or you will end up as slaves to the Hebrews, just like they were to you. Act manfully and fight!”
10 So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated, and each man fled to his own tent. The slaughter was great, for Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11 The Ark of God was captured and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were killed.[b]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Samuel 4:4 Enthroned between the cherubim: in the Old Testament, cherubim, part human and part beast, are distinct from angels. The golden cherubim on the Ark cover the propitiation (Ex 25:10-22). The Israelites believed that God’s presence on the Ark would bring victory for Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, in battle.
- 1 Samuel 4:11 The battle was a total failure for Israel from the slaughter of men, the capture of the Ark of God, and the fulfillment of the prophecy that Eli’s sons would die on the same day (1 Sam 2:34).
