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.