At that time, Israel went to war against the Philistines. They camped at Eben-Ezer and the Philistines camped at Afek. 2 Then the Philistines lined up to meet Israel and the battle spread. Israel was defeated by the Philistines and they killed about 4,000 warriors in the battle line in the countryside. 3 As the people[fn] came into the camp, the Israeli elders asked themselves, “Why did Yahweh allow the Philistines to slaughter us today? Let’s get the box from Shiloh that contains the stone slabs with Yahweh’s agreement on them. Once it’s amongst us, surely it’ll save us from defeat by our enemies.” 4 So the people sent men to Shiloh and from there they lifted the box containing Yahweh’s agreement and the sacred platform with the winged creatures.[fn] Eli’s two sons, Hofni and Finehas, were there with the box containing God’s agreement.[ref]

5 As the box with Yahweh’s agreement was carried into the camp, all the Israelis shouted so loud that the ground shook. 6 When the Philistines heard the noise, they said, “What’s that loud shout in the Hebrews’ camp?” Then they realised that the box with Yahweh’s covenant had come into their camp 7 and they were afraid saying, “A god has come into the Israeli camp.” Then they said, “This means trouble, because it wasn’t like this yesterday or the previous days. 8 Oh dear! Who will rescue us from these mighty gods? Those are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every plague in the wilderness. 9 Now we Philistines really need to fight with passion, because if we don’t, we’ll ending up serving the Hebrews just like they’ve had to serve us. Now, gather your courage and fight for your lives.”

10 So the Philistines fought hard, and Israel was defeated. Many warriors fled back to their tents and it was a terrible slaughter—30,000 foot soldiers from Israel were killed. 11 As well as that, the box with God’s agreement was taken, and Eli’s two sons Hofni and Finehas were killed.