CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width; initial-scale=1.0; maximum-scale=1.0; user-scalable=0;"/><title>1 Samuel 4 New American Bible</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/1_samuel/4.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmcc/1_samuel/4-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com/catholic">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NABRE</a> > 1 Samuel 4</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../1_samuel/3.htm" title="1 Samuel 3">◄</a> 1 Samuel 4 <a href="../1_samuel/5.htm" title="1 Samuel 5">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New American Bible Revised Edition</td><td width="1%" valign="top"></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><section id="ch09004" class="chapter"> <h1 id="cn09004" class="cn"></h1> <p class="pf"><span class="hemb">Defeat of the Israelites.<a id="rfn09004001-1" class="fnref" href="footnotes.htm#fn09004001-1">*</a></span> <span id="v09004001" class="ver">1</span>At that time, the Philistines gathered for an attack on Israel. Israel went out to engage them in battle and camped at Ebenezer, while the Philistines camped at Aphek. <span id="v09004002" class="ver">2</span>The Philistines then drew up in battle formation against Israel. After a fierce struggle Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the battlefield. <span id="v09004003" class="ver">3</span>When the troops retired to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> permitted us to be defeated today by the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> from Shiloh that it may go into battle among us and save us from the grasp of our enemies.”<a id="ren09004003-a" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en09004003-a">a</a></p> <p class="psec"><span class="hemb">Loss of the Ark.</span> <span id="v09004004" class="ver">4</span>So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> of hosts, who is enthroned upon the cherubim.<a id="rfn09004004-1" class="fnref" href="footnotes.htm#fn09004004-1">*</a> The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, accompanied the ark of God.<a id="ren09004004-b" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en09004004-b">b</a> <span id="v09004005" class="ver">5</span>When the ark of the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> arrived in the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth shook. <span id="v09004006" class="ver">6</span>The Philistines, hearing the uproar, asked, “What does this loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” On learning that the ark of the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> had come into the camp, <span id="v09004007" class="ver">7</span>the Philistines were frightened, crying out, “Gods have come to their camp. Woe to us! This has never happened before. <span id="v09004008" class="ver">8</span>Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods?<a id="rfn09004008-1" class="fnref" href="footnotes.htm#fn09004008-1">*</a> These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with various plagues in the desert. <span id="v09004009" class="ver">9</span>Take courage and act like soldiers, Philistines; otherwise you will become slaves to the Hebrews, as they were your slaves. Fight like soldiers!” <span id="v09004010" class="ver">10</span>The Philistines fought and Israel was defeated; everyone fled to their own tents.<a id="rfn09004010-1" class="fnref" href="footnotes.htm#fn09004010-1">*</a> It was a disastrous defeat; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. <span id="v09004011" class="ver">11</span>The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were dead.<a id="ren09004011-c" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en09004011-c">c</a></p> <p class="psec"><span class="hemb">Death of Eli.</span> <span id="v09004012" class="ver">12</span>A Benjaminite fled from the battlefield and reached Shiloh that same day, with his clothes torn and his head covered with dirt.<a id="ren09004012-d" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en09004012-d">d</a> <span id="v09004013" class="ver">13</span>When he arrived, Eli was sitting in his chair beside the gate, watching the road, for he was troubled at heart about the ark of God. The man, however, went into the city to announce his news; then the whole city cried out. <span id="v09004014" class="ver">14</span>When Eli heard the uproar, he wondered why there was such commotion. Just then the man rushed up to inform him. <span id="v09004015" class="ver">15</span>Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes would not focus. So he could not see. <span id="v09004016" class="ver">16</span>The man said to Eli: “I have come from the battlefield; today I fled from there.” He asked, “What happened, my son?” <span id="v09004017" class="ver">17</span>And the messenger answered: “Israel fled from the Philistines; in fact, the troops suffered heavy losses. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.” <span id="v09004018" class="ver">18</span>At this mention of the ark of God, Eli fell backward from his chair into the gateway; he died of a broken neck since he was an old man and heavy. He had judged Israel for forty years.</p> <p><span id="v09004019" class="ver">19</span>His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and about to give birth. When she heard the news about the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband, she crouched down in labor, and gave birth. <span id="v09004020" class="ver">20</span>She was about to die when the women standing around her said to her, “Do not be afraid, you have given birth to a son.” Yet she neither answered nor paid any attention.<a id="ren09004020-e" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en09004020-e">e</a> <span id="v09004021" class="ver">21</span>She named the child Ichabod, saying, “Gone is the glory from Israel,” referring to the capture of the ark of God and to her father-in-law and her husband. <span id="v09004022" class="ver">22</span>She said, “Gone is the glory from Israel,” because the ark of God had been captured.<a id="ren09004022-f" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en09004022-f">f</a></p> </section> <br /><h1 class="cn"><a class="xref" href="intro.htm"><span class="ac">Book Introduction</span></a></h1><h1 class="cn"><a class="xref" href="footnotes.htm"><span class="ac">Footnotes</span></a></h1></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the <i>New American Bible, revised edition</i> © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/">Bible Hub</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span></div></div></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="../1_samuel/3.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="1 Samuel 3"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="1 Samuel 3" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="../1_samuel/5.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="1 Samuel 5"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="1 Samuel 5" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhchap.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>