And it came to pass in those days that the Philistines gathered together for war against Israel, and Israel went out to meet them for battle; and they encamped at Abenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek.
And the Philistines drew up in battle array against Israel, and the battle turned, and the men of Israel were defeated before the Philistines; and four thousand men were struck down in the battle line in the field.
And the people came into the camp, and the elders of Israel said, Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us take the ark of our God from Selom, and let it come out among us and save us from the hand of our enemies.
And the people sent to Selom, and they carried from there the ark of the Lord who sits upon the cherubim; and both the sons of Eli were with the ark, Ophni and Phinees.
And the Philistines heard the shout, and the Philistines said, What is this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they knew that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp.
And the Philistines were afraid, and they said, These gods have come to them into the camp. Woe to us! Deliver us, O Lord, today! For such a thing has not happened yesterday or the day before.
And they fought them, and the men of Israel were defeated, and each fled to his own tent; and there was a very great slaughter, and there fell of Israel thirty thousand of the ranks.
And he came, and behold, Eli was sitting on the seat beside the gate, watching the road, for his heart was trembling over the ark of God. And the man entered the city to report, and the city cried out.
Now Eli was a son of ninety years, and his eyes had become fixed, and he could not see. And Eli said to the men standing around him, What is this sound of noise?
And the man hurried and approached Eli and said to him, I am the one who has come from the camp, and I have fled today from the battle line. And he said, What is the thing that has happened, my child?
And the young man answered and said, The men of Israel have fled from before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people, and both your sons are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.
And it came to pass, when he mentioned the ark of God, that he fell backward from the seat, next to the gate, and his back was broken, and he died, for the man was old and heavy. And he had judged Israel twenty years.
And his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinees, was with child, about to give birth; and she heard the report that the ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and her husband had died, and she crouched down and gave birth, for her birth pangs came upon her.
And at the time of her dying, the women standing by her said to her, Do not be afraid, for you have borne a son. But she did not answer, and her heart did not take notice.