1 Samuel 4

And Samuel’s word came to all Israel.

The Philistines Capture the Ark

Now the Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines at Aphek.

وَاحْتَشَدَ الإِسْرَائِيلِيُّونَ عِنْدَ حَجَرِ الْمَعُونَةِ لِمُحَارَبَةِ الْفِلِسْطِينِيِّينَ، وَتَجَمَّعَ الْفِلِسْطِينِيُّونَ فِي أَفِيقَ.

The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand of them on the battlefield.

وَاصْطَفَّ الْفِلِسْطِينِيُّونَ لِلِقَاءِ إِسْرَائِيلَ وَمَا لَبِثَتْ أَنْ دَارَتْ رَحَى الْحَرْبِ، فَانْهَزَمَ الإِسْرَائِيلِيُّونَ أَمَامَ الْفِلِسْطِينِيِّينَ الَّذِينَ قَتَلُوا مِنْهُمْ فِي مَيْدَانِ الْمَعْرَكَةِ نَحْوَ أَرْبَعَةِ آلافِ رَجُلٍ.

When the soldiers returned to camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why did the Lord bring defeat on us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Shiloh, so that he may go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies.”

وَرَجَعَ النَّاجُونَ إِلَى مُعَسْكَرِهِمْ، فَتَسَاءَلَ شُيُوخُ إِسْرَائِيلَ: «لِمَاذَا هَزَمَنَا الرَّبُّ الْيَوْمَ أَمَامَ الْفِلِسْطِينِيِّينَ؟ لِنَأْتِ بِتَابُوتِ عَهْدِ الرَّبِّ مِنْ شِيلُوهَ وَنُدْخِلْهُ فِي وَسَطِنَا فِيُنْقِذَنَا مِنْ قَبْضَةِ أَعْدَائِنَا».

So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim. And Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

فَبَعَثَ الْجَيْشُ إِلَى شِيلُوهَ بِمَنْ حَمَلَ تَابُوتَ عَهْدِ الرَّبِّ الْقَدِيرِ الْجَالِسِ عَلَى الْكَرُوبِيمِ، وَرَافَقَهُ أَيْضاً ابْنَا عَالِي: حُفْنِي وَفِينْحَاسُ.

When the ark of the Lord’s covenant came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook.

وَمَا إِنْ دَخَلَ تَابُوتُ عَهْدِ الرَّبِّ إِلَى الْمُعَسْكَرِ حَتَّى هَتَفَ جَمِيعُ الْجَيْشِ هُتَافاً عَظِيماً ارْتَجَّتْ لَهُ الأَرْضُ.

Hearing the uproar, the Philistines asked, “What’s all this shouting in the Hebrew camp?”

When they learned that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp,

فَسَمِعَ الْفِلِسْطِينِيُّونَ ضَجِيجَ الْهُتَافِ فَتَسَاءَلُوا: «مَا ضَجِيجُ الْهُتَافِ هَذَا فِي مُعَسْكَرِ الْعِبْرَانِيِّينَ؟» وَلَمَّا عَرَفُوا أَنَّ تَابُوتَ الرَّبِّ قَدْ جِيءَ بِهِ إِلَى الْمُعَسْكَرِ،

the Philistines were afraid. “A god has^[a] come into the camp,” they said. “Oh no! Nothing like this has happened before.

اعْتَرَاهُمُ الْخَوْفُ وَقَالُوا: «لَقَدْ جَاءَ اللهُ إِلَى الْمُعَسْكَرِ، فَالْوَيْلُ لَنَا لأَنَّهُ لَمْ يَحْدُثْ مِثْلُ هَذَا مِنْ قَبْلُ.

We’re doomed! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness.

وَيْلٌ لَنَا! مَنْ يُنْقِذُنَا مِنْ يَدِ أُولَئِكَ الآلِهَةِ الْقَادِرِينَ، فَإِنَّهُمْ هُمُ الآلِهَةُ الَّذِينَ أَنْزَلُوا بِمِصْرَ كُلَّ صُنُوفِ الضَّرَبَاتِ فِي الْبَرِّيَّةِ.

Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Be men, and fight!”

تَشَجَّعُوا، وَكُونُوا أَبْطَالاً أَيُّهَا الْفِلِسْطِينِيُّونَ، لِئَلّا يَسْتَعْبِدَكُمُ الْعِبْرَانِيُّونَ كَمَا اسْتَعْبَدْتُمُوهُمْ. كُونُوا رِجَالاً وَاسْتَبْسِلُوا فِي الْقِتَالِ».

So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers.

فَحَارَبَ الْفِلِسْطِينِيُّونَ وَانْهَزَمَ الإِسْرَائِيلِيُّونَ، وَفَرَّ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ إِلَى خَيْمَتِهِ. وَكَانَتِ الْمَجْزَرَةُ عَظِيمَةً جِدّاً، وَقُتِلَ مِنْ إِسْرَائِيلَ ثَلاثُونَ أَلْفَ رَجُلٍ.

The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

Death of Eli

وَاسْتَوْلَى الْفِلِسْطِينِيُّونَ عَلَى تَابُوتِ اللهِ، وَمَاتَ ابْنَا عَالِي حُفْنِي وَفِينْحَاسُ.

موت عالي

That same day a Benjamite ran from the battle line and went to Shiloh with his clothes torn and dust on his head.

