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1 Samuel 4:1-11
1599 Geneva Bible
1 Samuel 4:1-11
1599 Geneva Bible
4 1 Israel is overcome by the Philistines. 4 They do set the Ark, wherefore the Philistines do fear. 10 The Ark of the Lord is taken. 11 Eli and his children die. 19 The death of the wife of Phinehas the son of Eli.
1 And Samuel spake unto all Israel: [a]and Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside [b]Ebenezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek.
2 And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined the battle, Israel was smitten down before the Philistines: who slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.
3 So when the people were come into the camp, the Elders of Israel said, [c]Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us this day before the Philistines? let us bring 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.
4 Then the people sent to Shiloh, and brought from thence the Ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who [d]dwelleth between the Cherubims: and there were the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, with the Ark of the covenant of God.
5 And when the Ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the host, all Israel shouted a mighty shout, so that the earth rang again.
6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the sound of this mighty shout in the host of the Hebrews? and they understood, that the Ark of the Lord was come into the host.
7 And the Philistines were afraid, and said, God is come in the host: therefore said they, [e]Woe unto us: for it hath not been so heretofore.
8 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 [f]wilderness.
9 Be strong and play the men, O Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, (A)as they have served you: be valiant therefore, and fight.
10 And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten down, and fled every man into his tent: and there was an exceeding great slaughter, for there fell of Israel [g]thirty thousand footmen.
11 And the Ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas died.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Samuel 4:1 From the departure of the Israelites out of Egypt, unto the time of Samuel, are about 397 years.
- 1 Samuel 4:1 Or, stone of help, 1 Sam. 7:12.
- 1 Samuel 4:3 For it may seem that this war was undertaken by Samuel’s commandment.
- 1 Samuel 4:4 For he used to appear to the Israelites between the cherubim over the Ark of the covenant, Exod. 25:17.
- 1 Samuel 4:7 Before we fought against men, and now God is come to fight against us.
- 1 Samuel 4:8 For in the red sea in the wilderness the Egyptians were destroyed, which was the last of all his plagues.
- 1 Samuel 4:10 David alluding to this place, Ps. 78:63, saith they were consumed with fire: meaning they were suddenly destroyed.
1 Samuel 4:1-11
New International Version
1 Samuel 4:1-11
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)
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 4:7 Or “Gods have (see Septuagint)
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