1 Samuel 4:11-18
Read 1 Samuel 4 in full →11And the ark of God was taken; and athe two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
The Death of Eli
12Now a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day with ahis robes torn and 1dust on his head. 13And he came, and behold, aEli was sitting on his seat 1by the road eagerly watching because his heart was trembling for the ark of God. Now the man came to tell it in the city, and all the city cried out. 14Then Eli heard the noise of the outcry, and he said, “What does the noise of this commotion mean?” So the man came hurriedly and told Eli. 15Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and ahis eyes had set so that he could not see. 16And the man said to Eli, “I am the one who came from the battle line. Indeed, I fled from the battle line today.” And he said, “aHow did things go, my son?” 17Then the one who brought the news answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great slaughter among the people, and your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been taken.” 18And it happened that when he mentioned the ark of God, 1,aEli fell off the seat backward beside the gate, and his neck was broken, and he died, for the man was old and heavy. Thus he judged Israel forty years.