وَأَقْبَلَ فِي ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ رَجُلٌ مِنْ مَيْدَانِ الْمَعْرَكَةِ إِلَى شِيلُوهَ بِثِيَابٍ مُمَزَّقَةٍ وَرَأْسٍ مُعَفَّرٍ بِالتُّرَابِ.

When he arrived, there was Eli sitting on his chair by the side of the road, watching, because his heart feared for the ark of God. When the man entered the town and told what had happened, the whole town sent up a cry.

وَكَانَ عَالِي حِينَذَاكَ جَالِساً عَلَى كُرْسِيٍّ إِلَى جِوَارِ الطَّريِقِ يُرَاقِبُ، لأَنَّ قَلْبَهُ كَانَ مُضْطَرِباً عَلَى مَصِيرِ تَابُوتِ اللهِ. وَمَا إِنْ دَخَلَ الرَّجُلُ الْمَدِينَةَ وَأَذَاعَ النَّبَأَ حَتَّى ضَجَّتِ الْمَدِينَةُ كُلُّهَا بِالصُّرَاخِ.

Eli heard the outcry and asked, “What is the meaning of this uproar?”

The man hurried over to Eli,

فَتَسَاءَلَ عَالِي: «مَا سِرُّ هَذَا الضَّجِيجِ؟» فَأَسْرَعَ الرَّجُلُ يُبَلِّغُهُ الْخَبَرَ.

who was ninety-eight years old and whose eyes had failed so that he could not see.

وَكَانَ عَالِي قَدْ بَلَغَ مِنَ الْعُمْرِ ثَمَانٍ وَتِسْعِينَ سَنَةً، وَكَانَتْ عَيْنَاهُ قَدْ كَلَّتَا جِدّاً، فَلَمْ يَعُدْ قَادِراً عَلَى الإِبْصَارِ.

He told Eli, “I have just come from the battle line; I fled from it this very day.”

Eli asked, “What happened, my son?”

فَقَالَ الرَّجُلُ: «لَقَدْ وَصَلْتُ لِتَوِّي مِنْ مَيْدَانِ الْقِتَالِ هَارِباً الْيَوْمَ مِنْ لَهِيبِ الْمَعْرَكَةِ». فَسَأَلَهُ: «مَاذَا جَرَى يَا بُنَيَّ؟»

The man who brought the news replied, “Israel fled before the Philistines, and the army has suffered heavy losses. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.”

فَأَجَابَ: «انْهَزَمَ الإِسْرَائِيلِيُّونَ أَمَامَ الْفِلِسْطِينِيِّينَ، وَقُتِلَ عَدَدٌ كَبِيرٌ جِدّاً مِنَ الْجَيْشِ، وَمَاتَ أَيْضاً هُنَاكَ ابْنَاكَ حُفْنِي وَفِينْحَاسُ، وَأُخِذَ تَابُوتُ اللهِ».

When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man, and he was heavy. He had led^[b] Israel forty years.

وَمَا إِنْ ذَكَرَ الرَّجُلُ نَبَأَ تَابُوتِ اللهِ حَتَّى سَقَطَ عَالِي عَنِ الْكُرْسِيِّ إِلَى الْوَرَاءِ إِلَى جِوَارِ الْبَابِ، فَانْكَسَرَتْ رَقَبَتُهُ وَمَاتَ لأَنَّهُ كَانَ رَجُلاً شَيْخاً ثَقِيلَ الْجِسْمِ. وَقَدْ قَضَى لِبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ مُدَّةَ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً.

His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near the time of delivery. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth, but was overcome by her labor pains.

وَكَانَتْ كَنَّتُهُ امْرَأَةُ فِينْحَاسَ حُبْلَى تُوْشِكُ عَلَى الْوِلادَةِ، فَلَمَّا بَلَغَهَا خَبَرُ الاسْتِيلاءِ عَلَى تَابُوتِ اللهِ وَوَفَاةِ حَمِيهَا وَمَقْتَلِ زَوْجِهَا، سَقَطَتْ وَوَلَدَتْ، لأَنَّ آلامَ الْمَخَاضِ هَاجَمَتْهَا.

As she was dying, the women attending her said, “Don’t despair; you have given birth to a son.” But she did not respond or pay any attention.

وَعِنْدَ احْتِضَارِهَا قَالَتْ لَهَا النِّسْوَةُ الْمُحِيطَاتُ بِها: «لا تَجْزَعِي، فَقَدْ رُزِقْتِ بِوَلَدٍ»؛ فَلَمْ تُجِبْ وَلَمْ يَأْبَهْ قَلْبُهَا لِلْبُشْرَى.

She named the boy Ichabod,^[c] saying, “The Glory has departed from Israel”—because of the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband.

وَدَعَتِ الصَّبِيَّ إِيخَابُودَ قَائِلَةً: «قَدْ زَالَ الْمَجْدُ مِنْ إِسْرَائِيلَ»؛ لأَنَّ تَابُوتَ اللهِ قَدْ أُخِذَ وَمَاتَ حَمُوها وَزَوْجُهَا

She said, “The Glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”

وَهَذَا مَا دَعَاهَا لِلْقَوْلِ: «قَدْ زَالَ الْمَجْدُ مِنْ إِسْرَائِيلَ لأَنَّ تَابُوتَ اللهِ قَدْ أُخِذَ».