5. When the Lord’S Box of the Agreement came into the camp, all the Israelites gave a great shout loud enough to make the ground shake.
6. The Philistines heard Israel’s shout and asked, “Why are the people so excited in the Hebrew camp?” Then the Philistines learned that the Lord’S Holy Box had been brought into Israel’s camp.
7. They became afraid and 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 ones that gave the Egyptians those diseases and terrible sicknesses.
9. Be brave, Philistines. Fight like men. In the past they were our slaves, so fight like men or you will become their slaves.”
10. So the Philistines fought very hard and defeated the Israelites. The Israelite soldiers ran away and went home. It was a terrible defeat for Israel. 30,000 Israelite soldiers were killed.
11. The Philistines took God’s Holy Box and killed Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas.
12. One of the men who ran from the battle was a man from the tribe of Benjamin. He tore his clothes and put dust on his head to show his great sadness.
13. Eli was worried about the Holy Box, so he was sitting there by the city gate waiting and watching when the Benjamite man came into Shiloh and told the bad news. All the people in town began to cry loudly.
14-15. Eli was 98 years old. He was blind, so he could not see what was happening, but he could hear the loud noise of the people crying. Eli asked, “Why are the people making this loud noise?” The Benjamite man ran to Eli and told him what happened.
16. He said, “I am the man who just came from the battle. I ran away from the battle today.” Eli asked, “What happened, son?”
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.”
18. When the Benjamite man mentioned God’s Holy Box, Eli fell backward off his chair near the gate and broke his neck. Eli was old and fat, so he died. He had led Israel for 20 years.