The Death of Eli

¹² That very same day, a man who was a descendant of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh, with his garments torn and dirt on his head. ¹³ When he arrived, Eli was sitting there on a seat beside the road, watching because his heart trembled for the Ark of God. The man went into the town to give the report, and the whole town cried out. ¹⁴ Eli heard the sound of the cry and asked, “What is the meaning^[a] of this commotion?” Then the man quickly came and told Eli. ¹⁵ Now Eli was 98 years old, and his vision had failed.^[b]

¹⁶ The man told Eli, “I’ve just come from the battle line, and I escaped from the battle today.”

He asked, “What happened, my son?”

¹⁷ The messenger answered, “Israel fled from the Philistines and the people suffered a great defeat as well. Moreover, your two sons, Hophni and Phineas, are dead, and the Ark of God was captured.”

¹⁸ When he mentioned the Ark of God, Eli^[c] fell off the seat backwards by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, since he was old and heavy. Eli had judged Israel for 40 years.

Ichabod is Born

¹⁹ Eli’s^[d] daughter-in-law, the wife of Phineas, was pregnant and ready to give birth. When she heard the report about the capture of the Ark of God and that her father-in-law and husband were dead, she crouched down and gave birth, because her labor pains suddenly began. ²⁰ As she was about to die, the women standing around her said, “Don’t be afraid! You’ve given birth to a son.” But she did not respond or pay attention. ²¹ She had named the boy Ichabod,^[e] saying, “Glory has departed from Israel,” because the Ark of God had been captured and because her father-in-law and husband were dead.^{[f] 22} She said, “Glory has departed from Israel, because the Ark of God has been captured.”