1 Samuel 4 - Easy To Read Version

¹ News about Samuel spread through all of Israel. Eli was very old. His sons kept doing bad things before the Lord. [40]

² The Philistines prepared to attack Israel. The battle began.

³ The Israelite soldiers came back to their camp. The elders (leaders) of Israel asked, “Why did the Lord let the Philistines defeat us? Let’s bring the Lord’s Box of the Agreement [41] from Shiloh. {In this way, God will go with us into battle.} He will save us from our enemies.”

⁴ So the people sent men to Shiloh. The men brought back the Lord All-Powerful’s Box of the Agreement. [42] On top of the Box are the Cherub angels. They are like the throne that the Lord sits on. Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, came with the Box.

⁵ When the Lord’s Box of the Agreement [43] came into the camp, all the Israelites gave a great shout. That shout made the ground shake.

⁶ The Philistines heard Israel’s shout. They asked, “Why are the people so excited in the Hebrew [44] camp?”

⁷ The Philistines became afraid. The Philistines said, “Gods have come to their camp! We’re in trouble. This has never happened before!

⁸ We are worried. Who can save us from these powerful gods? These gods are the same gods that gave the Egyptians those diseases and terrible sicknesses.

⁹ Be brave, Philistines! Fight like men! In the past, the Hebrew people were our slaves. So fight like men or you will become their slaves!”

¹⁰ So the Philistines fought very hard and defeated the Israelites. Every Israelite soldier ran away to his tent. It was a terrible defeat for Israel. 30,000 Israelite soldiers were killed.

¹¹ The Philistines took God’s Holy Box [46] and killed Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas.

¹² That day a man from the family group of Benjamin ran from the battle. He tore his clothes and put dust on his head {to show his great sadness}.

^13-15 Eli was sitting on a chair near the city gates when this man came to Shiloh. Eli was worried about God’s Holy Box, [47] so he was sitting there waiting and watching. Then the Benjamite man came into Shiloh and told the bad news. All the people in town began to cry out loud.

¹⁶ The Benjamite man told Eli, “I am the man who just came from the battle. I ran away from the battle today!”

¹⁷ The Benjamite man answered, “Israel ran away from the Philistines. The Israelite army has lost many soldiers. Your two sons are both dead. And the Philistines took God’s Holy Box. [48] ”

¹⁸ When the Benjamite man mentioned God’s Holy Box, [49] Eli fell backward off his chair near the gate and broke his neck. Eli was old and fat, so he died. Eli had led Israel for 20 years. [50]

¹⁹ The Lord was with Samuel while he grew up. The Lord did not let any of Samuel’s messages prove false.

²⁰ She was about to die when the women who were helping her said, “Don’t worry! You have given birth to a son.”

²¹ And the Lord continued to appear to Samuel at Shiloh. The Lord revealed himself to Samuel as the word of the Lord. [39]

²² She said, “Israel’s glory has been taken away” because the Philistines had taken God’s Holy Box.